Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Indoor radon gas levels in selected homes in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana

The aim of the study is to monitor indoor radon gas levels in dwellings in the Sakumono Estates and its environs in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana in order to assess the risk of exposure to the inhabitants, using the passive Solid State Nuclear Track Detectors (SSNTDs). The sampling and deployment of t he detectors covered the predominant mode of dwelling structures, which are the flats, semi-detached, detached and cluster houses. The mean Radon concentration obtained was 10.18 Bq/m 3 , with an annual effective dose equivalent to the population determined to be 0.22 mSv/yr, assuming an occupancy factor of 0.5 for the modern estate dwellings and 0.3 for the cluster ("compound type") houses. The maximum recorded concentration was 18.60 Bq/m 3 in a semi-detached building, followed by a concentration of 18.05 Bq/m 3 , recorded in a flat located on the ground floor. The annual effective dose equivalent to each type of housing unit has been calculated and given as 0.25 mSv/yr for flats, 0.25 mSv/yr for semi-detached ho uses, 0.23 mSv/yr for deta ched and 0.15 mSv/yr for the clust er houses. The Radon gas levels obtai ned may not pose any appreciable risk to the inhabitants on the basis that the levels were low. The excess life time risk of any member of the group suffering from Radon gas induced lung cancer is approximately 0.02%. The Radon gas levels were cross-checked with an active dosimeter (Radon Scout Plus) and an average concentration of 10 Bq/m 3 was obtained. Mean values
Intraspecific comparisons of metal bioaccumulation in the juvenile Atlantic silverside Menidia menidia

We experimentally assessed the uptake, loss and resulting tissue distribution of Am, Cd, inorganic Hg(II), methylmercury (MeHg), Se and Zn in 2 North American populations (Nova Scotia and South Carolina) of juvenile Atlantic silverside Menidia menidia from aqueous and dietary sources using a radiotracer technique. Northern silversides (Nova Scotia) have a higher rate of inges- tion and growth compared to their southern (South Carolina) counterparts to overcome a shorter growing season. Uptake rate constants from the dissolved phase were highest for MeHg and lowest for Cd. Assimilation efficiencies of ingested metals were highest for MeHg (82 to 89%) and lowest for Am (0.3 to 1.9%). No pronounced difference in metal uptake was noted between the 2 populations, except for MeHg after aqueous exposure, and Cd after dietary exposure, where South Carolina fish retained more metal. Elimination rate constants did not vary significantly between populations and exposure routes (except for Hg(II) after a dietary exposure) indicating that both populations process metals at the same rate. The tissue distribution of each metal in the fish varied among metals and exposure routes. Using a metal bioaccumulation model, the calculated steady-state body burden of metal was highest for Zn, and lowest for Am. Calculated body burdens were higher in South Carolina silversides for Am, Cd, and Zn. For all metals except Am, the diet is the dominant exposure route. Of the metals investigated, MeHg and Zn in both populations and Cd in the South Carolina population are expected to biomagnify at this trophic step.
Bayesian Inference for Sequential Treatments Under Latent Sequential Ignorability

Abstract We focus on causal inference for longitudinal treatments, where units are assigned to treatments at multiple time points, aiming to assess the effect of different treatment sequences on an outcome observed at a final point. A common assumption in similar studies is sequential ignorability (SI): treatment assignment at each time point is assumed independent of future potential outcomes given past observed outcomes and covariates. SI is questionable when treatment participation depends on individual choices, and treatment assignment may depend on unobservable quantities associated with future outcomes. We rely on principal stratification to formulate a relaxed version of SI: latent sequential ignorability (LSI) assumes that treatment assignment is conditionally independent on future potential outcomes given past treatments, covariates, and principal stratum membership, a latent variable defined by the joint value of observed and missing intermediate outcomes. We evaluate SI and LSI, using theoretical arguments and simulation studies to investigate the performance of the two assumptions when one holds and inference is conducted under both. Simulations show that when SI does not hold, inference performed under SI leads to misleading conclusions. Conversely, LSI generally leads to correct posterior distributions, irrespective of which assumption holds.
The association of grip strength with health outcomes does not differ if grip strength is used in absolute or relative terms: a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND higher grip strength is associated with better health outcomes. The optimal way to report grip strength (i.e. absolute vs. relative) for prediction, however, remains to be established. METHODS in participants (aged 37-73 at baseline) from the UK Biobank, we examined the associations of grip strength, expressed in absolute terms (kilograms) and relative to anthropometric variables, with mortality and disease incidence, after exclusion of the first 2 years of follow-up, and compared risk predictions scores of handgrip strength when differentially expressed. RESULTS of the 356 721 participants included in the analysis 6,234 died (1.7%) and 4,523 developed CVD (1.3%) over a mean follow-up of 5.0 years (ranging from 3.3 to 7.8) for mortality and 4.1 years (ranging from 2.4 to 7.0) for disease incidence data. As expected, baseline higher grip strength was associated with lower risk of all-cause and cause specific mortality and incidence. These associations did not meaningfully differ when grip-strength was expressed in absolute terms, vs. relative to height, weight, fat-free mass, BMI, fat-free mass index and fat-free mass, or as z-scores. Similarly the different ways of expressing grip strength had little effect on the ability of grip strength to improve risk prediction, based on C-index change, of an office-based risk score. CONCLUSIONS the ability of grip strength to predict mortality is not altered by changing how it is expressed.
Emprego de Técnicas Espectroscópicas para a Determinação do Grau de Humificação de Solos Sob a Adição de Cama de Aviário

