Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Medium and Long-Term Data from a Series of 96 Endoscopic Transsphenoidal Surgeries for Cushing Disease

Objective Postoperative data on Cushing’s disease (CD) are equivocal in the literature. These discrepancies may be attributed to different series with different criteria for remission and variable follow-up durations. Additional data from experienced centers may address these discrepancies. In this study, we present the results obtained from 96 endoscopic transsphenoidal surgeries (ETSSs) for CD conducted in a well-experienced center. Methods Pre- and postoperative data of 96 ETSS in 87 patients with CD were included. All cases were handled by the same neurosurgical team between 2014 and 2022. We obtained data on remission status 3−6 months postoperatively (medium-term) and during the latest follow-up (long-term). Additionally, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and pathology results were obtained for each case. Results The mean follow-up duration was 39.5±3.2 months. Medium and long-term remission rates were 77% and 82%, respectively. When only first-time operations were considered, the medium- and long-term remission rates were 78% and 82%, respectively. The recurrence rate in this series was 2.5%. Patients who showed remission between 3−6 months had higher longterm remission rates than did those without initial remission. Tumors >2 cm and extended tumor invasion of the cavernous sinus (Knosp 4) were associated with lower postoperative remission rates. Conclusion Adenoma size and the presence/absence of cavernous sinus invasion on preopera-tive MRI may predict long-term postoperative remission. A tumor size of 2 cm may be a supporting criterion for predicting remission in Knosp 4 tumors. Further studies with larger patient populations are necessary to support this finding.
Health-Related Quality of Life Among Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients Using the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) in Central Ethiopia: A Multicenter Study

Introduction Diabetes, one of the major global health emergencies of the 21st century, can affect a patient’s quality of life. A compromised quality of life has adverse effects on self-care practices, resulting in inadequate glycemic control and an increased susceptibility to complications. In Ethiopia, there is a paucity of information regarding the quality of life of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Therefore, this study aimed to assess health-related quality of life in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients attending diabetes follow-up clinics in selected public hospitals in Addis Ababa using short form- 36 (SF-36) health survey measures. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the characteristics of the study participants. Simple and multiple linear regressions were done to identify significantly associated factors with health-related quality of life. Result A total of 309 patients participated in this study. The mean scores of the physical and mental component summaries were 40.15 (SD = 7.27) and 48.11 (SD = 8.87), respectively. Being old, being overweight or obese, living with type 2 diabetes mellitus for more than fifteen years, taking combined medication, having diabetes-related complications, and having comorbidities were factors that reduced the mean score of the physical component summary (p-value<0.05). Being obese and diabetes related complication were factors that negatively affect mental component summary (p-value <0.05). On the other hand, being married was factors that positively affect mental component summary (p-value <0.05). Conclusion Older age, being married, obesity, overweight, longer duration of diabetes, using combined medications, diabetic-related complications, and co-morbidities were factors associated with health-related quality of life. Healthcare providers should strengthen counseling patients on lifestyle modifications such as diet modifications, and weight reduction.
Potential Serological Misdiagnosis of Barmah Forest Virus and Ross River Virus Diseases as Chikungunya Virus Infections in Australia: Comparison of ELISA with Neutralization Assay Results

To evaluate the frequency of errors in the diagnosis of medical laboratory-diagnosed Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infections in Australia, we studied 42 laboratory-diagnosed CHIKV serum samples from one Queensland medical laboratory by ELISA IgG/IgM and measured the specific neutralization antibodies (Nab) against Barmah Forest virus (BFV), CHIKV and Ross River virus (RRV). The sero-positivity rates for the sera were as follows: anti-BFV IgG+ 19% (8/42), IgM+ 2.4% (1/42) and Nab+ 16.7% (7/42); anti-CHIKV IgG+ 90.5% (38/42), IgM+ 21.4% (9/42) and Nab+ 90.5% (38/42); anti-RRV IgG+ 88.1% (37/42), IgM+ 28.6% (12/42) and Nab+ 83.2% (35/42), respectively. Among the samples with multiple antibody positivity, 2.4% (1/42) showed triple ELISA IgM+, and 14.3% (6/42) exhibited double IgM RRV+CHIKV+; 9.5% (4/42) showed triple IgG+, 76.2% (32/42) displayed double IgG RRV+CHIKV+, 4.8% (2/42) showed IgG BFV+RRV+ and 4.8% (2/42) showed IgG BFV++CHIKV+; and 9.5% (4/42) showed triple Nab+ and 69% (29/42) exhibited double Nab RRV+CHIKV+, respectively. Our analysis of the single-virus infection control Nab results suggested no cross-neutralization between RRV and BFV, and only mild cross-neutralization between CHIKV and RRV, BFV and CHIKV, all with a ≥4-fold Nab titre ratio difference between the true virus infection and cross-reactivity counterpart virus. Subsequently, we re-diagnosed these 42 patients as 1 BFV+, 8 CHIKV+ and 23 RRV+ single-virus infections, along with five RRV+/BFV+ and four RRV+/CHIKV+ double infections, and one possible RRV+/BFV+ or RRV+CHIKV+, respectively. These findings suggests that a substantial proportion of medically attended RRV and BFV infections were misdiagnosed as CHIKV infections, highlighting the imperative need for diagnostic laboratory tests capable of distinguishing between CHIKV infections and actively co-circulating RRV and BFV. For a correct diagnosis, it is crucial to consider reliable diagnostic methods such as the neutralization assay to exclude RRV and BFV.
The Effect of Government Expenditure on Economic Growth in South Sulawesi

