Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association between Alcohol Drinking Status and Depressive Symptoms in Korean Adults

We investigated the association between alcohol drinking status and depressive symptoms in a representative sample of South Korean adults using data from the 2017 Korea Community Health Survey (KCHS), which included 216,771 participants (99,845 men and 116,926 women). Depression was defined as a Patient Health Questionnaire-9 score of ≥10. Multivariate logistic regression using sampling weights was used to assess the relationship between alcohol drinking status and depression after adjusting for potential confounders. Alcohol intake was nonlinearly associated with depression; the risk of depression was the lowest in men who were moderate drinkers and women who were light drinkers. In men, heavy drinkers (odds ratio [OR] 1.41, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.19–1.67), light drinkers (OR 1.13, 95% CI 0.94–1.36), infrequent drinkers (OR 1.31, 95% CI 1.00–1.73), and lifetime abstainers (OR 1.38, 95% CI 1.09–1.75) were at a higher risk of depression than moderate drinkers. In women, moderate drinkers (OR 1.19, 95% CI 1.02–1.40) and heavy drinkers (OR 1.56, 95% CI 1.33–1.84) were at a higher risk of depression than light drinkers; however, infrequent drinkers and lifetime abstainers were not at a high risk of depression. In both men and women, former drinkers were at a higher risk of depression (OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.34–1.93 and OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.09–1.43, respectively). In conclusion, the association between alcohol drinking status and depression was nonlinear in both sexes. Further investigation of age- and sex-specific factors related to the association between alcohol use and depression is needed.
Hidradenitis Suppurativa Quality of Life (HiSQOL): creation and validation of the Polish language version

Introduction Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic, inflammatory and painful cutaneous disease which often has a negative influence on patients’ quality of life. Dermatology-specific instruments, such as Dermatology Life Quality Index and Skindex, are commonly used to evaluate HS patients’ quality of life. However, due to the lack of specific questions, these scales may not be adequate and may not reflect the real problem. Aim To translate and validate the Polish version of a newly created HS-specific questionnaire – Hidradenitis Suppurativa Quality of Life (HiSQOL). Material and methods A forward and backward translation was conducted from the original English version of the questionnaire to Polish language according to international standards. The validation was performed on a group of 30 patients suffering from HS, who completed the questionnaire twice with a 4–5 days’ interval. Results The Polish version of HiSQOL questionnaire showed a very good internal consistency (Cronbach α coefficient was 0.96 for total score). Excellent reproducibility with the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.97 was demonstrated. Conclusions The Polish version of HiSQOL questionnaire has high internal reliability, validity and reproducibility. It can be used as a tool to assess health-related quality of life in the patients suffering from hidradenitis suppurativa.
Arbitrary-Shaped Building Boundary-Aware Detection With Pixel Aggregation Network

Large-scale building extraction is an essential work in the field of a remote sensing image analysis. The high-resolution image extraction methods based on deep learning have achieved state-of-the-art performance. However, most of the previous work has focused on region accuracy rather than boundary quality. Aiming at the low-accuracy problems and incomplete boundary of the building extraction method, we propose a predictive optimization architecture, BAPANet. Notably, the architecture consists of an encoder–decoder network, and residual refinement modules responsible for prediction, and refinement. The objective function optimizes the network in the form of three levels (pixel, feature map, and patch) by fusing three loss functions: binary cross-entropy, intersection over-union, and structural similarity. The five public datasets’ experimental results show that the extraction method in this article has high region accuracy, and the boundary of buildings is clear and complete.
Prediction of adverse outcomes using non-endoscopic scoring systems in patients over 80 years of age who present with the upper gastrointestinal bleeding in the emergency department