A adocao de praticas de manejo que promovam a manutencao da fertilidade e essencial para garantir a qualidade dos solos agricolas. Um exemplo de pratica que ha muito vem sendo utilizada com a finalidade de elevar os teores de materia orgânica do solo e, consequentemente, sua qualidade, e a adicao de fertilizantes orgânicos. Neste sentido, o presente trabalho avaliou os efeitos da adicao de cama de aviario sobre o grau de humificacao da materia orgânica de um Latossolo Vermelho cultivado sob plantio direto, por meio de tecnicas espectroscopicas. As tecnicas espectroscopicas utilizadas foram fluorescencia induzida por laser, absorcao de luz na regiao ultravioleta-visivel e infravermelho com transformada de Fourier. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que a aplicacao da cama de aviario diminuiu o grau de humificacao da materia orgânica das camadas superficiais do solo estudado (0-2.5 e 2.5-5 cm). As camadas mais profundas provavelmente nao sofreram alteracoes em decorrencia do curto tempo de experimento. DOI: 10.5935/1984-6835.20140093
The study of non-Newtonian nanofluid with hall and ion slip effects on peristaltically induced motion in a non-uniform channel

In this study, we considered the unsteady peristaltic motion of a non-Newtonian nanofluid under the influence of a magnetic field and Hall currents. The simultaneous effects of ion slip and chemical reaction were also taken into consideration. The flow problem was suggested on the basis of the continuity, thermal energy, linear momentum, and nanoparticle concentration, which were further reduced with the help of Ohm's law. Mathematical modelling was executed using the lubrication approach. The resulting highly nonlinear partial differential equations were solved semi-analytically using the homotopy perturbation technique. The impacts of all the pertinent parameters were investigated mathematically and graphically. Numerical calculations have been used to calculate the expressions for the pressure increase and friction forces along the whole length of the channel. The results depict that for a relatively large value of the Brownian parameter, the chemical reaction has a dual behaviour on the concentration profile. Moreover, there is a critical point of the magnetic parameter at which the behaviours of the pressure increase and friction forces are reversed for progressive values of the power law index. The present investigation provides a theoretical model that estimates the impact of a wide range of parameters on the characteristics of blood-like fluid flows.
Predictors of treatment attendance in cognitive and dynamic therapies for major depressive disorder delivered in a community mental health setting.

OBJECTIVE Our goal was to evaluate treatment attendance patterns, including both treatment completion and premature termination from treatment, for 2 evidence-based psychotherapies for major depressive disorder (MDD) delivered in a community mental health setting. We explored rates of premature termination across the course of treatment as well as the factors that predicted and moderated premature termination and treatment completion. METHOD This investigation included 237 patients with MDD who participated in a noninferiority trial comparing short-term dynamic psychotherapy (DT) to cognitive therapy (CT). Patients in both conditions were offered 16 sessions of treatment and had up to 5 months to complete treatment. All patients completed an extensive self-report battery at treatment baseline as well as measures of the therapeutic alliance and opinions about treatment following Session 2. RESULTS Premature termination from both treatments was high with 27% of patients discontinuing treatment very early after only an intake session or a single treatment session. Patients in CT were significantly more likely to terminate treatment prematurely, χ²(3) = 14.35, p = . 002. Baseline physical health functioning, subthreshold psychotic symptoms, Session 2 ratings of agreement on tasks, and Session 2 ratings of treatment sensibility all independently predicted premature termination of services. Trauma history significantly moderated very early termination of treatment, χ²(3) = 10.26, p = . 017, with patients with high trauma histories more likely to complete DT but terminate prematurely from CT. CONCLUSIONS Very early termination from services was higher in CT compared with DT. Including techniques to improve engagement in both therapies and matching patients to treatment based on predictors/moderators may be effective ways to optimize treatment engagement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
Conformational studies of pathogenic expanded polyglutamine protein deposits from Huntington’s disease

