Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dietary β-carotene and vitamin A and risk of Parkinson disease: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: The beneficial effects of dietary β-carotene and vitamin A on Parkinson disease (PD) have been confirmed, but some studies have yielded questionable results. Therefore, this meta-analysis investigated the effect of dietary β-carotene and vitamin A on the risk of PD. Methods: The following databases were searched for relevant paper: PubMed, Embase, Medline, Scopus, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang Med online, and Weipu databases for the relevant paper from 1990 to March 28, 2022. The studies included were as follows: β-carotene and vitamin A intake was measured using scientifically recognized approaches, such as food frequency questionnaire (FFQ); evaluation of odds ratios using OR, RR, or HR; β-carotene and vitamin A intake for three or more quantitative categories; and PD diagnosed by a neurologist or hospital records. Results: This study included 11 studies (four cohort studies, six case–control studies, and one cross-sectional study). The high β-carotene intake was associated with a significantly lower chance of developing PD than low β-carotene intake (pooled OR = 0.83, 95%CI = 0.74‐0.94). Whereas the risk of advancement of PD was not significantly distinctive among the highest and lowest vitamin A intake (pooled OR = 1.08, 95%CI = 0.91‐1.29). Conclusions: Dietary β-carotene intake may have a protective effect against PD, whereas dietary vitamin A does not appear to have the same effect. More relevant studies are needed to include into meta-analysis in the further, as the recall bias and selection bias in retrospective and cross-sectional studies cause misclassifications in the assessment of nutrient intake.
Dropped Head Syndrome Caused by Thoracolumbar Deformity

Case: We present 3 patients with dropped head syndrome (DHS) caused by thoracolumbar kyphotic deformity who were successfully treated with thoracolumbar corrective surgery only. After the surgery, their symptoms, neck pain, and horizontal gaze difficulty disappeared, and cervical kyphotic alignment was improved indirectly. At the final follow-up, the whole spinal alignment was maintained, and there was no recurrence of symptoms. Conclusion: Surgeons should consider thoracolumbar spine deformity as the possible primary cause of typical DHS symptoms and recognize that thoracolumbar corrective surgery is an effective method for treating DHS patients with thoracolumbar deformity.
Additive effects of ezetimibe, evolocumab, and alirocumab on plaque burden and lipid content as assessed by intravascular ultrasound: A PRISMA-compliant meta-analysis

Background: The additive effects of ezetimibe, evolocumab or alirocumab on lipid level, plaque volume, and plaque composition using intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) remain unclear. Methods: According to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses statement, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of trials assessing the effects of ezetimibe, evolocumab, and alirocumab on coronary atherosclerosis using IVUS. The primary outcome was change in total atheroma volume (TAV), and the secondary outcomes were changes and differences in plaque composition and lipid content. Results: Data were collected from 9 trials, involving 917 patients who received ezetimibe, evolocumab or alirocumab in addition to a statin and 919 patients who received statins alone. The pooled estimate demonstrated a significant reduction in TAV with the addition of ezetimibe and favorable effects of evolocumab and alirocumab on TAV. Subgroup analysis also supported favorable effects of evolocumab and alirocumab on TAV, according to baseline TAV, gender, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and prior stain use. Addition of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitor to statin therapy resulted in significant reductions in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), total cholesterol (TC), and triglycerides (TG), but not in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). The pooled estimate also showed significant favorable effects of ezetimibe on LDL-C, TC, and TG, but an insignificant effect on HDL-C. Patients who received ezetimibe showed similar changes in the necrotic core, fibro-fatty plaque, fibrous plaque, and dense calcification compared with patients not treated with ezetimibe. Conclusions: The addition of ezetimibe to statin therapy may further reduce plaque and lipid burdens but may not modify plaque composition. Although current evidence supports a similar impact from the addition of PCSK9 inhibitors to statin therapy, more evidence is needed to confirm such an effect.
DEAD CALM AREAS IN THE VERY QUIET SUN