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: The emergency department (ED) admission rate for elderly patients with non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) is increasing. The AIMS65 and Glasgow-Blatchford score (GBS) are two distinct scoring systems proposed to predict in-hospital and post-discharge mortality, length of stay (LOS), and health-related costs in these patients. The objective of the present study is to evaluate the accuracy of these scoring systems, in conjunction with the Charlson comorbidity index (CCI), to predict 30-day mortality and LOS in UGIB patients who are 80 years of age or older METHODS: A retrospective analysis was undertaken of 182 patients with non-variceal UGIB who were admitted to the ED of Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University Hospital. The AIMS65, GBS, and CCI scores were calculated and adverse patient outcomes were assessed. RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 85.59±4.33 years, and 90 (49.5%) of the patients were males. The AIMS65 was superior to the GBS (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUROC] 0.877 vs. 0.695, respectively) and CCI (AUROC 0.877 vs. 0.526, respectively) in predicting the 30-day mortality. All three scores performed poorly in predicting the LOS in hospital. The cutoff threshold that maximized sensitivity and specificity for mortality was three for the AIMS65 score (sensitivity, 0.87; specificity, 0.80; negative predictive values [NPV], 0.977; positive predictive values [PPV], 0.392), 14 for GBS (sensitivity, 0.83; specificity, 0.51; NPV, 0.923; PPV, 0.367), and 5 for CCI (sensitivity, 0.91; specificity, 0.22; NPV, 0.946; PPV, 0.145). CONCLUSION: The AIMS65 is a simple, accurate, and non-endoscopic scoring system that can be performed easily in ED settings. It is superior to GBS and CCI in predicting 30-day mortality in elderly patients with UGIB.
LEVANTAMENTO DE AGENTES ZOONÓTICOS ENCONTRADOS EM PEQUENOS MARSUPIAIS DA AMÉRICA DO SUL

Zoonoses são doenças que são transmitidas de animais vertebrados para o homem e também do homem para os animais, principalmente quando seu ciclo ecológico é alterado, seja por intervenção natural ou pela intervenção humana. Incluem doenças emergentes e reemergentes distribuídas mundialmente e de preocupação para a saúde pública, pois causam vários prejuízos e mortes na população humana. Estudos revelam que as zoonoses estão ligadas a várias espécies de mamíferos, incluindo os marsupiais, que atuam como hospedeiros de algumas destas doenças zoonóticas. Apesar da maioria dos estudos se concentrarem em marsupiais didelfídeos de porte maior, identificamos várias espécies de pequenos marsupiais dos gêneros Monodelphis, Marmosa (Marmosa), Marmosa (Micoureus), Gracilinanus e Thylamys como hospedeiras de agentes zoonóticos causadores de doenças, como toxoplasmose, leishmaniose, tripanossomíase, verminoses, coccidiose, arboviroses, microsporidiose, peste negra e fasciolíase, na América do Sul, e no Brasil. Algumas destas informações sobre marsupiais como hospedeiros não podem ser recuperadas em função da falta de espécimes testemunhos, aliado às mudanças taxonômicas ocorridas dentro do grupo.
Role of Multiple Choice Questions in Assessment of Competency of Knowledge in Anatomy

Objectives: The main objective of the current study is to examine the items using the item analysis to assess their competency of knowledge in human anatomy. Methods: This is a quantitative descriptive cross-sectional study conducted at the Najran University faculty of Medicine, in the department of anatomy. A 31-second year MBBS students of level three took the multiple-choice question exam comprising 100 questions in one session. Each item was analyzed by item analysis. The planned period of data collection is the first semester of the academic year 2019-2020. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 25, and Excel Software. All analyses were performed using the descriptive frequency, explore and correlation probabilities a p-value, p<0.01 (2-sided) was considered to indicate statistical significance. Results: The assessment of test items use the item analysis that is very difficult question: 25; 25%, difficult question: 8; 8%, average question: 46; 46%, easy questions; 9; 9% and very easy: 9; 9%. The discrimination indices, which are poor discrimination; 34; 34%, acceptable discrimination; 11; 11%,good discrimination; 6; 6%, very good discrimination; 4; 4% and excellent discrimination; 45; 45%. The performance of students in this test showing that a large number of items have a role in distinguishing students knowledge in the anatomy test, but in Simple parts of the scale that the items did not succeed in assessing students. Items of anatomy exams displayed a strong relationship of difficulty (P) and discrimination (D) indices. Conclusion: The MCQs items assess their competency of knowledge in human anatomy. The competence of students in the knowledge of anatomy measured at a high rate of A-type context-rich MCQs can be stem is case scenario, lead-in; question and options; distractors, and key. These items can differentiate good and poor accomplishment students.
The Implications of Tail Dependency Measures for Counterparty Credit Risk Pricing

