Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Monte Carlo simulation of air kerma rate constants for different radionuclides

The air kerma rate constant values for different radionuclides are often used in radiation shielding calculations, calibration of instruments, estimating the absorbed dose from brachytherapy sources, etc. Usually, air kerma rate constant values are calculated in a deterministic way. This work evaluates the possibility of air kerma rate constant estimation through Monte Carlo simulations. Ten different radionuclides were considered in this preliminary study, covering low and high-energy gamma spectra. Mean percentage differences of less than 10% relative to the results of reference works were found. Most of our results present less than a 5% relative percentage difference considering the literature results. The air kerma rate constants calculated in this work agree with reference results, thus validating the methodology, the photon spectra database used, and the Monte Carlo simulations with EGSnrc. Future work can extend the calculation of air kerma rate constants for other radionuclides and study the influence of different sources of uncertainty in its results.
Characterization methods for mass transfer of multiple media in shale gas reservoirs

Shale gas reservoirs are abound in multi-scale pore media and have strong heterogeneity. Gas migration mechanism in different scale pores is complex. Understanding the applicability of mass transfer characterization method for multi-media fluid is of great significance to develop numerical simulation of shale gas reservoirs. On the basis of multi-scale media distribution characteristics and the gas migration characteristics in multi-scale media of shale gas reservoirs, this paper establish the discrete media REV model, transient-cross-flow dual-media REV model, and pseudo-state-cross-flow dual-media REV model for microcells in different regions of reservoirs. The flow behavior of the microcells calculated by the above three models is compared with reservoir conditions and fracture parameters. The suitable rang of different mass transfer characterization methods for multiple media is proposed. The results showed that the cross-flow mode have a great effect on mass transfer on the early period. The greater the difference of dual media, the bigger the difference of mass transfer calculated by different cross-flow mode, the longer the duration of the difference of mass transfer. The transient-cross-flow dual-media model, and pseudo-state-cross-flow dual-media model can both accurately describe the mass transfer between porous kerogen and inorganic matrix. Mass transfer between inorganic matrix and secondary fractures should be described by discrete media model. The discrete fracture network coupled porous kerogen-inorganic matrix dual medium model can be more accurately for description of gas migration in shale gas reservoirs with stimulated reservoir volume. The model has important theoretical significance for developing numerical simulator for shale gas reservoirs.
Forage Yield and Quality of Sweet Sorghum as Influenced by Sowing Methods and Harvesting Times

Sowing methods and harvesting times are the important management considerations for getting the optimum yield and quality of fodder crops. This study, investigated the influence of sowing methods and harvesting times on the growth, yield and quality of sweet sorghum. Chinese sweet sorghum was grown by broadcast method, 30 cm apart lines and 45 cm apart lines and harvested after 60, 75 and 90 days after sowing, respectively. All the tested sowing patterns and harvesting times considerably affected the growth, yield and quality of sweet sorghum. However, sowing in 30 cm apart rows produced maximum leaves per plant (13.09), fresh forage yield (38.1 t ha -1 ), dry matter yield (4.85 t ha -1 ), crude proteins (8.9%), ash contents (11%) and sugar contents (12.8%), respectively. Similarly, harvesting after 90 days of sowing gave highest leaves per plant (14.72), fresh forage yield (45.1 t ha -1 ), dry matter yield (5.60 t ha -1 ), ash contents (12.2%) and sugar contents (14.1%), respectively. These results suggested that sowing in 30 cm apart lines and harvesting after 90 days of sowing improved the growth, yield and quality of sweet sorghum under the semiarid region of Faisalabad.
Evaluation of functional outcome of open reduction and internal fixation with volar plating in reverse Barton’s fracture of distal radius

Purpose: A study evaluating the clinical and functional outcome of open reduction and internal fixation with volar plating followed by early mobilization in reverse Barton’s fracture of distal radius. Method: 43 adults patients operated for distal radius reverse Barton’s fracture (Muller AO classification type 23 B3) were studied and functional outcomes were assessed using the DASH scoring system. Result: Functional outcome was excellent in 29 (67%), good in 11 (26%) and fair in 3 (7%) accoridng to patient rated DASH score. Patients who obtained excellent and good results, had no residual deformities or pain. Complication occurred in 4 (9%) cases of which 2 (4%) had joint stiffness, 1 (2%) had superficial infection and 1 (2%) developed median nerve neuropathy for which plate was removed. Conclusion: Reverse Barton’s fracture of the distal radius has excellent functional outcome with open reduction and internal fixation with volar plate. Anatomical reduction and early mobilization improves the outcome significantly.
Relationship between Arm Span Measurements and Body Height in Dinaric Alpes Population: a Systematic Review

