Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Statistical Inference when using Data Adaptive Estimators of Nuisance Parameters

In order to be concrete we focus on estimation of the treatment specific mean, controlling for all measured baseline covariates, based on observing n independent and identically distributed copies of a random variable consisting of baseline covariates, a subsequently assigned binary treatment, and a final outcome. The statistical model only assumes possible restrictions on the conditional distribution of treatment, given the covariates, the so called propensity score. Estimators of the treatment specific mean involve estimation of the propensity score and/or estimation of the conditional mean of the outcome, given the treatment and covariates. In order to make these estimators asymptotically unbiased at any data distribution in the statistical model, it is essential to use data adaptive estimators of these nuisance parameters such as ensemble learning, and specifically super-learning. Because such estimators involve optimal trade-off of bias and variance w.r. t. the infinite dimensional nuisance parameter itself, they result in a sub-optimal bias/variance trade-off for the resulting real valued estimator of the estimand. We demonstrate that additional targeting of the estimators of these nuisance parameters guarantees that this bias for the estimand is second order, and thereby allows us to prove theorems thatestablish asymptotic linearity of the estimator of the treatment specific mean under regularity conditions. These insights result in novel targeted maximum likelihood estimators (TMLE) that use ensemble learning withadditional targeted bias reduction to construct estimators of the nuisance parameters. In particular, we construct collaborative targeted maximum likelihood estimators (CTMLE) with known influence curve allowing for statistical inference, even though these CTMLEs involve variable selection for the propensity score based on a criterion that measures how effective the resulting fit of the propensity score is in removing bias for the estimand. As a particular special case, we also demonstrate the required targeting of the propensity score for the inverse probability of treatment weighted estimator using super-learning to fit the propensity score.
High Availability and Load Balancing for Postgresql Databases : Designing and Implementing

The aim of the paper is to design and implement an approach that provides high availability and load balancing to PostgreSQL databases. Shared nothing architecture and replicated centralized middleware architecture were selected in order to achieve data replication and load balancing among database servers. Pgpool-II was used to implementing these architectures. Besides, taking advantage of pgpool-II as a framework, several scripts were developed in Bash for restoration of corrupted databases. In order to avoid single point of failure Linux HA (Heartbeat and Pacemaker) was used, whose responsibility is monitoring all processes involved in the whole solution. As a result applications can operate with a more reliable PostgreSQL database server, the most suitable situation is for applications with more load of reading statement (typically select) over writing statement (typically update). Also approach presented is only intended for Linux based Operating System.
Excessive negative affect and deficient positive affect in anxiety and depression: Balancing the valences in the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)

In the widely used Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) most of the items forming the Depression subscale use terms for a pleasant state of mind, whereas most of the items in the Anxiety subscale mention aversive states. Thus the constructs assessed may relate respectively to absence of positive affect and presence of negative affect, rather than to the different sorts of affect intended. In the present study this hypothesis was partly supported by factor analyses of responses to the HADS in a healthy group and in a group with the rheumatic disease Sjögren’s syndrome. Re-analysis showed that it may be feasible to create an eight-item instrument that distinguishes anxiety items from depression items while having items with positive valence in equal number to items with negative valence in each subscale. Patients’ own descriptions and categorisations of such items should be used to develop an affect-balanced and somatic-free inventory that then may be able to separate anxiety from depression among healthy and physically ill populations.
P27-PPE36 (Rv2108) Mycobacterium tuberculosis Antigen – Member of PPE Protein Family with Surface Localization and Immunological Activities

The largest and most distinctive class of mycobacteria-specific genes encode a group of 167 proteins of repetitive sequence belonging to the pe and ppe families. The uniqueness of the ppe genes is illustrated by the fact that these genes are restricted to mycobacteria (Cole et al., 1998; Voskuil et al., 2004 (b)). The Rv2108 gene belongs to this family and furthermore is highly specific for the Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) complex group of mycobacterium (containing notably Mycobacterium africanum, Mycobacterium canettii, Mycobacterium microti, Mycobacterium pinnipedi, Mycobacterium bovis and M. bovis BCG strain). This gene was described by Chevrier et al., (2000) and used as a molecular probe to develop a rapid test for the detection and identification of this group of mycobacteria. Rv2108 is a gene coding for the protein P27-PPE36, member of the PPE protein family of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a group of protein thought to be of immunological significance despite the fact that the exact role of the PPE proteins stills unknown.
A Decade of Jadelle Subdermal Implant Contraception in a Tertiary Health Institution in Port Harcourt, Southern Nigeria

