Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Psychometric properties of the Clarke questionnaire for hypoglycemia awareness in the Spanish population with type 2 diabetes

ABSTRACT Objectives The Clarke questionnaire, validated in Spanish language, assesses hypoglycemia awareness in patients with type 1 diabetes. This study aimed to analyze its psychometric properties in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Methods This was a questionnaire validation study. Patients with T2DM and treated with insulin, sulfonylureas or glinides were consecutively recruited from six endocrinology consultations and six primary care centers. The internal structure of the 8-item Clarke questionnaire was analyzed by exploratory (training sample) and confirmatory (testing sample) factor analysis; the internal consistency using Omega’s McDonald coefficient; and goodness of fit with comparative fit index (CFI, cutoff >0.9), Goodness of Fit Index (GFI, cutoff >0.9), and root mean-square error of approximation (RMSEA, cutoff <0.09), as well as unidimensionality indicators. Results The 265 participants (56.8% men) had a mean age of 67.8 years. Confirmatory factor analysis for one dimension obtained poor indicators: fit test (p < 0.001); CFI = 0.748; RMSEA = 0.122 and SRMR = 0.134. Exploratory factor analysis showed 2 or 3 dimensions with poor adjustment indicators. Omega’s McDonald was 0.739. Conclusions The Spanish version of the Clarke questionnaire was not valid or reliable for assessing hypoglycemia awareness in people with T2DM in Spanish population.
Features for landcover classification of fully polarimetric SAR data

We have previously shown that Stokes eigenvectors can be numerically extracted from the Kennaugh(Stokes) matrices of both single-look and multilook fully polarimetric SIR-C data. The extracted orientation and ellipticity parameters of the Stokes eigenvector were found to be related to the Huynen orientation and helicity parameters for single-look fully polarimetric SIR-C data. We formally show in this paper that these two parameters, which diagonalize the Sinclair matrices of the single-look data, belong to a set of parameters which diagonalize the Kennaugh matrices of single-look data. Along with the cross sections kSvvk2, kShvk2, kShhk2 and the Span, the eigenvalues of the Kennaugh matrix and the covariance matrix are used as input features in the development of a neural net landcover classifier for SIR-C data.
Electrochemiluminescence Aptasensor Based on Gd(OH)3 Nanocrystalline for Ochratoxin A Detection in Food Samples

In the present study, the electrochemiluminescence (ECL) properties of Gd(OH)3 nanocrystals with K2S2O8 as the cathode coreactant were studied for the first time. Based on the prominent ECL behavior of this material and the excellent specificity of the aptamer technique, an ECL aptasensor for the detection of ochratoxin A (OTA) was formulated successfully. Over an OTA concentration range of 0.01 pg mL−1 to 10 ng mL−1, the change in the ECL signal was highly linear with the OTA concentration, and the limit of detection (LOD) was 0.0027 pg mL−1. Finally, the ECL aptasensor was further used to detect OTA in real samples (grapes and corn) and satisfactory results were obtained, which indicated that the built method is expected to be applied in food detection.
Confidence sets for some partially identified parameters

In this paper, we first re-visit the inference problem for interval identified parameters originally studied in Imbens and Manski (2004) and later extended in Stoye (2008). We take the general criterion function approach and establish a new confidence interval that is asymptotically valid under the same assumptions as in Stoye (2008). Like the confidence interval of Stoye (2008), our new confidence interval extends that of Imbens and Manski (2004) to allow for the lack of a super-efficient estimator of the length of the identified interval. In addition, it shares the natural nesting property of the original confidence interval of Imbens and Manski (2004). A simulation study is conducted to examine the finite sample performance of our new confidence interval and that of Stoye (2008). Finally we extend our confidence interval for interval identified parameters to parameters defined by moment equalities/inequalities.
Identification of Six microRNAs as Potential Biomarkers for Pemphigus Vulgaris: From Diagnosis to Pathogenesis

Background: Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is a potentially fatal autoimmune bullous disease. The role of microRNA (miRNA, miR) in the diagnosis and pathogenesis of PV remains unknown. This study aims to provide potential miRNA biomarkers for PV diagnosis and therapy options. Methods: Serum samples were obtained from 22 PV patients, 15 mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP) patients, and 10 normal controls (NC). Total RNA was extracted from the serum samples, and 12 selected miRNAs were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Bioinformatic analyses including target gene prediction and enrichment analysis were performed. Results: Twelve miRNAs were increased in the serum of the PV group compared with the NC group, in which six miRNAs had good efficacy to diagnose PV from MMP with the area under the receiver operator characteristic curves of 0.970 to 0.988. A series test for the combination of miR-584-5p and miR-155-5p reached the sensitivity and specificity of 95.5% and 100%. Bioinformatic analysis revealed target gene enrichment in the cell adhesion pathways, immune-relating pathways, and P38 mitogen-activated protein kinases signaling pathway. Conclusion: The study provides new insights and targets of miRNAs for the precise diagnosis and the exploration of pathogenesis for PV, which may serve as a reference for further research into autoimmune bullous diseases.
A new supershort-scan algorithm for fan beam and cone beam reconstruction