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of balancing funds on the economic growth of regencies/cities in South Sulawesi Province as measured by the GRDP value. This study specifically analyzes general allocation funds, special allocation funds, and profit-sharing funds, which are considered to have an impact on regional economic growth. The data analysis method used is the Vector Eros Correction Model (VECM) panel, which involves carrying out a stationary test or unit root test, a correlation test, and a Granger causality test. This analysis was carried out with reference to the South Sulawesi Province APBD data for 2019–2021. The results of this study indicate that general allocation funds and special allocation funds do not have a significant effect on economic growth, while profit-sharing funds have a significant effect on the economic growth of districts/cities in South Sulawesi Province.
The Antecedents of Intention to Stay among Millenials: Work Engagement as Mediator

Study on millenial generation is essential to conduct since in the near future the millenials will dominate the workforce and hold strategic positions in industry. According to references, millenials are well-known for their reluctance to stay working in one place for a long-time period. Many speculations have arisen to explain the issue, whether it is caused by their positive as well as the negative characteristics. This study aimed to investigate the factors affecting millenial’s intention to stay. Three levels of context were involved as researched variables, namely work passion, quality of work life, and work engagement as mediator. Quantitative and non-experimental study was applied to test the hypotheses. Using convenience sampling technique, 125 millenial workers in Jakarta, Indonesia, were recruited and completed the online questionnaires. The questionnaires to measure the researched variables are Intention to Stay Scale, Work Passion Scale, Quality of Work Life Scale, and Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES). Regression analysis reported that intention to stay was significantly affected by work passion and quality of work life. Moreover, work engagement was also proven to be a significant mediator that bridged the association between intention to stay and both of independent variables, namely work passion and quality of work life.
Body Composition Indicators Jointly Predict Metabolic Unhealthy Phenotypes in Young and Middle-Aged Obese Individuals: A Cross-Sectional Quantitative Computed Tomography Study

Purpose The main aim of this study is to analyze the relationship between body composition indices and metabolic unhealthy phenotypes in young and middle-aged obese patients and to assess their joint predictive ability. Patients and Methods A cross-sectional study method was used to select 207 patients who were proposed to undergo weight loss surgery for morbid obesity from March to November 2022. Total adipose tissue (TAT), visceral adipose tissue (VAT), subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), liver fat content (LFC), cross-sectional area (CSAmuscle), and intermuscular adipose tissue (CSAIMAT) of paraspinal muscles were measured using quantitative computed tomography. Participants were categorized into two groups: metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) and metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO). The receiver operating characteristic curve comprised body composition variables that correlated with MUO, and the area under the curve (AUC) was calculated to compare their prediction capacity for MUO. Results There were 71 patients with MHO (34.3%) and 136 patients with MUO (65.7%). The VAT, VAT/TAT ratio, LFC, and CSAmuscle was higher in MUO patients than in MHO (all P < 0.001), and SAT was lower than in MHO (P = 0.008). And all of these metrics were correlated with MUO (all P < 0.05). Inclusion of these body composition metrics in the ROC analysis showed that the AUC values for SAT, VAT, VAT/TAT ratio, LFC and CSAmuscle were 0.615, 0.663, 0.727, 0.694, 0.671, respectively, and the combination of the VAT/TAT ratio and the LFC had the ability to predict MUO best (AUC=0.746, P = 0.025). Conclusion The combined use of VAT/TAT ratio and LFC is superior to the use of these two metrics alone in terms of their ability to predict the MUO, providing a more accurate approach to the management and prevention of obesity-related metabolic risk.
Assessing a GPS-Based 6-Minute Walk Test for People With Persistent Pain: Validation Study.