Background: Jadelle, a long acting reversible progesterone contraceptive, has been in use in our centre for over 10 years and has not been comprehensively evaluated. Objectives: To determine the acceptance, efficacy, and safety profile associated with the use of Jadelle contraceptive implant in the University of Port Harcourt Teaching hospital, Port Harcourt. Methods: This is a 10-year retrospective study of clients who accepted and used Jadelle for contraception in the university of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), Port Harcourt. The case files were retrieved and information on their socio demographic profile, source of information, side effects, failures and reason for removal were extracted using a proforma. Data were filled into a spread sheet, analyzed using SPSS version 21.0 and presented in tables of frequencies and percentages. Results: Within the period under review, March 2007 to February 2017, 569 clients used Jadelle out of the 3829 women who accepted and used modern contraceptive in the UPTH. The mean age of users was 33.7 ± 4.2, 536 (94.2%) were multipara with a mean parity of 4.5 ± 3.8 while 541 (95.1%) had secondary education and above. The major side effect was irregular vaginal bleeding 36 (60.9%) while the main reason for removal of the device was expiration of method 272 (53.9%). A pregnancy was recorded during this period giving a pearl index of 0.002. Conclusion: Jadelle is a popular and a very effective means of contraception with increasing acceptance among our clients. The safety profile is high.
DIGITAL WATERMARKING TECHNIQUE BASED ON MULTI-RESOLUTION

In this paper an efficient & robust non-blind watermarking technique based on multi-resolution geometric analysis named curvelet transform is proposed. Curvelet transform represent edges along curve much more efficiently than the wavelet transform and other traditional transforms. The proposed algorithm of embedding watermark in different scales in curvelet domain is implemented and the results are compared using proper metric. The visual quality of watermarked image, efficiency of data hiding and the quality of extracted watermark of curvelet domain embedding techniques with wavelet Domain at different number of decomposition levels are compared. Experimental results show that embedding in curvelet domain yields best visual quality in watermarked image, the quality of extracted watermark, robustness of the watermark and the data hiding efficiency.
Comparison between different dilution rates on canine semen freezing using Tris-buffer with the addition of egg-yolk and glycerol

Standardized sperm concentration and volume:volume extension were compared as dilution rates for canine semen freezing. Six proven stud dogs were submitted to two seminal collections by manual stimulation. Semen was evaluated and extended in tris plus egg-yolk and glycerol according to two different dilution rates. The first one was based on a standardized sperm concentration of 200x10 spermatozoa/ml and the second was a volume:volume extension at a proportion of one part semen to one part extender. Semen was frozen, stored in liquid nitrogen and thawed after one week. Sperm motility and vigor were appraised after each stage of the process and at 15 and 30min post-thawing. Sperm morphology was analyzed after collection and thawing. No differences were observed between treatments after thawing regarding sperm motility and vigor, normal sperm morphology rate or longevity. Both dilution rates can be efficiently used for canine semen freezing.
PEMBAYARAN PINJAMAN LUAR NEGERI KORPORASI DAN PERGERAKAN RUPIAH

The shifting of the exchange rate regime toward the free floating system in Indonesia, have changed the nature of the Indonesian Rupiah fluctuation, both in its magnitude and direction. Public opinion tends to believe that the high corporate demand on foreign exchange to fulfill their foreign debt repayment is one of the major depreciating factors of the Rupiah against the US dollar. This paper analyzes the response of public opinion by analyzing the effect of corporate foreign debt repayments and their general behavior on the foreign exchange demand and supply. This paper also analyzes the impact of the non-oil and gas imports, the international oil price, the interest rate differential, and the country risk. Based on the survey of selected highly leverage corporates in Indonesia, the result shows a unique dependency of the corporate»s foreign exchange demand and supply on the corporate»s earning charac-teristics and its business sector orientation. The fact that corporations are virtually in the position of excess demand for foreign exchange have prompted persistent pressure on the Rupiah. Furthermore, using the Johansen Cointegration Test and the Error Correction Model verifies that the corporate foreign debt service merely affects the Rupiah exchange rate in the long-run. In the short-run, the movement of Rupiah is highly affected by other factors such us the global oil price, interest rate differentials, and country risks.
Na/K-ATPase Signaling and the Tradeoff Between Natriuresis and Cardiac Fibrosis