We analyze two regions of the quiet Sun (35.6 × 35.6 Mm2) observed at high spatial resolution (≲100 km) in polarized light by the IMaX spectropolarimeter on board the SUNRISE balloon. We identify 497 small-scale (∼400 km) magnetic loops, appearing at an effective rate of 0.25 loop h−1 arcsec−2; further, we argue that this number and rate are underestimated by ∼30%. However, we find that these small dipoles do not appear uniformly on the solar surface: their spatial distribution is rather filamentary and clumpy, creating dead calm areas, characterized by a very low magnetic signal and a lack of organized loop-like structures at the detection level of our instruments, which cannot be explained as just statistical fluctuations of a Poisson spatial process. We argue that this is an intrinsic characteristic of the mechanism that generates the magnetic fields in the very quiet Sun. The spatio-temporal coherences and the clumpy structure of the phenomenon suggest a recurrent, intermittent mechanism for the generation of magnetic fields in the quietest areas of the Sun.
COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Dose Acceptance: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) booster dose vaccination after completing the primary vaccination series for individuals ≥18 years and most-at-risk populations. This study aimed to estimate the pooled proportion of COVID-19 vaccine booster dose uptake and intention to get the booster dose among general populations and healthcare workers (HCWs). We searched PsycINFO, Scopus, EBSCO, MEDLINE Central/PubMed, ProQuest, SciELO, SAGE, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect according to PRISMA guidelines. From a total of 1079 screened records, 50 studies were extracted. Meta-analysis was conducted using 48 high-quality studies according to the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale quality assessment tool. Using the 48 included studies, the pooled proportion of COVID-19 vaccine booster dose acceptance among 198,831 subjects was 81% (95% confidence interval (CI): 75–85%, I2 = 100%). The actual uptake of the booster dose in eight studies involving 12,995 subjects was 31% (95% CI: 19–46%, I2 = 100%), while the intention to have the booster dose of the vaccine was 79% (95% CI: 72–85%, I2 = 100%). The acceptance of the booster dose of COVID-19 vaccines among HCWs was 66% (95% CI: 58–74%), I2 = 99%). Meta-regression revealed that previous COVID-19 infection was associated with a lower intention to have the booster dose. Conversely, previous COVID-19 infection was associated with a significantly higher level of booster dose actual uptake. The pooled booster dose acceptance in the WHO region of the Americas, which did not include any actual vaccination, was 77% (95% CI: 66–85%, I2 = 100%). The pooled acceptance of the booster dose in the Western Pacific was 89% (95% CI: 84–92%, I2 = 100), followed by the European region: 86% (95% CI: 81–90%, I2 = 99%), the Eastern Mediterranean region: 59% (95% CI: 46–71%, I2 = 99%), and the Southeast Asian region: 52% (95% CI: 43–61%, I2 = 95). Having chronic disease and trust in the vaccine effectiveness were the significant predictors of booster dose COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. The global acceptance rate of COVID-19 booster vaccine is high, but the rates vary by region. To achieve herd immunity for the disease, a high level of vaccination acceptance is required. Intensive vaccination campaigns and programs are still needed around the world to raise public awareness regarding the importance of accepting COVID-19 vaccines needed for proper control of the pandemic.
Long Time Evolutionary Dynamics of Phenotypically Structured Populations in Time-Periodic Environments

We study the long time behavior of a parabolic Lotka-Volterra type equation considering a time-periodic growth rate with non-local competition. Such equation describes the dynamics of a phenotypically struc-tured population under the effect of mutations and selection in a fluctuating environment. We first prove that, in long time, the solution converges to the unique periodic solution of the problem. Next, we describe this periodic solution asymptotically as the effect of the mutations vanish. Using a theory based on Hamilton-Jacobi equations with constraint, we prove that, as the effect of the mutations vanishes, the solution concentrates on a single Dirac mass, while the size of the population varies periodically in time. When the effect of the mutations are small but nonzero, we provide some formal approximations of the moments of the population's distribution. We then show, via some examples, how such results could be compared to biological experiments.
Stability Augmentation and Active Flutter Suppression of a Flexible Flying-Wing Drone