Several researches have reported the benefit of using various body parameters in predicting standing height, and arm span happened to be one of the most reliable ones in adults. On the other hand, it is well-known the tallness and body proportions are specific in the area that are covered by Dinaric Alpes. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the potential relationship between arm span measurements and body height in Dinaric Alpes population. The most visible electronic database (Google Scholar) was searched for original research articles available until September 2017. Then research findings were summarized and relationship between arm span measurements and body height in Dinaric Alpes population were identified, as well as areas of future research were recommended. The assessment of body height using various anthropometric measures is very typical from the past centuries and it has been attempted to be studied by many researchers. However, it is important to underline that the arm span has been obtained as the most reliable body indicator for predicting the true height of an individual. However, the studies sampled with the populations lived at Dinaric Alpes mountains have specific estimates. Therefore, all above-mentioned have confirmed the necessity for developing separate body height models for each population on account of ethnic as well as regional differences.
Long-term trends in length and age at sexual maturity of hoki Macruronus magellanicus and southern hake Merluccius australis from Chilean Patagonia

Long-term trends of length and mean age at sexual maturity (MLSM and MASM) of female Patagonian hoki Macruronus magellanicus (2001 to 2019) and southern hake Merluccius australis (1989 to 2019) were analyzed in overexploited stocks from the Outer Sea (OS) and Inner Sea (IS) of Chilean Patagonia. The study of the samples was performed by microscopic analysis of the gonads and part of them were analyzed histologically, together with fish otoliths readings. MLSM and MASM were calculated using a generalized linear model. MLSM of hoki in the OS experienced large annual fluctuations, with a difference of 16.2 cm between extreme values. MLSM was 55.3 cm in 2001 and 44.1 cm in 2019. MASM ranged between 2.9 and 4.4 years. In the IS (only one year sampled) precocious maturation was found in females between 32 cm and 35 cm total length (TL). MLSM of southern hake was rather stable within a range of 5.5 cm, from 73.5 cm TL in 1989 to 73.9 cm in 2019. MASM ranged between 10.4 and 11.6 years. MLSM in the IS was 4.5 cm TL lower than in the OS in the three years of sampling. Life history information of these species suggests that favorable environmental conditions in the IS allow them to reach MLSM earlier than in the OS.
Urinary Tract Infection Bacteria Classification: Artificial Intelligence-based Medical Application

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a type of health disorder, an infection in the urinary glands mainly caused by bacteria. Currently, conventional early detection methods that have been established involve rapid dipstick strip test and urine culture analysis, which have suboptimal accuracy and effectiveness. Several retrospective studies regarding UTI bacteria classification have shown promising results, but still have limitations regarding prediction accuracy and technical simplicity. This study aims to implement a method based on artificial intelligence (AI) in classifying images of bacteria that causes UTIs. Eight artificial intelligence methods based on deep neural networks were used in the study; the models were evaluated and compared based on the prediction's effectiveness and accuracy. This study also seeks to create the easiest method of classifying bacteria causing UTIs using a computer-based application with the best obtained AI-based model. The best training results using an intelligent approach placed DenseNet201 as the method with the highest accuracy (83.99%). Then, the output model was used as a knowledge reference for the designed computer-based application. Real-time prediction results will appear in the application window.
Survivorship Struggles: Navigating Etiologies and Clinical Parameters of Febrile Neutropenia During Induction Chemotherapy in Acute Leukemia Patients