This paper investigates the counterparty credit risk of interest rate swaps positions using the credit valuation adjustment (CVA) measure, and examines the potential dependency relationships between the probability of default (PD) and exposure at default (EAD). We empirically tested, using interest rate swaption implied market volatilities, three tail dependency models: a Basel III Committee independent model, a Gaussian copula dependent model, and a Wrong Way Risk (WWR) with copula dependency approach. The results show that the CVA underestimation when using a Gaussian copula for modelling the dependence of PD and EAD is about 51%–362% compared to using WWR, and the underestimation between using the standardised Basel independent model and using the Gaussian copula is about 527%–1609%, including the period of the 2007/2008 crisis. This has important implications for regulators, financial institutions, and credit risk managers when calculating counterparty risk.
Dynamic Measurements of Bovine Serum Albumin Aggregation Using Small Angle Neutron Scattering

The rapid and complex nature of protein aggregation makes the identification of aggregation mechanisms and their precursors challenging. Here we demonstrate the novel use of small-angle neutron scattering to perform dynamic real-time measurement and analysis of protein aggregation. Changes in bovine serum albumin monomer population and aggregate size are identified at several isothermal temperatures. Kratky plots indicate that the aggregation of BSA occurs through the partial unfolding of the monomer. Dual population modelling of the scattering data indicates that the protein nucleates and grows through a two stage mechanism; a rapid burst phase and a slower growth phase. Both stages are observed to follow Arrhenius behaviour between 70-80 °C.
Efficient Adjustment Sets for Population Average Causal Treatment Effect Estimation in Graphical Models

The method of covariate adjustment is often used for estimation of total treatment effects from observational studies. Restricting attention to causal linear models, a recent article (Henckel et al., 2019) derived two novel graphical criteria: one to compare the asymptotic variance of linear regression treatment effect estimators that control for certain distinct adjustment sets and another to identify the optimal adjustment set that yields the least squares estimator with the smallest asymptotic variance. In this paper we show that the same graphical criteria can be used in non-parametric causal graphical models when treatment effects are estimated using non-parametrically adjusted estimators of the interventional means. We also provide a new graphical criterion for determining the optimal adjustment set among the minimal adjustment sets and another novel graphical criterion for comparing time dependent adjustment sets. We show that uniformly optimal time dependent adjustment sets do not always exist. For point interventions, we provide a sound and complete graphical criterion for determining when a non-parametric optimally adjusted estimator of an interventional mean, or of a contrast of interventional means, is semiparametric efficient under the non-parametric causal graphical model. In addition, when the criterion is not met, we provide a sound algorithm that checks for possible simplifications of the efficient influence function of the parameter. Finally, we find an interesting connection between identification and efficient covariate adjustment estimation. Specifically, we show that if there exists an identifying formula for an interventional mean that depends only on treatment, outcome and mediators, then the non-parametric optimally adjusted estimator can never be globally efficient under the causal graphical model.
A New Metastable Helium Machine : An Investigation into the Attributes of Trapping, Cooling and Detecting Metastable Helium