The care of patients with chronic renal insufficiency continues to be complicated by significant cardiovascular dysfunction causing substantial morbidity and mortality. These patients develop cardiovascular disease that is characterized by left ventricular dysfunction and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). It has been demonstrated that patients with chronic renal insufficiency develop elevated levels of cardiotonic steroids (CTS) such as marinobufagenin (MBG) in an effort to promote natriuresis and resolve the volume expansion associated with renal insufficiency and cardiac failure. In this review we will try to elucidate the mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of uremic cardiomyopathy and the role of CTS in cardiac fibrosis.
Precision Medicine for Sickle Cell Disease: Discovery of Genetic Targets for Drug Development

Sickle cell disease (SCD) consists of inherited monogenic hemoglobin disorders affecting over three million people worldwide. Efforts to establish precision medicine based on the discovery of genetic polymorphisms associated with disease severity are ongoing to inform strategies for novel drug design. Numerous gene mutations have been associated with the clinical complications of SCD such as frequency of pain episodes, acute chest syndrome, and stroke among others. However, these discoveries have not produced additional treatment options. To date, Hydroxyurea remains the only Food and Drug Administration-approved agent for treating adults with SCD; recently it was demonstrated to be safe and effective in children. The main action of Hydroxyurea is the induction of fetal hemoglobin, a potent modifier of SCD clinical severity. Three inherited gene loci including XmnI-HBG2 , HBS1L-MYB and BCL11A have been linked to HBG expression, however the greatest progress has been made to develop BCL11A as a therapeutic target. With the expanded availability of next generation sequencing, there exist opportunities to discover additional genetic modifiers of SCD. The progress made over the last two decades to define markers of disease severity and the implications for achieving precision medicine to treat the complications of SCD will be discussed.
Iris Recognition Technology for Improved Authentication

One area where security can be improved is in authentication. Iris recognition, a biometric, provides one of the most secure methods of authentication and identification thanks to the unique characteristics of the iris. Once the image of the iris has been captured using a standard camera, the authentication process, involving comparing the current subject's iris with the stored version, is one of the most accurate with very low false acceptance and rejection rates. This makes the technology very useful in areas such as.
Crop losses to pests

Productivity of crops grown for human consumption is at risk due to the incidence of pests, especially weeds, pathogens and animal pests. Crop losses due to these harmful organisms can be substantial and may be prevented, or reduced, by crop protection measures. An overview is given on different types of crop losses as well as on various methods of pest control developed during the last century. Estimates on potential and actual losses despite the current crop protection practices are given for wheat, rice, maize, potatoes, soybeans, and cotton for the period 2001–03 on a regional basis (19 regions) as well as for the global total. Among crops, the total global potential loss due to pests varied from about 50% in wheat to more than 80% in cotton production. The responses are estimated as losses of 26–29% for soybean, wheat and cotton, and 31, 37 and 40% for maize, rice and potatoes, respectively. Overall, weeds produced the highest potential loss (34%), with animal pests and pathogens being less important (losses of 18 and 16%). The efficacy of crop protection was higher in cash crops than in food crops. Weed control can be managed mechanically or chemically, therefore worldwide efficacy was considerably higher than for the control of animal pests or diseases, which rely heavily on synthetic chemicals. Regional differences in efficacy are outlined. Despite a clear increase in pesticide use, crop losses have not significantly decreased during the last 40 years. However, pesticide use has enabled farmers to modify production systems and to increase crop productivity without sustaining the higher losses likely to occur from an increased susceptibility to the damaging effect of pests. The concept of integrated pest/crop management includes a threshold concept for the application of pest control measures and reduction in the amount/frequency of pesticides applied to an economically and ecologically acceptable level. Often minor crop losses are economically acceptable; however, an increase in crop productivity without adequate crop protection does not make sense, because an increase in attainable yields is often associated with an increased vulnerability to damage inflicted by pests.
Distribution of Poaceae, Chenopodiceae, Papaveraceae and Fumariaceae plant families in Fars, Iran: an application of GIS in plant systematic and conservation

Several worldwide priority area proposals have been developed, but local considerations are necessary to identify priority areas for conservation within these regions. Then the list of plant species developed to use as conservation characteristics that complemented the Land cover data, as it is supposed that many species would be automatically conserved by protecting their associated land cover types. There is a large amount of species richness due to geological, soil and climatic variation in Fars, Iran and a majority of these species have not been identified. The species were identified using Floras, monographs and available articles. The endemic species and the regions of high species richness of these four families were reported. Results indicated that the four plant families have in total, 126 genera and 265 species, where eight species were endemic. The Poaceae family has 90 genera and 170 species; five of them are endemic. The Chenopodiceae family has 29 genera and 76 species; two of them are endemic. The Papaveraceae family has five genera and 12 species; one species is endemic. The Fumariaceae family has two genera and seven species, without any endemic species. Ninety eight species were recorded for the first time. Overall, the Shiraz town ship has the highest species richness among all twenty townships in the province.
Paramagnetic, Near‐Infrared Fluorescent Mn‐Doped PbS Colloidal Nanocrystals