In this paper we discuss image reconstruction algorithms in super-short-scan fan-beam and cone-beam computed tomography (CT). We propose a new fan-beam filtered back-projection algorithm which can obtain exact region of interest (ROI) reconstruction if and only if every projecting line passing through the ROI intersects the source trajectory, even if the scanning range is smaller than the half-scan. And we prove the algorithm is approximate when the projections are truncated. Furthermore, we expand the algorithm to cone-beam reconstruction. Then we simulate the algorithm on the computer and evaluate the noise properties of the new algorithm and the other algorithms. Numerical results in our work suggest that the new algorithm is generally less susceptible to data noise and less artifacts than the before algorithms. In particular, the new algorithm is easily and successfully expanded to cone-beam tomography when the source trajectory is a short-arc on the single circle or on the helical trajectory.
A Perspectival Reading of Spinoza's Essence-Existence Distinction

Abstract This article examines the essence-existence distinction in Spinoza's theory of modes. This distinction is commonly made in two ways. First, essence and existence are separated by cause. Essences are understood to follow vertically from the essence of God, while existence follows horizontally from other modes. I present textual and systematic arguments against such a causal bifurcation. Second, essence and existence are distinguished by their temporal nature. Essence is eternal. Existence is durational. However, in several passages, Spinoza writes that eternity and duration constitute two ways of understanding nature rather than two really distinct aspects of nature.
Femtosecond laser microstructuring: an enabling tool for optofluidic lab‐on‐chips

This paper provides an overview of the rather new field concerning the applications of femtosecond laser microstructuring of glass to optofluidics. Femtosecond lasers have recently emerged as a powerful microfabrication tool due to their unique characteristics. On the one hand, they enable to induce a permanent refractive index increase, in a micrometer‐sized volume of the material, allowing single‐step, three‐dimensional fabrication of optical waveguides. On the other hand, femtosecond‐laser irradiation of fused silica followed by chemical etching enables the manufacturing of directly buried microfluidic channels. This opens the intriguing possibility of using a single laser system for the fabrication and three‐dimensional integration of optofluidic devices. This paper will review the state of the art of femtosecond laser fabrication of optical waveguides and microfluidic channels, as well as their integration for high sensitivity detection of biomolecules and for cell manipulation.
Coulomb thermal properties and stability of the Io plasma torus

Coulomb collisional energy exchange rates are computed for a model of the Io plasma torus consisting of newly created pickup ions, a background of thermally degraded intermediary ions, and a population of cooler electrons. The electrons are collisionally heated by both the pickup ions and background ions and are cooled by electron impact excitation of plasma ions which radiate in the EUV. It is found that a relative concentration of S III pickup ions forbidden S III/electrons = 0.1 with a temperature of 340 eV can deliver energy to the electrons at a rate of 3 x 10 to the -13th erg/cu cm per sec, sufficient to power the EUV emissions in the Io torus. The model predicts a background ion temperature Ti of about 53 eV and an electron temperature Te of about 5.5 eV on the basis of steady-state energy balance relations at Coulomb rates. The model also predicts electron temperature fluctuations at the 30 percent level on a time scale of less than 11 hours, consistent with recent observations of this phenomenon.
Classifying cropping area of middle Heihe River Basin in China using multitemporal Normalized Difference Vegetation Index data

Abstract Accurate information regarding the structure of crops is critical for the improvement and optimization of land surface models. Multitemporal remote sensing imagery is more effective to determine the crop structure than the single-temporal images because they contain phenological information. Crop structure was extracted based on time series of moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) data in the middle Heihe River Basin. A time series of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data with a 3-day temporal resolution was composed based on daily MODIS reflectance products (MOD 09) from January to December 2011. A total of 120 scenes of composited imagery were integrated into an image data cube of NDVI time series, which was used to extract crop structure for the study area. The spectral curves of corn, wheat, rape, vegetables, and other crops are based on both in situ measurements and visual interpretation. The major crop types were classified by using the adaptive boosting (Adaboost) and support vector machine (SVM) algorithms. The results show that the classification accuracy of Adaboost and SVM was 86.01% and 70.28%, respectively, with Kappa coefficients of 0.8351 and 0.6438, respectively. Summarizing the classification methods used in this study effectively characterize the spatial distribution of the main crops.
3D GRAY-LEVEL HISTOMORPHOMETRY OF TRABECULAR BONE - A METHODOLOGICAL REVIEW

