Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bayesian hierarchical modelling of growth curve derivatives via sequences of quotient differences

Growth curve studies are typically conducted to evaluate differences between group or treatment‐specific curves. Most analyses focus solely on the growth curves, but it has been argued that the derivative of growth curves can highlight differences between groups that may be masked when considering the raw curves only. Motivated by the desire to estimate derivative curves hierarchically, we introduce a new sequence of quotient differences (empirical derivatives) which, among other things, are well behaved near the boundaries compared with other sequences in the literature. Using the sequence of quotient differences, we develop a Bayesian method to estimate curve derivatives in a multilevel setting (a common scenario in growth studies) and show how the method can be used to estimate individual and group derivative curves and to make comparisons. We apply the new methodology to data collected from a study conducted to explore the effect that radiation‐based therapies have on growth in female children diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
Thin layer drying models, antioxidative activity and phenolic compounds of rose petals (Rosa damascena Mill.) in tray dryer

: The drying behavior of the Damask rose ( Rosa damascena Mill.) petals in a thin layer hot air drying at 35, 45 and 55°C and 0.4, 1.2 and 2 (m·s -1 ) air velocity levels, was investigated. The Midilli was the most suitable model among 14 different thin-layer models for showing the thin-layer drying characteristics. At the experimental temperature (35-55°C) and air velocity levels (0.4, 1.2 and 2 m·s -1 ) the effective moisture diffusivity was 2.02×10 -12 - 11.3×10 -12 (m 2 ·s -1 ) and the activation energy varied from 56.3 to 64.5 (kJ·mol -1 ). Total anthocyanin content (TAC) ranged 77-240 (mg·L -1 ). The rose petal extracts showed higher DPPH (59.51%) and lower FRAP (1213.24 μ mol(Fe +2 )·L -1 ), at an increasing temperature from 35 to 55°C. Results showed that the higher temperature caused less TAC. At 45-55°C and air velocities 0.4-1.2 (m·s -1 ) the number of anthocyanins increased significantly, but at air velocities, 1.2- 2 (m·s -1 ) a decrease was observed.
A Review of the Emerging Procedures of Analgesia in Patients with Acute Pain who Presented in the Emergency Medicine Department

The existence of pain among patients is still one of the main causes of referring to the emergency departments. In this regard, special medical physicians of emergency staff should be responsible for treatment of the various levels of pain (acute to chronic) as well as management of pain induced from various kinds of illnesses or/and injuries. The treatment should be performed considering the harm limitation induced by analgesics. Inadequate pain treatment which is common in the emergency departments results in negative impacts on patient care. This exacerbated by improperly pain assessment and the possibility of using unsafe analgesics. As a result, emergency physicians always face a challenge in providing satisfactory analgesia while minimizing side effects either inside the emergency department or after hospital discharge. The present study aimed to recognize various methods of analgesia for emergency medicine physicians, provide them with different methods of pain relief and the way of use based on the patients condition, and to improve their quality services. In this study, an extensive review of the scientific databases and search engines of PubMed, HubMed, MEDLINE, Science Direct, MedlinePlus, Scopus, and CINAHL were performed to achieve detailed publications on the pain management methods in the emergency situations. Afterward, the high-quality articles which were published from 2005 to 2019 on the issue of pain management methods in the emergency medicine department, were selected for further investigation. Although acute pains are mostly treated using non-opioids analgesics such as acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), the treatment of acute moderate to severe pains mostly requires opioid agents. Moreover, effective pain management in the emergency situations may be included the interventions through the application of Lidocaine intravenous, gabapentinoid agents, and different nonpharmacological analgesia agents. This study was performed with the aim of recognizing and evaluating the pros and cons of the available agents to provide the most appropriate methods for pain management in emergency medicine departments. Additional research is required on the safety and effectiveness of non-opioid treatment methods of analgesia within the emergency department.
Passivity-Based Finite-Time Synchronization of Nonlinear Multi-Agent Systems