BACKGROUND The 6-minute walk test (6MWT) is a commonly used method to assess the exercise capacity of people with many health conditions, including persistent pain. However, it is conventionally performed with in-person supervision in a hospital or clinic, therefore requiring staff resources. It may also be difficult when in-person supervision is unavailable, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic, or when the person is geographically remote. A potential solution to these issues could be to use GPS to measure walking distance. OBJECTIVE The primary aim of this study was to assess the validity of a GPS-based smartphone app to measure walking distance as an alternative to the conventional 6MWT in a population with persistent pain. The secondary aim of this study was to estimate the difference between the pain evoked by the 2 test methods. METHODS People with persistent pain (N=36) were recruited to complete a conventional 6MWT on a 30-m shuttle track and a 6MWT assessed by a smartphone app using GPS, performed on outdoor walking circuits. Tests were performed in random order, separated by a 15-minute rest. The 95% limits of agreement were calculated using the Bland-Altman method, with a specified maximum allowable difference of 100 m. Pain was assessed using an 11-point numerical rating scale before and after each walk test. RESULTS The mean 6-minute walk distance measured by the GPS-based smartphone app was 13.2 (SD 46; 95% CI -2.7 to 29.1) m higher than that assessed in the conventional manner. The 95% limits of agreement were 103.9 (95% CI 87.4-134.1) m and -77.6 (95% CI -107.7 to -61) m, which exceeded the maximum allowable difference. Pain increased in the conventional walk test by 1.1 (SD 1.0) points, whereas pain increased in the app test by 0.8 (SD 1.4) points. CONCLUSIONS In individuals with persistent pain, the 2 methods of assessing the 6MWT may not be interchangeable due to limited validity. Potential reasons for the differences between the 2 methods might be attributed to the variation in track layout (shuttle track vs continuous circuit); poor GPS accuracy; deviations from the 30-m shuttle track; human variability in walking speed; and the potential impact of a first test on the second test due to fatigue, pain provocation, or a learning effect. Future research is needed to improve the accuracy of the GPS-based approach. Despite its limitations, the GPS-based 6MWT may still have value as a tool for remote monitoring that could allow individuals with persistent pain to self-administer frequent assessments of their functional capacity in their home environment.
Influence of Weather Variability, Plant Density and Fertilizer Regimes on Growth and Yield of Cotton under Rainfed Condition

(Anonymous, 2018). Vidarbha is a major cotton growing region having an area of 15.08 lakh ha with average productivity of 533.0 kg lint ha -1 (Anonymous, 2017). In Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, cotton is grown predominantly as a rainfed crop. As such in Vidarbha region about 87 per cent cultivable land is under rainfed farming. Weather plays an important role in rainfed agricultural production. Agronomic strategies to cope with changing weather are available but not fully explored, and have more emphasis in view of the happening issue of climate change impacts reportedly inducing regional variability and uncertainty of rainfall affecting agricultural production. As such management of rainfed cotton production system is challenging and is a high-risk enterprise given the uncertainty of rainfall in its onset and distribution during the International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 8 Number 01 (2019) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas. com
Depth Dependence of Nearshore Currents and Eddies

The three-dimensional (across-shore, alongshore, and vertical) structure of hourly-mean currents and < 0.01 Hz eddies was measured on a natural beach using 12 Acoustic Doppler Profilers. Both eddies and alongshore currents became relatively depth-uniform inside the surfzone. Eddies showed greater depth dependence than alongshore currents. A two-layer model, derived by scaling of the wave-averaged shallow water equations, yielded separate equations for depth-averaged and depth-dependent velocity components. Scaling suggests, and observations confirm, only a small role for lateral advection in most surfzone cases, leading to 1-dimensional vertical models for depth dependence. For alongshore currents, depth dependence is generated by opposite forcing on lower and upper layers, respectively by bottom friction (quantified by timescale λb−1) and waves or wind. This generation is balanced by mixing between upper and lower layers (timescale λm−1), so the ratio between depth-dependent and depth-averaged alongshore currents equals λb/λm. Established models for bottom friction and breaker-induced mixing predicted a surfzone reduction in λb/λm consistent with the observed reduction in alongshore current depth dependence. Scatter around trends was considerable. Alongshore variability was significant for depth-dependence of currents and eddies. Inside (but not outside) the surfzone, the mixing timescale ***** was shorter than the eddy period, so a quasi-steady balance was predicted between forcing and mixing of eddy depth dependence. Observed eddy depth dependence exceeded predictions for barotropic eddies generated by shear production (i.e. shear instabilities), possibly indicating generation of eddies by random breaking waves in the surfzone, or indicating baroclinic effects outside the surfzone.
Reproducibility of a New Method to Assess Endothelial Function According to Peripheral Arterial Volume