Background Acute leukemia, characterized by the uncontrolled proliferation of immature white blood cell precursors, poses significant challenges during induction chemotherapy, including the elevated risk of febrile neutropenia and its associated complications. Our study aims to explain the clinical and etiological parameters of these patients in a resource-limited setting. Methods This retrospective study focused on a total of 102 adult patients with acute leukemia who developed febrile neutropenia during the induction chemotherapy phase. Patients with disease relapse, prior bone marrow transplantation, and cases of acute promyelocytic leukemia were excluded from the study. Demographical characteristics, symptoms at presentation, diagnoses, infectious causes, and outcomes were systematically reported. Infectious etiologies and detailed culture reports were meticulously tabulated, and subsequent data were analyzed. Results Of the 102 patients, 43 (42.2%) were males, with a mean age of 31.9 ± 6.5 years. During the induction chemotherapy, a total of 31 patients died of complicated febrile neutropenia. Severe vomiting was the most common symptom present in 37 (36.2%), followed by cough in 35 (34.3%) and loose stools in 28 (27.5%). Community-acquired pneumonia, neutropenic sepsis, and neutropenic colitis were among the most common etiologies of febrile neutropenia. A total of 72 (70.6%) patients had culture-proven multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteremia that contributed to poor outcomes. Conclusions Acute leukemia patients undergoing induction chemotherapy face high infection-associated mortality due to their immunocompromised state. Inadequate infection control measures and antimicrobial resistance contribute to the emergence of multidrug-resistant organisms. Enhanced infection prevention strategies and evidence-based antibiotic prescription guidelines are need of time in resource-limited settings such as Pakistan to address febrile neutropenia complications and bridge the existing care gap in its management.
Climate change anxiety, fear, and intention to act

Climate change anxiety (CCA) is an emerging yet not clearly defined construct. Here, we examine the relationship between CCA and climate change-related fear in response to messages differently framing uncertainty and anticipation concerning climate change, exploring how the former differs from general anxiety measures. To this purpose, young and healthy volunteers were assigned to three different framing conditions. Their emotional responses as well as eco-emotions and beliefs about climate change were collected. By employing a Bayesian approach, we found that framing the consequences of climate change effectively induces heightened fear and that CCA strongly predicted fear levels, while general anxiety measures did not. Overall, these results reflect CCA’s unique and specific nature in influencing climate change-related fear. Interestingly, we found fear to predict intention scores only following the framings that did not effectively induce action intentions, consistent with prior findings on fear without efficacy framing. Instead, reading about the negative consequences motivated action the most. Following this framing, we found that eco-anger, instead of fear, consistently predicted intentions to engage in climate action. These results emphasize the complex interplay between CCA, eco-emotions, efficacy, and behavioral engagement.
Functional Microorganisms Drive the Formation of Black-Odorous Waters

Black-odorous waters are water bodies that are noticeably abnormal in color or emit unpleasant odors. River water pollution and ecological degradation have gradually emerged with urbanization and rapid economic development, and BOW has become frequent. The black-odorous evolution of urban water bodies is a serious environmental problem in many areas, posing a serious threat to both human health and the ecological environment. Functional microorganisms are closely related to the formation of black-odorous phenomena in water bodies, but the understanding of the mechanisms by which functional microorganisms influence the formation of BOW is very limited. In this study, water samples from the Guangdang River in Yantai, Shandong Province, China, were collected as the bacterial solution in the study, and how environmental factors and functional microorganisms affect the formation of black smelly water was investigated by artificially simulating black smelly water. The results indicated that different environmental factors have different effects on the formation of BOW. Anaerobic conditions accelerated the formation of BOW, and species diversity and species abundance were lowest under this condition. Hydraulic disturbance and nitrate effectively mitigated the BOW phenomenon, in which species diversity and species abundance were higher; controlling either of these variables was effective in mitigating the BOW phenomenon. Desulfobacterota played a key role in the formation of BOW, and reducing the proportion of Desulfobacterota in the microbial community could effectively improve the water quality. Possible directions of electron transfer in the process were hypothesized. This study contributes to identifying the biological driving factors for black-odorous evolution, presents insight for preventing BOW formation, and provides a scientific basis for subsequent BOW management.
Rituximab versus Splenectomy in Chronic Primary ITP: Experience of a Single Hematology Clinic