This paper investigates the finite-time synchronization (FTS) problem for a kind of nonlinear multi-agent systems by exploiting the finite-time passivity (FTP). Firstly, with the help of designed state feedback controller and the adaptive state feedback controller, two sufficient conditions for ensuring the FTP of single agent are proposed. Moreover, we prove that finite-time passive agent is finite-time attractive based on the designed controllers. By employing these conclusions, several FTS criteria for multi-agent systems with nonlinear and linear couplings are derived on the basis of the designed controllers. As an application of these obtained results, we solve the FTS problem for the Kuramoto model and coupled Chua's circuits.
Mode Selective Conversion Enabled by the Long-Period Gratings Inscribed in Elliptical Core Few-Mode Fiber

We demonstrate the fabrication of long-period fiber gratings (LPFGs) in an elliptical core few-mode fiber (e-FMF) by CO2 laser. The mode conversion from fundamental mode to high-order modes (LP11a, LP11b, and LP21a mode) can be realized by the LPFGs with high efficiency of more than 95%. The effect of bending, torsion, temperature, and strain on the resonance wavelength of the e-FMF based LPFG mode converters are experimentally investigated. The temperature and strain sensitivities of the LPFGs are characterized to be −36 pm/°C and −4.9 pm/μϵ, and the LPFGs are found to be insensitive to the bending and torsion. Due to the existence of trench in the e-FMF, the higher-order LP02 and LP31a mode can also be stimulated by the e-FMF based LPFGs with a grating period of 515 μm and 400 μm, respectively. The proposed e-FMF based LPFGs could have a promising prospect in the application of fiber sensing and mode division multiplexing optical communication system.
Awareness and Perception Towards E-learning Among Faculty Members of Tripura University: A Case Study

Learning is gaining or acquiring of new knowledge and skills in something by study, experience or being taught. Learning can be facilitated by direct means, by personally attending classes conducted in the academic institutions or by indirect means such as distance learning. The online education referrers to teaching and learning method mediated by a computer system of a place which may be different from the learner’s personal computer system. The modern developments in ICTs and emergence of the Internet have brought a gigantic transformation in the method of teaching and learning. The current study investigates the awareness and perception towards the new form of learning, i.e. elearning among the faculty members of Tripura University. The study discovered that 52% of the total respondents belong to male category. 36% of the respondents are from age group 30-34, followed by age group 25-29 (34%). Maximum response from each department is 4 (4%). Most of the respondents are Assistant Professor (36%), followed by guest faculty (32%). Maximum (96%) respondents are aware of elearning concept which is very encouraging in itself. Most respondents (76%) are aware of SWAYAM. More than half of the total respondents (52%) are interested to conduct course through Swayam. Maximum (80%) respondents are aware of e-PG Pathshala. Maximum of the respondents (84%) have not enrolled in any e-learning course. The maximum respondents (25 %) out of the enrolled ones have enrolled for e-learning course is from NPTEL portal. The results found will be a great help for the stakeholders of E-learning as it provided new insights.
Wideband Bandpass Filtering Balun With Perfect In-Band Matching and Isolation

In this brief, a wideband balun with bandpass filtering response is synthesized based on even-/odd-mode analysis. To obtain the desired filtering selectivity, the transfer function of the proposed balun is derived and forced to be the same as the ${n}$ th-order Chebyshev-transfer function. Thus, with specified parameters (impedance ratio, bandwidth, and in-band return loss), the filtering characteristics of bandpass baluns can be flexibly controlled. Considering favorable in-band output matching and isolation, multiple pairs of resistors are added to the circuit. Finally, complete design procedures are provided. To verify, a 5th-order balun filter at the center frequency of 3 GHz is fabricated and measured. The simulation and measurement are in agreement, proving the correctness of the theory.
Motivações de Uso ou Não Uso do Canal M-Commerce na Intenção de Compras Virtuais