Huntington’s disease, like other neurodegenerative diseases, continues to lack an effective cure. Current treatments that address early symptoms ultimately fail Huntington’s disease patients and their families, with the disease typically being fatal within 10–15 years from onset. Huntington’s disease is an inherited disorder with motor and mental impairment, and is associated with the genetic expansion of a CAG codon repeat encoding a polyglutamine-segment-containing protein called huntingtin. These Huntington’s disease mutations cause misfolding and aggregation of fragments of the mutant huntingtin protein, thereby likely contributing to disease toxicity through a combination of gain-of-toxic-function for the misfolded aggregates and a loss of function from sequestration of huntingtin and other proteins. As with other amyloid diseases, the mutant protein forms non-native fibrillar structures, which in Huntington’s disease are found within patients’ neurons. The intracellular deposits are associated with dysregulation of vital processes, and inter-neuronal transport of aggregates may contribute to disease progression. However, a molecular understanding of these aggregates and their detrimental effects has been frustrated by insufficient structural data on the misfolded protein state. In this review, we examine recent developments in the structural biology of polyglutamine-expanded huntingtin fragments, and especially the contributions enabled by advances in solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. We summarize and discuss our current structural understanding of the huntingtin deposits and how this information furthers our understanding of the misfolding mechanism and disease toxicity mechanisms. Impact statement Many incurable neurodegenerative disorders are associated with, and potentially caused by, the amyloidogenic misfolding and aggregation of proteins. Usually, complex genetic and behavioral factors dictate disease risk and age of onset. Due to its principally mono-genic origin, which strongly predicts the age-of-onset by the extent of CAG repeat expansion, Huntington’s disease (HD) presents a unique opportunity to dissect the underlying disease-causing processes in molecular detail. Yet, until recently, the mutant huntingtin protein with its expanded polyglutamine domain has resisted structural study at the atomic level. We present here a review of recent developments in HD structural biology, facilitated by breakthrough data from solid-state NMR spectroscopy, electron microscopy, and complementary methods. The misfolded structures of the fibrillar proteins inform our mechanistic understanding of the disease-causing molecular processes in HD, other CAG repeat expansion disorders, and, more generally, protein deposition disease.
Road lighting and pedestrian reassurance after dark: A review

This paper concerns road lighting for pedestrians and how this aids reassurance, their confidence when walking alone after dark. Evidence from past studies that lighting enhances reassurance is supported by the findings of an unfocussed approach that aimed deliberately to avoid focus on lighting or fear, thus to counter the unintended potential for focussed, quantitative methods to lead towards such a finding. Review of the characteristics of lighting suggests an optimum illuminance of 10 lux, of high S/P ratio, and aimed toward the pedestrian and natural elements of the environment, will enhance reassurance. Further research is needed to validate the optimum illuminance, the appropriate metric for characterising lamp spectral power distribution, and the most desirable aims of spatial distribution.
Perception of and Adaptive Capacities to Climate Change Adaptation Strategies and Their Effects on Rice Production: A Case of Pabna District, Bangladesh

Bangladesh is one of the most sensitive hotspot for climate change and climate-related extreme events which significantly affect agricultural production. As a result farmers’ try to minimize the adverse affects by various adaptation strategies. The aim of the study is thus, perception of and adaption capacities to climate change adaption strategies and their effects on rice production in a moderate level of drought severity and groundwater depletion but greater cropping diversity area (Pabna District). To find out the actual trend of climatic variables (e.g., temperature and rainfall) fourty two years of climate data on temperature and rainfall (1972-2013) from the Bangladesh Metrological Department (BMD) for Ishwardi weather station were collected and analyzed using non-parametric Mann-Kendall test. The adaptive capacities of rice farmers were estimated quantitatively and categorized into high, moderate and low adaptive capacities. Double logarithmic regression model of Cobb-Douglas production function was used to quantity the effects of adaptive capacities of farmers on rice production. The data was obtained by conducting direct collaboration with 200 rice growers of Pabna District in the periods of July, 2015. The results of Mann-Kendall test revealed that an increase in annual temperature of +0.014°C and decrease in annual rainfall -1.152 from 1972 to 2013 has been recorded for the Ishwardi station of Pabna District, Bangladesh which is similar with the farmers’ perceptions. Result of adaptive capacities revealed that on the average the farmers’ interviewed are moderately adaptive to climate change. The results of Cobb-Douglas production function identified that the degree of adaptive capacities, labour, use of fertilizer, farm size, education and extension contact have significant effects on rice production. It also indicates that the more a farmer has the ability to adjust to climate change strategies the more the rice output he or she obtain. Therefore, rice farmers should be empowered through better extension services for obtaining more rice output. Strengthening agricultural research and support services including information accessibility, education and training for improved crop culture practices, and expanded and efficient surface-water irrigation infrastructure are critically important for increasing the adaptive capacities of the farmers.
Genetic diversity of maize inbred lines as inferred from SSR markers