The goal of standard histomorphometry is to provide methods of qualitative description of tissue structure based on image data. Typical measurements include geometric areas, perimeters, length, angle of orientation, form factors, center of gravity coordinates etc. There are well-established procedures for deriving the aforementioned quantities from binary images. However, segmentation of in vivo images of trabecular bone poses a problem which has not been solved yet. Recent years have brought significant developments within an emerging field of “gray-level histomorphometry”. The general goal of gray-level histomorphometry is to provide procedures for measuring geometric areas, perimeters, length, angle of orientation, form factors, center of gravity coordinates etc. without the need for image segmentation. Although the field is not very mature yet, the collected results suggest that this approach opens new perspectives which should not be overlooked by the scientific community. In the present review we summarize the state-of-the-art within the 3D gray-level histomorphometry.
A Systematic Review of Dynamic Wireless Charging System for Electric Transportation

Green electricity and green transportation are the primary requirements for smart cities. Maximizing EV utilization is the key requirement in the development of green transportation. However, EV technology faces challenges due to the long battery recharging time and heavy batteries to achieve extended driving ranges. Different approaches are investigated to charge the EV by battery swapping, plugin, or wireless. Recently the wireless charging approach is gaining popularity because of safety, extended driving range, dynamic charging, and human intervention-free recharging. However, multiple factors need to be considered in the design of the WPT system and require expertise in different domains. This paper discusses a systematic approach on the various parameters involved in a dynamic wireless charging system design. The major functional units in WPT such as charging couplers, compensation network, and power inverters topologies are addressed. Additionally, this paper discusses the issues involved in grid-tied and renewable integrated dynamic charging systems. Moreover, the step-by-step procedure is described to understand the process involved in the dynamic charging system design. Finally, various case studies at different power levels are presented to get more insights into practical design.
Comparative Evaluation of Prediction Model between Inference Fuzzy System and Universal Kriging for Spatial Data

This paper dealt with one of the spatial interpolation methods in the geostatistics field. The purpose of this research is to get the parameters of unbiased estimators based on regionalized random variables in spatial statistics. In this paper, we used universal kriging with the fuzzy inference system by the Mamdani technique. the objective of this work is to estimate the parameters of covariance functions relying on spatial real for the depth of groundwater in Mosul city, Iraq. The data adopted contains (100) real data with locations representing the depth. From the results we show the best model with the constructs of weights, we illustrate the performance of universal kriging is the best when corresponding with the fuzzy system. In conclusion, the improvement of any method of spatial interpolation or fuzzy system does not depend on more statistical structures but depends on the efficiency of the method which satisfies the conditions of weights and minimum variance errors. All programming is applied by Matlab language.
Facile Access to Fabricate Carbon Dots and Perspective of Large-Scale Applications.

Carbon dots (CDs), fluorescent carbon nanoparticles with particle sizes < 10 nm, are constantly being developed for potential large-scale applications. Recently, methods allow CD synthesis to be carried out on large-scale preparation in a controlled fashion are potentially important for multiple disciplines, including bottom-up strategy, top-down method. In this review, the recent progresses in the research of the methods for large-scale production of CDs and their functionalization are summarized. Especially, the methods of CD synthesis, such as large-scale preparation, hydrothermal/solvothermal, microwave-assisted, magnetic hyperthermia microfluidic and other methods, along with functionalization of CDs, are summarized in detail. By promising applications of CDs, there are three aspects have been already reported, such as enhancing mechanical properties, flame retardancy, and energy storage. Also, future development of CDs is prospected.
1550-nm wavelength-tunable HCG VCSELs

We demonstrate wavelength-tunable VCSELs using high contrast gratings (HCGs) as the top output mirror on VCSELs, operating at 1550 nm. Tunable HCG VCSELs with a ~25 nm mechanical tuning range as well as VCSELs with 2 mW output power were realized. Error-free operation of an optical link using directly-modulated tunable HCG VCSELs transmitting at 1.25 Gbps over 18 channels spaced by 100 GHz and transmitted over 20 km of single mode fiber is demonstrated, showing the suitability of the HCG tunable VCSEL as a low cost source for WDM communications systems.
Gender Beyond the Binary: Computationally Mapping Gender to a Spectrum Using Sex Differences in the Brain