A evolucao dos canais para realizacao de compras e vista como uma realidade sem precedentes, uma vez que o consumidor agrega aos dispositivos moveis ( smartphones ) a rotina de maneira onipresente e, com isso, se justifica o crescente uso para realizacao de transacoes comerciais atraves do celular. Mesmo com esse avanco na preferencia, ainda existem barreiras que levam ao nao uso do m-commerce como canal de compras, como a desconfianca no que tange a seguranca, inabilidade nos atributos tecnicos, receio em aderir a novas tecnologias ou a preferencia cultural e de habitos. Considerando este panorama no cenario brasileiro, que se insere como um mercado de ascensao importante do m-commerce, este artigo buscou analisar as motivacoes para o uso ou nao uso deste canal na intencao de compra de consumidores. Os resultados obtidos neste estudo demonstraram que este canal tem uma abertura positiva em praticamente todos os fatores de motivacao, em especial, a facilidade e vantagem percebida, com destaque para a seguranca do uso, alvo corriqueiro para nao conclusao de transacoes comerciais. O unico fator de motivacao que apresentou correlacao negativa e sobre os atributos tecnicos, devido a dificuldade apontada ao tamanho da tela dos dispositivos moveis em relacao aos desktops.
Inheritance and Detection of Leaf Rust Resistance Genes in Some Egyptian Wheat Cultivars

Resistance to leaf rust caused by Puccinia triticina can be improved in wheat cultivars by detection of leaf rust resistance genes that are present in the wheat cultivars. This study was carried out during 2016/17, 2017/18 and 2018/19 growing seasons to study the inheritance and genetic nature of wheat leaf rust resistance in eight Egyptian bread wheat cultivars i.e. Gemmeiza 9, Gemmeiza 10, Gemmeiza 11, Gemmeiza 12, Sids 1, Sids 12, Sids 13 and Sids 14. Crosses were done between the eight tested wheat cultivars and the highly susceptible wheat variety; Thatcher to determine the nature of leaf rust resistance and number of leaf rust resistance genes in these cultivars. Also, crosses were done between the tested wheat cultivars and six leaf rust monogenic lines i.e. Lr 50, Lr 51, Lr 54, Lr 64, Lr 67 and Lr 68 to determine the presence of these genes in the tested cultivars. The F1 seeds were planted to produce F2 plants. The resulted F2 plants were tested at adult plant stage at Behira governorate during 2018/19 growing season. Segregations of F2 plants at adult plant stages indicated that the wheat cultivar Gemmeiza 12 has the two leaf rust resistance genes; Lr 50 and Lr 67 and the wheat cultivar Sids 14 has one leaf rust resistance gene; Lr 64. While, the other tested wheat cultivars doesn’t carry any of the tested leaf rust resistance genes at adult-plant stage. We recommend using these leaf rust resistance genes in the breeding program to improve wheat resistance to leaf rust.
Equity in genetic newborn screening

State‐level newborn screening allows for early treatment of genetic disorders, which can substantially improve health outcomes for newborns. As the cost of genetic testing decreases, it is becoming an essential part of newborn screening. A genetic disorder can be caused by many mutation variants; therefore, an important decision is to determine which variants to search for (ie, the panel design), under a testing budget. The frequency of variants that cause a disorder and the incidence of the disorder vary by racial/ethnic group. Consequently, it is important to consider equity issues in panel design, so as to reduce disparities among different groups. We study the panel design problem using cystic fibrosis (CF) as a model disorder, considering the trade‐offs between equity and accuracy, under a limited budget. Most states use a genetic test in their CF screening protocol, but panel designs vary, and, due to cost, no state's panel includes all CF‐causing variants. We develop models that design equitable genetic testing panels, and compare them with panels that maximize sensitivity in the general population. Our case study, based on realistic CF data, highlights the value of equitable panels and provides important insight for newborn screening practices.
Reliable Fog-Based Crowdsourcing: A Temporal–Spatial Task Allocation Approach