This thesis describes the work done over the past three and a half years on the new metastable helium experiment at the Institut d'Optique in Palaiseau. In the first chapter it describes a study to improve both the efficiency and the accuracy of the Microchannel Plate (MCP) detection system. We have experimented with adding a gold layer on the top of the input plate, something that we have found increases the efficiency but also decreases the accuracy. The addition of a voltage between the two stacked plates has been shown to both raise the efficiency and improve the accuracy in non-coated MCPs.The second chapter is devoted to the construction of the experimental apparatus. Here the excitation of ground state helium to its metastable state is described, as well as the subsequent collimation and cooling by Zeeman slower of the resulting hot atomic beam. The slowed beam is then captured in a Magneto-Optical Trap, in which we have captured 8x108 atoms.In the third chapter an original study on three-dimensional Doppler cooling in a red-detuned molasses and in the Magneto-Optical trap is presented. The metastable helium system is unique as there is no multiple scattering of photons and there are no sub-Doppler effects. This allows for a never before seen experimental realisation of pure Doppler cooling theory. The fourth chapter describes a study on collisions in a magneto-optical trap of metastable helium. Light-induced Penning collisions are responsible for high trap losses at high intensities and at frequencies close to the transition frequency. We measure the constant rate coefficient to Ksp = 2.8 ± 0.4 x 10-7cm3/s.
Recent Techniques and Trends for Retinal Blood Vessel Extraction and Tortuosity Evaluation: A Comprehensive Review

Retinal blood vessel segmentation plays an important part in the early diagnosis and treatment of eye disease. It is a tool for ophthalmologists. Many diseases can be identified by examining manifestations and images of blood vessels, including diabetic retinopathy, retinopathy of prematurity, age-related macular degeneration, retinopathy due to hypertension, glaucoma and others. Early detection allows physicians to provide patients with effective treatment, while in the opposite case, the late detection of retinal disease can ultimately lead to blindness. One of the indices when examining the retina is an evaluation of blood vessels based on tortuosity, i.e. the degree of curvature of blood vessels. This article presents a comprehensive overview of all segmentation techniques for retinal blood vessel extraction from images taken with a fundus camera in adults and older children or with a RetCam fundus camera in new-borns and younger children over the last 10 years. An integral part of this review is a comprehensive overview with information on all available public and private databases with retinal images. The review includes an evaluation of segmentation techniques based on objectivization parameters, including information on all objectivization parameters used in this article. As already mentioned, the degree of curvature of retinal blood vessels is used to classify severity of blood vessels tortuosity. There is no uniform metric for determining tortuosity, but this review presents a comprehensive overview of all metrics and calculations used to determine the degree of tortuosity of retinal blood vessels.
In Situ Remediation of MTBE-Contaminated Aquifers Using Propane Biosparging

Abstract : Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) has been used as a high-octane additive in mid and high-grade gasoline since 1979, and to replace lead and other gasoline additives such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes (BTEX). The 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments required that in high pollution areas of the country, oxygenates be used in all grades of gasoline. MTBE was selected as the oxygenate of choice to meet the new standards. In 1992, more than 1.8 billion gallons of MTBE went into gasoline, and its use has increased each year since. In 1995, 17.62 billion pounds of MTBE was produced primarily for use in gasoline, and its production and use has continued to increase. The discharge of gasoline from leaky underground storage tanks into soils and groundwater has resulted in the contamination of these media with MTBE. Because MTBE is highly soluble in water (43,000 mg/L), it is often found as plumes in groundwater near service stations, storage facilities, and filling terminals throughout the United States. More than 300,000 releases from leaking underground tanks have been reported to state regulatory agencies. Historically, the most common treatment technology for groundwater contamination has been a pump and treat approach. Because of its high aqueous solubility, low Henry s Law Constant (low volatility from water), and poor adsorption to carbon, the usual ex situ treatment techniques designed for contaminants such as benzene and trichloroethylene have proven to be ineffective or expensive for removal of MTBE from groundwater. In situ approaches to groundwater remediation include air or nutrient supplementation to stimulate contaminant degradation (e.g., biosparging), addition of compounds such as zero-valent iron for chemical dechlorination, and addition of bacteria capable of contaminant destruction (bioaugmentation).
Variable Pitch Propeller for UAV-Experimental Tests