Integrated control laws are developed for stability augmentation and active flutter suppression of a flexible flying-wing research drone. The vehicle is a 12 lb unmanned flying-wing research aircraft with a 10 ft wingspan. Active flutter suppression is flight critical, since the subject vehicle is designed to flutter within its flight envelope. The critical flutter condition involves aeroelastic interactions between the rigid body and elastic degrees of freedom; hence, the control laws must simultaneously address both rigid-body stability augmentation and flutter suppression. The conventional control-synthesis approach is motivated by the concept of identically located force and acceleration, which was successfully applied on some previous operational aircraft. Based on the flutter characteristics and on conventional stability-augmentation concepts, two simple loop closures are suggested. It is shown that this control architecture robustly stabilizes the body-freedom-flutter condition, increases the dampi.
SOCIAL GOALS, PERCEIVED LOCUS OF CAUSALITY AND CAUSAL ATTRIBUTIONS IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION METAS SOCIALES, LOCUS PERCIBIDO DE CAUSALIDAD Y ATRIBUCIONES CAUSALES EN EDUCACIÓN FÍSICA

The objective of this study sought to investigate the association of social goals, perceived locus of causality, and causal attributions with achievement goal orientations in physical education in three countries representing different cultural contexts. The total sample consisted of 2168 secondary students, 423 of which were from Costa Rica, 408 from Mexico, and 1337 from Spain (50.4% boys; 12.5±0.8 years). Bivariate correlations and hierarchical linear regression models were used to examine associations between the variables of interest in the three countries. Significant mean differences in each of the variables were observed across countries. Although interesting differences were observed, associations among variables of interest were generally consistent across countries and in line with predictions stemming from the literature. Findings highlight the importance of social responsibility goals, self-determined regulations, and internal attributions to student motivation and engagement in physical education.
An empirical model for the Turkish trade balance: new evidence from ARDL bounds testing analyses

In this paper, the determinants of the Turkish trade balance are tried to be analyzed in an empirical modelling approach. For this purpose, the contemporaneous ARDL-based bounds testing has been used to examine the existence of a long run co-integration relationship between the variables of our interest. The estimation results indicate that real exchange rate depreciations improves the trade balance in a strong and significant way, that domestic real income affects the trade balance negatively, and that trade balance is strongly improved due to an increase in foreign real income. No significant effect of crude oil prices can be observed on trade balance. The error correction modeling gives results in line with the long run findings of the co-integration analysis.
First-principles calculations of structural and mechanical properties of Cu6Sn5

The elastic constants of polycrystalline Cu6Sn5—an intermetallic in lead-free alternatives of several material systems—are presented. The results are obtained by applying: (i) Reported crystallographic structure of monoclinic single crystal Cu6Sn5, (ii) structure optimization and determination of single crystal elastic constants from first principle calculations, and (iii) limit analysis of polycrystal stiffness based on single crystal properties. The agreement between the calculated Young’s modulus (120 GPa) and those from nanoindentation experiments (112–125 GPa), and the tight bounds on the predicted polycrystal values give a measure of confidence in other calculated properties for which experimental data are unavailable.
Contrasting EfficientNet, ViT, and gMLP for COVID-19 Detection in Ultrasound Imagery

A timely diagnosis of coronavirus is critical in order to control the spread of the virus. To aid in this, we propose in this paper a deep learning-based approach for detecting coronavirus patients using ultrasound imagery. We propose to exploit the transfer learning of a EfficientNet model pre-trained on the ImageNet dataset for the classification of ultrasound images of suspected patients. In particular, we contrast the results of EfficentNet-B2 with the results of ViT and gMLP. Then, we show the results of the three models by learning from scratch, i.e., without transfer learning. We view the detection problem from a multiclass classification perspective by classifying images as COVID-19, pneumonia, and normal. In the experiments, we evaluated the models on a publically available ultrasound dataset. This dataset consists of 261 recordings (202 videos + 59 images) belonging to 216 distinct patients. The best results were obtained using EfficientNet-B2 with transfer learning. In particular, we obtained precision, recall, and F1 scores of 95.84%, 99.88%, and 24 97.41%, respectively, for detecting the COVID-19 class. EfficientNet-B2 with transfer learning presented an overall accuracy of 96.79%, outperforming gMLP and ViT, which achieved accuracies of 93.03% and 92.82%, respectively.
The role of occupational healthcare in ambulatory healthcare in Finland