Mn-doped PbS colloidal nanocrystals in aqueous solution are paramagnetic and optically active in the technologically important biological window between 1.2 and 0.8 μm. Cytoxicity studies show that exposure of human cell lines to the nanoparticles at concentrations up to 0.2 mg mL−1 does not induce any adverse effect.
Emerald Article : Toward a theory of evidence based decision making

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to integrate existing body of knowledge on evidence-based management, develop a theory of evidence, and propose a model of evidence-based decision making. Design/methodology/approach – Following a literature review, the paper takes a conceptual approach toward developing a theory of evidence and a process model of decision making. Formal research propositions amplify both theory and model. Findings – The paper suggests that decision making is at the heart of management practice. It underscores the importance of both research and experiential evidence for making professionally sound managerial decisions. It argues that the strength of evidence is a function of its rigor and relevance manifested by methodological fit, relevance to the context, transparency of its findings, replicability of the evidence, and the degree of consensus within the decision community. A multi-stage mixed level model of evidence-based decision making is proposed with suggestions for future research. Practical implications – An explicit, formal, and systematic collaboration at the global level among the producers of evidence and its users akin to the Cochrane Collaboration will ensure sound evidence, contribute to decision quality, and enable professionalization of management practice. Originality/value – The unique value contribution of this paper comes from a critical review of the evidence-based management literature, the articulation of a formal theory of evidence, and the development of a model for decision making driven by the theory of evidence.
Time frequency and chirps

Chirps (i.e., transient AM-FM waveforms) are ubiquitous in nature and man-made systems, and they may serve as a paradigm for many nonstationary deterministic signals. The time-frequency plane is a natural representation space for chirps, and we will here review a number of questions related to chirps, as addressed from a time-frequency perspective. Global and local approaches will be described for matching and/or adapting representations to chirps. As a corollary, joint time-frequency descriptions of chirps will be shown to allow for effective definitions of instantaneous frequencies via localized trajectories on the plane. A number of applications will be mentioned, ranging from bioacoustics to turbulence and gravitational waves.
Effect of fungal exposure on the strength of thermally modified Norway spruce and Scots pine

Abstract Thermal modification at elevated temperatures changes the chemical, biological and physical properties of wood. In this study, the effects of the level of thermal modification and the decay exposure (natural durability against soft-rot microfungi) on the modulus of elasticity (MOE) and modulus of rupture (MOR) of the sapwood and heartwood of Scots pine and Norway spruce were investigated with a static bending test using a central loading method in accordance with EN 408 (1995). The results were compared with four reference wood species: Siberian larch, bangkirai, merbau and western red cedar. In general, both the thermal modification and the decay exposure decreased the strength properties. On average, the higher the thermal modification temperature, the more MOE and MOR decreased with unexposed samples and increased with decayed samples, compared with the unmodified reference samples. The strength of bangkirai was least reduced in the group of the reference wood species. On average, untreated wood material will be stronger than thermally modified wood material until wood is exposed to decaying fungi. Thermal modification at high temperatures over 210°C very effectively prevents wood from decay; however, strength properties are then affected by thermal modification itself.
The HLA-D region encodes a series of polymorphic differentiation antigens that appear to be involved in the control of cellular interactions in the generation

The HLA-D region encodes a series of polymorphic differentiation antigens that appear to be involved in the control of cellular interactions in the generation of an immune response (1). Two types of HLA-D region products have been serologically identified, the DR antigens, which are homologous to the murine I-E molecules, and the DQ (formerly DS or DC) antigens, which are homologous to the murine I-A molecules (2, 3). These antigens consist of two noncovalently associated subunits (alpha, 34 kD; beta, 27 kD) and both the DR and DQ molecules carry antigenic specificities defined by alloantisera (4, 5). Within the DQ series, two alpha and two beta chain genes have been identified in the haploid genome, and hybridization data suggest additional genes (6, 7). Evidence also exists for the expression of two distinct I-A-like molecules (8-10). The studies reported here provide evidence not only for the expression of two distinct DQlike molecules but show that each of these carry distinct alloantigenic specificities that can be defined by monoclonai antibodies.