Growth in application fields of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and an increase in their total number are followed by higher and higher expectations imposed on improvements in UAV propulsion and energy management systems. Most commercial vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) UAVs employ a constant pitch propeller that forces a mission execution tradeoff in the majority of cases. An alternative solution, presented here, consists of the use of a variable pitch propeller. The paper summarizes experimental measurements of the propulsion system equipped with an innovative variable pitch rotor. The investigations incorporated characteristics of the rotor for no wind conditions and a new approach to optimize pitch settings in hover flight as a function of UAV weight and energy consumption. As UAV battery capacity is always limited, efficient energy management is the only way to increase UAV mission performance. The study shows that use of a variable pitch propeller can increase the maximal takeoff weight of the aircraft and improve power efficiency in hover, especially if load varies for different missions. The maximal thrust measured was 31% higher with respect to the original blade settings. The coefficient of thrust during hover showed an increase of 2.6% up to 7.5% for various pitch angles with respect to the original fixed propeller.
Nudging Demand for Academic Support Services: Experimental and Structural Evidence from Higher Education

More than two of every five students who enroll in college fail to graduate within six years. Prior research has identified ineffective study habits as a major barrier to success. We conducted a randomized controlled advertising experiment designed to increase demand for academic support services among more than 2,100 students at a large U.S. public university. Our results reveal several striking findings. First, the intervention shifted proxies of student attention, such as opening emails and self-reported awareness of service availability. However, the experimental variation indicates that approximately one-third of students are never attentive to student services. Second, advertising increased the use of extra practice problems, but did not affect take-up of tutoring and coaching, the other two services. Structural estimates suggest that transaction costs well in excess of plausible opportunity costs explain the differences in service use. Third, the characteristics of advertising messages matter. Several common nudging techniques—such as text messages, lottery-based economic incentives, and repeated messages—either had no effect or in some cases reduced the effectiveness of messaging.
Immediate Irrigation Improves Turfgrass Safety to Postemergence Herbicides

Summer annual grassy weeds such as goosegrass (Eleusine indica L. Gaertn.) continue to be problematic to control selectively with postemergence (POST) herbicides within turfgrass stands. In recent years, reduced performance by certain herbicides (e.g., foramsulfuron), cancellation of goosegrass-specific herbicides (e.g., diclofop-methyl), and cancellation and/or severe use reductions of other herbicides [e.g., monosodium methanearsonate (MSMA)] have limited the options for satisfactory control and maintenance of an acceptable (≤30% visual turfgrass injury) turfgrass quality. Currently available herbicides (e.g., topramezone and metribuzin) with goosegrass activity typically injure warm-season turfgrass species. The objectives of this research were to evaluate both ‘Tifway 419’ bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. ×Cynodon transvaalensis Burtt-Davy] injury after treatment with POST herbicides, and to determine whether irrigating immediately after application reduces turfgrass injury. Treatments were control (± irrigation); topramezone (Pylex 2.8C; ± irrigation); carfentrazone + 2,4-D + dicamba + 2-(2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxy) propionic acid (MCPP) (Speedzone 2.2L; ± irrigation); carfentrazone + 2,4-D + dicamba + MCPP in combination with topramezone (± irrigation); metribuzin (Sencor 75DF; ± irrigation); mesotrione (Tenacity 4L; ± irrigation); simazine 4L (±irrigation); and mesotrione + simazine (± irrigation). Irrigated treatments were applied immediately with a hand hose precalibrated to apply 0.6 cm or 0.25 inch (≈6.3 L). Visual turfgrass injury for combined herbicide treatments for the irrigated plots was 6% 4 days after treatment (DAT), 12% 1 week after treatment (WAT), 17% 2 WAT, and 6% 4 WAT, whereas nonirrigated plots had turfgrass injury of 14% at 4 DAT, 31% 1 WAT, 35% 2 WAT, and 12% 4 WAT. Irrigated pots had normalized differences vegetative indices (NDVI) ratings of 0.769 at 4 DAT, 0.644 at 1 WAT, 0.612 at 2 WAT, and 0.621 at 4 WAT, whereas nonirrigated plots had the lowest (least green) turfgrass NDVI ratings of 0.734 at 4 DAT, 0.599 at 1 WAT, 0.528 at 2 WAT, and 0.596 at 4 WAT. These experiments suggest turfgrass injury could be alleviated by immediately incorporating herbicides through irrigation.