Creating new maize hybrids with greater yield potential is a permanent goal of breeding programs all over the world. Long-time existing and new problems related to different biotic and abiotic stresses and the growing needs of the world market require constant work on finding new ways for advancing maize production. Molecular marker technology is one of the fastest developing fields and its implementation has already given results in solving different problems related to maize breeding improvement. The aim of the study presented herein was characterization and genetic similarity assessment of twenty-nine maize inbred lines from Maize Research Institute collection using Simple Sequence Repeats (SSR) markers. The analysis was done using 20 pairs of SSR primers with clearly visible and reproducible results. A total of 119 alleles were detected with a mean of 5.8 per locus. PIC (Polymorphism Information Content) values were in the range from 0.45 to 0.92 (average 0.74). Genetic similarities calculated using Jaccard’s coefficient ranged from 0.27 to 0.99. Cluster and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) analysis were done using matrices of similarity in the NTSYSpc software, version 2.1. Results of both classifications were moderately in agreement with the pedigree data of analysed genotypes. The information about genetic diversity of maize inbred lines revealed by SSR markers could be useful in planning strategies for future maize breeding programs. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. TR-31068]
The impact of HBV flare on the outcome of HBV‐related decompensated cirrhosis patients with bacterial infection

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) flare can occur in HBV patients either naïve or have interruption to treatment. Bacterial infection (BI) is a common complication of cirrhosis with potential severe outcomes. We aimed to assess the impact of HBV flare on the outcome of patients with HBV‐related decompensated cirrhosis and BI.
Trade intensity in the Russian stock market: dynamics, distribution and determinants

The distribution and evolution of intertrade durations for frequently traded stocks at the Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange are investigated. A flexible econometric model based on ARMA and GARCH is used which, when coupled with a certain class of distributions that allow for skewness and slim-tailedness, adequately captures the characteristics of conditional distribution of durations for Russian stocks, and is able to generate high quality density forecasts. What factors determine the dynamics of log-durations, and in which way, are also analyzed. The results in particular indicate that the Russian market is characterized by aggressive informed traders and timid liquidity traders, and that the participants react evenly to upward and downward short-run price trends.
Quantitative Analysis of Greenhouse Kohlrabi ( Brassica oleracea var. gongylodes L.) Growing

This study were carried out to of different sowing time in order to determine the effects on plant growth of kohlrabi cultivation under Samsun condaitions during the autumn growing periods in unheated greenhouse. Four different seed sowing times (1 st September, 15 th September 1 st October, 15 th October), two different kohlrabi cultivars (Kolibri F 1 and Korist F 1 ) and two mulch applications (mulch covered and uncovered) were used in this study. The plant growth parameters analyzed (total plant dry weight, leaf area ratio, specific leaf area, net assimilation rate and relative growth rate) were found statistically significant (p<0.05). The highest total plant dry weight (114.1 g) was obtained from mulch application and 1 st September seed sowing time. The highest leaf area ratio value were obtained in both mulch application the Kolibri F1 variety grown on October 15 th . The highest net assimilation rate (0.65 g cm -2 day -1 *1000) and relative growth rate (0.0090 g g day -1 ) were obtained from mulch covered plants grown in Kolibri varieties during September 1 st . As a result, in this study higher dry matter accumulation was achieved by 1 st September seed sowing times in vegetable growing in the last season in the greenhouse. In this way, the plants have successfully grown up and increased their productivity by entering the winter months, when the temperature and light intensity are decreasing.
Authenticity made visible in medical students’ experiences of feeling like a doctor

Objectives To interpret the phenomenon of authenticity made visible in medical students’ experiences of feeling like a doctor, i.e., how authenticity took shape in narratives about feeling like a doctor in clinical situations where students were challenged to be independent and to a high degree make choices and clinical decisions. Methods The conducted research was positioned within phenomenological hermeneutic research tradition, interpreting participants’ experiences in a life-world perspective using narrative inquiry. Fifteen medical students in their fifth year were interviewed focusing on clinical situations. An abductive analysis approach was used to discover patterns and to interpret data following a phenomenological hermeneutic research method for textual interpretation. Results The analysis resulted in a thematic structure of findings: Opportunity to experience authenticity through creating relationships; Opportunity to experience authenticity through responsibility; Opportunity to experience authenticity through independence, managing wholeness, and follow-up processes; Opportunity to experience authenticity through being able to reason and discern. Overarching the four themes was the perceived need for attachment, i.e. attachment to patients, to supervisors, to the workplace, to the situation and reasoning and knowledge. Conclusions Essential for the experience of feeling like a doctor was authentic situations that resulted in the experienced members of a community of practice and the perceived development of a professional identity. These findings can advance the understanding of how clinical education should be organized to facilitate professional identity development.