: In Finland, occupational healthcare (OHC) provides alternative access to curative ambulatory primary healthcare for a large proportion of the employed. Providers of occupational and private healthcare can also refer patients to public secondary healthcare, possibly providing better access to specialized medicine. We investigate the determinants of the use of OHC and associations between the use of OHC and other ambulatory service sectors and distributions of ambulatory healthcare. We find that the probability of using OHC is positively associated with the size of the employing organization and is higher for those with higher incomes but does not vary strongly between patients with different health conditions. Those who use OHC visit public health centres less often, but the negative association is not strong: the use of occupational healthcare seems to be associated with an overall higher use of ambulatory services. The results show that ambulatory healthcare is not allocated according to need in Finland. Those with higher incomes are in better health and use more OHC and private healthcare.
Repurposing SGLT-2 Inhibitors to Target Aging: Available Evidence and Molecular Mechanisms

Caloric restriction promotes longevity in multiple animal models. Compounds modulating nutrient-sensing pathways have been suggested to reproduce part of the beneficial effect of caloric restriction on aging. However, none of the commonly studied caloric restriction mimetics actually produce a decrease in calories. Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2-i) are a class of drugs which lower glucose by promoting its elimination through urine, thus inducing a net loss of calories. This effect promotes a metabolic shift at the systemic level, fostering ketones and fatty acids utilization as glucose-alternative substrates, and is accompanied by a modulation of major nutrient-sensing pathways held to drive aging, e.g., mTOR and the inflammasome, overall resembling major features of caloric restriction. In addition, preliminary experimental data suggest that SGLT-2i might also have intrinsic activities independent of their systemic effects, such as the inhibition of cellular senescence. Consistently, evidence from both preclinical and clinical studies have also suggested a marked ability of SGLT-2i to ameliorate low-grade inflammation in humans, a relevant driver of aging commonly referred to as inflammaging. Considering also the amount of data from clinical trials, observational studies, and meta-analyses suggesting a tangible effect on age-related outcomes, such as cardiovascular diseases, heart failure, kidney disease, and all-cause mortality also in patients without diabetes, here we propose a framework where at least part of the benefit provided by SGLT-2i is mediated by their ability to blunt the drivers of aging. To support this postulate, we synthesize available data relative to the effect of this class on: 1- animal models of healthspan and lifespan; 2- selected molecular pillars of aging in preclinical models; 3- biomarkers of aging and especially inflammaging in humans; and 4- COVID-19-related outcomes. The burden of evidence might prompt the design of studies testing the potential employment of this class as anti-aging drugs.
VU Research Portal An Efficient Reliable Broadcast Protocol

Many distributed and parallel applications can make good use of broadcast communication. In this paper we present a (software) protocol that simulates reliable broadcast, even on an unreliable network. Using this protocol, application programs need not worry about lost messages. Recovery of communication failures is handled automatically and transparently by the protocol. In normal operation, our protocol is more efficient than previously published reliable broadcast protocols. An initial implementation of the protocol on 10 MC68020 CPUs connected by a 10 Mbit/sec Ethernet performs a reliable broadcast in 1.5 msec.
Covid-19 Front-Liners: Experiences of Palliative Care Providers in a Tertiary Hospital