Biological sex is far more complex than simply two categories: male and female. The mere existence of transgender and intersex individuals displays this complexity clearly on the surface, while the differences between cisgender people within their own respective categories brings this idea to a deeper level. While sex differences reveal themselves in many different scientific disciplines, this study will focus on findings in the field of neuroscience; specifically, it will narrow in on volumetric measurements of brain regions known to have differing trends across the male and female sexes. The construction of a surrogate data set driven by measurements extracted from existing literature will be used to fit a logistic regression model. The resulting probability function will be used to first create a base Biological Sex Spectrum; this refers to a representation of biological sex as a spectrum in the absence of societal influence. This probability function will then be modified to produce a Societally Influenced Gender Spectrum; this refers to a spectrum that has been influenced by the concept of the gender binary and more closely represents our current world. The comparison of these two spectra will reveal the space for an increase in gender diversity as societal views continue shifting further away from restricting gender stereotypes.
A Reflection on Constructively Aligned Remote Assessment for Quality Learning beyond COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case of University of Namibia

Purpose: To take a critical reflection on quality assessment used beyond remote teaching, learning and assessment at the University of Namibia. Objectives: 1) To encourage assessment tasks that promote critical thinking beyond remote learning period. 2) To promote constructively aligned assessment that enhances quality student learning. 3) To fulfill various purposes of assessment in higher education setting. Method: The paper adopted Donald Schön’s Ref-lection-in-Action as method to critique constructive aligned assessment for quality learning beyond COVID-19 era. Findings: The main findings revealed that for quality post-remote assessment to take place it should be aligned to curriculum, teaching and learning activities. Quality assessment promotes student lifelong learning and the assessment criteria should be explicit. Conclusion: The paper concluded that assessment is the heart of education and should be well understood by both lecturers and students. Effort should be made to ensure that culture does not constraint quality remote assessment. Recommendations: It is recommended that the university should organize capacity building training for lecturers in the ever-changing assessment practice. Finally, it is recommended that attention should be placed on demystifying remote assessment which enhances teaching and lifelong learning.
A Review of Computer-Aided Breast Cancer Diagnosis Using Sequential Mammograms

Radiologists assess the results of mammography, the key screening tool for the detection of breast cancer, to determine the presence of malignancy. They, routinely, compare recent and prior mammographic views to identify changes between the screenings. In case a new lesion appears in a mammogram, or a region is changing rapidly, it is more likely to be suspicious, compared to a lesion that remains unchanged and it is usually benign. However, visual evaluation of mammograms is challenging even for expert radiologists. For this reason, various Computer-Aided Diagnosis (CAD) algorithms are being developed to assist in the diagnosis of abnormal breast findings using mammograms. Most of the current CAD systems do so using only the most recent mammogram. This paper provides a review of the development of methods to emulate the radiological approach and perform automatic segmentation and/or classification of breast abnormalities using sequential mammogram pairs. It begins with demonstrating the importance of utilizing prior views in mammography, through the review of studies where the performance of expert and less-trained radiologists was compared. Following, image registration techniques and their application to mammography are presented. Subsequently, studies that implemented temporal analysis or subtraction of temporally sequential mammograms are summarized. Finally, a description of the open access mammography datasets is provided. This comprehensive review can serve as a thorough introduction to the use of prior information in breast cancer CAD systems but also provides indicative directions to guide future applications.
Spiritual Value: A Mythological Figure in Keraton Kanoman Cirebon

: Keraton Kanoman Cirebon has preserved a lot of priceless authentic cultural assets that are displayed in public area and Ruang Ndalem Keraton. One of the artefacts is a mythological figure called Paksi Naga Liman represents the great value of the teachings and wisdom which are respected and inherited by all the members of Keraton Kanoman Cirebon and its people. This mythological figure is chosen due to uniqueness and the fact that it can only be found in Keraton Kanoman. Besides, it represents an artwork having the hybridity of the acculturation of Islam, China, and Hindu (through the figures of the bird/ paksi / burok , a dragon, and an elephant respectively). This research aims to describe (1) the visualization concept, (2) the spiritual value, and (3) the implementation on contemporary arts and designs. The research method used is descriptive qualitative and the data are collected through library research, historical review, observation, and interviews. The results show that the visual concept of Paksi Naga Liman is the expression of guide spirituality to human relationships horizontally (immanent) and vertically (transcendental) through space and time. The spiritual value is shown by the cultural wealth appreciation which continuously inspires contemporary arts and designs to this day.
An On-Campus Approach to Online Mathematics Teaching: A Case Study on a Pre-Calculus Course

Learning in STEM subjects is to a high degree based upon understanding logic, especially in subjects like mathematics. It has always been challenging to preserve the benefits of on-campus teaching and learning while digitalizing the teaching of mathematics. In this article an approach to design for a suitable online pre-calculus course is discussed, that aims to address the challenges. The main focus will be on student active learning in synchronous online environments, technical teaching methods in lectures, and pre-planning of the course. The final exam in the course was held as a closed-book proctored exam on-campus with pen and paper, providing data on comparisons of the final exam scores with the exam from the previous year, in which the entire course was held on-campus. The results indicate a positive effect from the presented design. Also, student surveys indicated high student satisfaction.