With the rapid increase in service requirements driven by Internet of Things (IoT) networks, mobile crowdsourcing has become a compelling paradigm that can efficiently solve complex tasks in the physical world. Nevertheless, we found that most IoT tasks have constraints on deadline, location, and resource consumption, which limit the application of crowdsourcing platforms in the IoT networks. In this article, we innovatively propose a reliable fog-based temporal–spatial crowdsourcing for serving the above tasks. In this scenario, the key point is to achieve the best match of the attributes among tasks, fog nodes, and workers. As the bridge of the other two parts, fog nodes determine the orientation of tasks. Therefore, we present a temporal–spatial task allocation (TS-TA) scheme in the fog layer, aiming to make task results more reliable. In this scheme, we build a temporal–spatial attribute learning model based on the user behaviors. Then, we use the users’ interest attribute matching model to identify the candidate fog nodes that satisfy the requirements of temporal–spatial tasks. We choose the fog nodes with low spatial correlation that is benefit to defense the attack on the nodes in the intensive area. Meanwhile, we assign the redundancy nodes for intrusion response through replacing the attacked/negative node. Both theoretical and real-topology simulation results validate that the proposed scheme can get better performance in system resource consumption and system robustness compared with other benchmark schemes.
Confession and Hope: Ekklesia’s Task in the Global Emergency

Humanity is currently faced with deadly dangers that could bring about the breakdown of civilization, and even the end of human life on earth in short order. The Marxist and Green thinker Rudolf Bahro spoke of a ‘logic of salvation’, which involved a return to the idea of God. Ekklesia arose as a witness to such a logic of salvation. It can be understood as a social movement, that sketches out a prefigurative politics that can then be realised. The contemporary church needs to recover this understanding, adopting climate change as a confessional issue that defines its common life. This could be part of a practical logic of salvation.
Prevalence of femoral shaft fractures and associated injuries among adults after road traffic accidents in a Saudi Arabian trauma center

Objectives: To identify the prevalence of femoral shaft fractures (FSFs) and to study the associated injuries among road traffic accident (RTA) adult victims in a Saudi trauma center. Methods: This was a retrospective chart review of all adult patients (above 16 years of age) who had FSFs and were admitted to King Fahad Hospital in Almadinah Almunawwarah, Saudi Arabia, over a 6-year period. Results: A total of 591 patients were included in the study with a male-to-female ratio of 3.6:1 and an average age of 33.2 ± 15.9 years. The associated head injuries are statistically significant. They are found to be more in male victims(27.5%) compared to female(15.3%). A highly significant percentage of associated tibial and patellar fractures were found among males, and a higher percentage of associated distal femoral fractures were found among female patients. Head injuries were more statistically significant among patients <30 years. Fractures of the neck of femur (6.9%) and tibia (15.5%) were more among patients aged from 30 to <60 years, while distal femoral fractures were more among patients of 60 years and more group (8.2%). Conclusions: The study showed a high prevalence of associated injuries with FSFs among RTA victims. These injuries were variable and could affect any part of the body; careful evaluation of these patients to determine these injuries and to adequately treat them alongside the FSF is important.
Medical Marijuana and Crime: Substance Use and Criminal Behaviors in a Sample of Arrestees

After decades of prohibition, laws allowing marijuana use for medical and, in some cases, recreational purposes have been enacted across the country. To date, however, little is known about medical marijuana use, particularly regarding its relationship to criminal offending and use by nonauthorized persons. The current study bridges this gap by examining offending patterns in a sample of recent arrestees in Maricopa County, Arizona, identified and interviewed through the Arizona Arrestee Reporting Information Network (AARIN) project. Findings suggest that medical users had a higher probability for committing Driving Under the Influendce (DUI) and drug selling/making than nonusers, and diverted medical marijuana users had a higher probability for involvement in property crime, violent crime, DUI, and drug selling/making than nonusers. The results have important implications for developing marijuana decriminalization policies, criminal justice, and criminological theory. Directions for future research are discussed.
The utility of noninvasive scores in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients with normal and elevated serum transaminases