Introduction In “normal” times, palliative care (PC) service delivery is confronted with many challenges thereby making access to care difficult. Now, we are in the era of COVID-19 where the healthcare ecology is radically changed. During this process of radical transformation, there are some ramification of COVID-19 on PC service delivery. Yet, there is a paucity of empirical evidence to support this claim. Objective We explored PC providers’ perspectives on delivering PC services in the era of COVID-19. Methods Using an exploratory descriptive qualitative approach, we conducted face-to-face and telephone interviews with seven PC service providers at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Ghana. Haase's adaptation of Colaizzi's method was employed as the analysis strategy. Results Two main themes emerged: ramifications and adaptations. The ramifications of COVID-19 on PC service delivery included changes in care relationship, perceived increased responsibilities, psychological distress, shortage of medicines, and treatment delays. In an attempt to mitigate the challenges posed by COVID-19 on PC service delivery, the following mechanisms adaptations were made: halting of service provision, resorting to tele-consultation, adopting shift system and reducing number of appointments, and adoption of infection prevention and control strategies. Conclusions Our results indicate that COVID-19 has substantial ramification of PC service delivery. In conclusion, priority should be given to the training of healthcare workers on emergency preparedness for future pandemics. Also, continuous professional development would be needed in order build PC service providers’ skills and capacity to effectively utilize tele-consultation in PC service delivery.
Ellipsoidal primary of the RS CVn binary ζ Andromedae - Investigation using high-resolution spectroscopy and optical interferometry

Aims. We have obtained high-resolution spectroscopy, optical interferometry, and long-term broad band photometry of the ellipsoidal primary of the RS CVn-type binary system ζ And. These observations are used to obtain fundamental stellar parameters and to study surface structures and their temporal evolution. Methods. Temperature maps of the stellar surface were obtained from high-resolution spectra with Doppler imaging techniques. These spectra were also used to investigate the chromospheric activity using the Hα line and to correlate it with the photospheric activity. The possible cyclicity in the spot activity was investigated from the long-term broad band photometry. Optical interferometry was obtained during the same time period as the high-resolution spectra. These observations were used to derive the size and fundamental parameters of ζ And. Results. Based on the optical interferometry the apparent limb darkened diameter of ζ And is 2.55 ± 0.09 mas using a uniform disk fit. The expected ∼4% maximum difference between the long and short axes of the ellipsoidal stellar surface cannot be confirmed from the current data which have 4% errors. The Hipparcos distance and the limb-darkened diameter obtained with a uniform disk fit give stellar radius of 15.9 ± 0.8 R� , and combined with bolometric luminosity, it implies an effective temperature of 4665 ± 140 K. The temperature maps obtained from Doppler imaging show a strong belt of equatorial spots and hints of a cool polar cap. The equatorial spots show a concentration around the phase 0.75, i.e., 0.25 in phase from the secondary, and another concentration spans the phases 0.0‐0.4. This spot configuration is reminiscent of the one seen in the earlier published temperature maps of ζ And. Investigation of the Hα line reveals both prominences and cool clouds in the chromosphere. These features do not seem to have a clearly preferred location in the binary reference frame, nor are they strongly associated with the cool photospheric spots. The investigation of the long-term photometry spanning 12 years shows hints of a spot activity cycle, which is also implied by the Doppler images, but the cycle length cannot be reliably determined from the current data.
The velocity anisotropy of the Milky Way satellite system

We analyse the orbital kinematics of the Milky Way (MW) satellite system utilizing the latest systemic proper motions for 38 satellites based on data from Gaia Data Release 2. Combining these data with distance and line-of-sight velocity measurements from the literature, we use a likelihood method to model the velocity anisotropy, β, as a function of Galactocentric distance and compare the MW satellite system with those of simulated MW-mass haloes from the APOSTLE and Auriga simulation suites. The anisotropy profile for the MW satellite system increases from β ∼ −2 at r ∼ 20 kpc to β ∼ 0.5 at r ∼ 200 kpc, indicating that satellites closer to the Galactic centre have tangentially-biased motions while those farther out have radially-biased motions. The motions of satellites around APOSTLE host galaxies are nearly isotropic at all radii, while the β(r) profiles for satellite systems in the Auriga suite, whose host galaxies are substantially more massive in baryons than those in APOSTLE, are more consistent with that of the MW satellite system. This shape of the β(r) profile may be attributed to the central stellar disc preferentially destroying satellites on radial orbits, or intrinsic processes from the formation of the Milky Way system.