Background: The assessment of endothelial function is crucial for understanding cardiovascular disease progression. Reliable, convenient non-invasive methods are necessary for evaluating endothelial function. Peripheral arterial volume (PAV), measured at the fingertip, is a novel approach for which limited reproducibility data are available. Hence, this study was aimed at evaluating PAV measurement reproducibility in a clinical setting. Method: A total of 152 consecutive patients (average age 55.8 ± 12.3 years, 83 men) with chest pain were included in the study. PAV tests were conducted on the same day. The amplitude ratio before and after application of pressure, along with the reference ratio, were recorded to calculate the PAV. Medical baseline data for these patients were gathered from the hospital’s records. Result: On test days, the PAV results from repeated measurements were 1.15 ± 0.33 and 1.15 ± 0.31 (P = 0.99), indicating no significant difference between measurements in all participants. The mean difference was 0.00 ± 0.32, thus indicating no systematic errors, and the intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.66. Furthermore, age, sex, and BMI did not influence PAV reproducibility. Conclusion: PAV measurement is feasible and exhibited excellent reproducibility among all enrolled patients. As a novel fingertip measurement, PAV has promise as a convenient and accurate method for assessing endothelial function in adults.
Evaluation of lowland rice (Oryza sativa) production system and management recommendations for Logone and Chari flood plain - Republic of Cameroon

Rice production figures are currently unsatisfactory and highly variable among farmers’ fields in Logone and Chari plain. In order to increase rice yield, an evaluation of the production system is required. This study was designed to: evaluate the fertility of soils, examine soil variability and identify sources of variation, and group soils into management units. From 9 rice-growing communities, 137 topsoil samples (0-25 cm) were collected and analyzed for soil physico-chemical properties. Critical levels established for tropical crops and rice was used to declare deficiency of soil nutrients. The coefficient of variation was used as an index of soil variability, while sources of soil variation were identified using principal component analysis. Cluster analysis (Ward’s method) grouped soils into management units. The soils were relatively slightly acidic (pH 6.52), low in organic matter (1.37%) and nitrogen contents (0.57 g kg -1 ) high in exchangeable bases, and were of moderate P supply (14.10 mg kg -1 ). Except pH which was slightly (CV 35%) variable. Five principal components: base status, organic matter, moisture retention, acidity and N-mineralization explained 76% of the variation in soil properties. Soils were grouped into five management units. Soil management practices defined for identified units instead of a common management for all units will boost and sustain rice yield.
Psychometric Properties and Factor Structure of the Satisfaction with Life Scale in a Military Students Sample

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a study that examined the factorial structure of Satisfaction with Life Scale – SWLS through confirmatory factor analysis and to analyze its psychometric properties in a 124 students sample from Land Forces Academy from Sibiu. The fit indices support the validity of the single factor structure of SWLS. The internal consistency of the SWLS was. 75. This scale can be considered a useful tool in measuring the level of life satisfaction in a military student environment.
Exploring Cybersickness Experiences via a Markov Chain Model

Users of virtual reality (VR) technology, especially head-mounted displays (HMDs), often experience cybersickness, similar to motion sickness, with feelings of nausea, dizziness and sweatiness. Cybersickness typically increases with duration of wearing a HMD and is commonly evaluated in user studies with physiological measures, in-situ verbal reports and post session questionnaires. However, in addition to being time-consuming, user studies only provide insight into the specific configuration of the VR experience under study and can be limited to participant numbers, duration of VR exposure and the impact of cybersickness on VR experience dropout and completion rates. This paper presents a formal approach to modelling cybersickness. A Markov chain is used to define a general cybersickness model where probabilities represent changes in a user’s state of cybersickness. The Markov chain can be populated with historical user study data and interrogated to gain further awareness of the VR experience under evaluation. The approach is exemplified with a custom Markov chain model generated from a public VR experience dataset. The resulting model is shown to be representative of the ground truth user experience from the source material. Examples are presented to demonstrate how the model can be explored to gain insight for (i) scaled up parameters, such as exposure duration and participant numbers, and (ii) acceptance thresholds for minimum/maximum cybersickness. Limitations on the generation of the model and its utility across different user populations and environment types are considered and discussed in the context of future work.
Jobs-to-Be-Done and Journalism Innovation: Making News More Responsive to Community Needs

Developing successful innovations in journalism, whether to improve the quality and reach of news or to strengthen business models, remains an elusive problem. The challenge is an existential concern for many news enterprises, particularly for smaller news outlets with limited resources. By and large, media innovation has been driven by never-ending pivots in the search for a killer solution, rather than by long-term strategic thinking. This article argues for a fresh approach to innovation built around the “jobs to be done” (JTBD) hypothesis developed by the late Clayton Christensen and typically used in business studies of innovation. However, attempts to bring the JTBD framework into the news industry have never taken hold, while scholars, too, have largely overlooked the framework in their study of journalism innovation. We argue that the JTBD approach can foster local journalism that is more responsive and relevant to the needs of local communities. It reorients journalism by focusing on identifying and addressing the underserved needs of communities, as understood by the communities themselves. It suggests that a bottom-up approach to appreciating the “jobs” that community members want done offers a model that supports both the editorial and business imperatives of local news organizations.