Background and Aim Noninvasive scores are developed for the estimation of advanced fibrosis, including parameters in addition to transaminases in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). In this study, we aimed to investigate the diagnostic performances of Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) and NAFLD Fibrosis Score (NFS) in the estimation of advanced fibrosis comparing patients with normal and elevated transaminases. Material and Methods We retrospectively analyzed the prospectively collected data of a total of 407 consecutive patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD. FIB-4 scores of <1.3 and >2.67 or <1.45 and >3.25 indicated a low and high risk for advanced fibrosis, respectively. NFS scores of <-1.455 and >0.676 were used to assess low and high risk for advanced fibrosis, respectiv. Results FIB-4 cutoffs of <1.3 and <1.45 for low risk of advanced fibrosis had a sensitivity of 70% and 54% in patients with elevated transaminases and 70% and 52% in patients with normal transaminases, respectively. The specificities for the cutoffs of >2.67 and >3.25 were 97% and 98% in patients with elevated transaminases and 99% and 100% in patients with normal transaminases, respectively. Concerning NFS, we found similar results. Conclusion FIB-4 and NFS showed acceptable diagnostic performance in the exclusion of advanced fibrosis in both populations with normal and elevated transaminases.
A Translational Study of the Correlation Between Low Birth Weight, Hypertension, and Kidney Function Using a Rat Model

We studied the correlation between low birth weight, hypertension, and kidney function using a rat model. There is a strong correlation between these three phenomena especially in the Southeastern United States and in non-White populations. We hypothesized that the anti-hypertensive drugs Reserpine and Hydralazine would prevent hypertension and improve renal function in low birth weight rats. We used a rat model created by Dr. Barbara Alexander in this study. Pregnant rats were subjected to Reduced Uterine Perfusion Pressure surgery. Silver clips were placed on the abdominal aorta and uterine arteries approximately two weeks after fertilization in order to restrict blood flow to the developing fetus. The reduced nutrient availability results in slower fetal development and low birth weight offspring. Two drugs with effects on cardiovascular function were used to lower blood pressure. Hydralazine was administered via drinking water at a dose of 80mg/L initiated at 6 weeks of age until the end experiment at 12 weeks of age. Reserpine was administered via drinking water at a dose of 5mg/L initiated at 6 weeks of age until the end of experiments at 12 weeks of age. Administration of this medication constituted the “treated” rats. At 12 weeks of age, catheters were inserted to measure blood pressure and glomerular filtration rate was calculated. Mild schemia reperfusion was performed to see how the kidneys reacted to mild stress. We found that the uterine restricted rats had normal gestations, but weighted significantly less than the controls at birth. The rats gained weight at the same rate and weighed the same at the end of the study. As expected, low birth weight untreated offspring had higher blood pressure than any other group. Surprisingly, GFR/g in the uterine-restricted, unstressed, untreated animals was not significantly higher, as predicted from both the higher MAP and presumably lower nephron number in these rats. Thus, there was no evidence of significant hyperfiltration occurring, and so this seemingly cannot explain the hypertension which developed. Based on this study, I would advocate using low birth weight as a biomarker for elevated risk of hypertension and kidney disease.
Comparative effectiveness of everolimus (EVE) and axitinib (AXI) for 2nd targeted therapy (TT) of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) in the US: A retrospective chart review.

e15612 Background: EVE and AXI are approved as 2nd TTs for mRCC. This study compares OS and PFS among mRCC patients (pts) treated with EVE and AXI following 1st TKI. The extent to which duration of 1st TKI treatment modifies comparative effectiveness of 2nd TT is also assessed. Methods: Retrospective reviews of medical records were conducted by medical oncologists or hematologists/oncologists recruited from a nationwide panel. Pt eligibility criteria included: 1) aged ≥ 18 years; 2) initiated and discontinued 1st TKI (sunitinib [SUN], sorafenib [SOR], or pazopanib [PAZ]) for medical reasons; 3) initiated 2nd TT between 2/2012 and 1/2013. OS was defined as time from initiation of 2nd TT to death. PFS was defined as time from initiation of 2nd TT to physician-assessed progression or death, whichever occurred first. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the comparative hazard ratios (HRs) for OS and PFS between EVE and AXI, adjusting for age, gender, type and duration of 1st TKI.