Background Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an acquired immune-mediated disease that lacks an underlying etiology. Steroids are the main first-line treatment of ITP, while the second-line treatment consists primarily of splenectomy and rituximab. This study aimed to assess and compare the response to rituximab and splenectomy. Methods This retrospective comparative study reviewed ITP patients treated at a single private hematology clinic from 2007 to 2019. Seventy-four ITP patients were recruited, 27 were on rituximab, and 47 had undergone splenectomy. The initial platelet counts and bleeding symptoms were recorded, and initial and long-term responses to treatment were evaluated based on the American Society of Hematology guidelines. Results The mean age of the patients was 42.1 years with a male-to-female ratio of 1:1.8. The initial mean platelet count was comparable between the rituximab and splenectomy groups (p = 0.749). The initial complete response (CR) differed significantly between the rituximab and splenectomy groups (44.4% versus 83%, p = 0.002). The five-year response rate was significantly higher in the splenectomy than in the rituximab group (74% versus 52%, log-rank 0.038). Splenectomy was the only significant predictive factor for long-term response (OR = 0.193, p = 0.006). Conclusion The overall response revealed that splenectomy appeared superior to rituximab as a second-line treatment of ITP. Splenectomy was the only positive prognostic indicator of sustained response.
Relationship between environmental factors and benthic macroalgae communities of artificial reefs in Laoshan Bay

It observed that a total of 22 species of macroalgae were recorded during the study period in the artificial reef. This included 17 Rhodophyta; algae communities were the most abundant in the spring; the succession in the algae vegetation in them was similar to that in surrounding natural reefs. Clustering analysis and MDS indicated that the algae communities in the artificial were most similar between summer and autumn. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Redundancy Analysis (RDA) results showed that temperature was the most important environmental factor on forming macroalgae communities.
Enhanced Resolution of the Subducting Plate Interface in Central Alaska From Autocorrelation of Local Earthquake Coda

Subducting plates below 10‐km depth are primarily imaged using phases from teleseismic earthquakes at frequencies dominantly below 1 Hz, resulting in low‐resolution images compared to fault zone thickness. Here we image the plate boundary zone in Alaska using scattered body wave arrivals in local earthquake coda to produce a higher‐resolution image of the slab. An autocorrelation method successfully extracts coherent arrivals from the local earthquake signals. Our autocorrelation results image interfaces associated with the subducting oceanic plate at higher resolution than our teleseismic receiver functions, with increased coherence and sharper boundaries. Our results provide one of the first coherent structural images of the seismogenic zone using scattered local body waves. Amplitudes suggest that seismic wave speed decreases with increasing depth within the low‐velocity zone, supporting lithologic rather than purely overpressure models for the zone in our region. Similar methodologies using dense stations could provide higher‐resolution images to characterize crustal and uppermost mantle boundaries globally.
Performance Evaluation of Precise Point Positioning (PPP) Using CSRS-PPP Online Service

Precise Point Positioning (PPP) of a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) can be considered as an alternative solution from the differential GNSS positioning technique. Recently, PPP technique takes the spotlight due to its low cost and large number of users. Initially dual frequency PPP technique was implemented using GPS only observations. Nowadays, it has started to combine GPS+GLONASS observations in order to improve the position accuracy and reduce the convergence time. The main objective of this research is to examine the performance of the combined method compared with stand-alone GPS solution using CSRS-PPP online service processing for both static and kinematic modes. The overall results show that the GPS+GLONASS constellations does not improve the convergence time of kinematic PPP, while the static mode results of the GPS+GLONASS solution present better accuracy rather than the stand-alone GPS solution.
Internet Addiction and Psychological Distress: Can Social Networking Site Addiction Affect Body Uneasiness Across Gender? A Mediation Model

Introduction The Internet, with its unlimited information, revolutionary communication capabilities, and innovative potential to expand knowledge, is ubiquitous throughout the world, but it also has significant implications for users’ mental health. Given the not yet clearly defined and distinguishable nosographic categories of online addiction and the resulting difficulties in describing the impact on users’ mental health, the present cross-sectional study aimed to gain new insights into the relationship between Internet addiction (especially social networking site [SNS] addiction), psychological distress, and physical discomfort, as well as gender differences in impact among users. Method A sample of 583 Italian speakers (50.8% males; 48.7% females) with a mean age of 30.96 (SD = 12.12) completed an online survey in July 2021. A set of psychometric self-report instruments was administered to assess the study variables. Mediation analyses were performed for both the whole sample and across genders. Results The study found that men exhibited higher levels of Internet addiction and craving than women, but no differences were found for SNS addiction. Furthermore, indicators of psychological distress (i.e., anxiety, depression, stress, loneliness, insomnia, and self-esteem) mediated the association between SNS addiction and body uneasiness, with slight differences across genders. Conclusion This paper contributes to the existing literature on online addictive behaviors by also highlighting gender differences. The findings underscore the need for educational experiences that can prevent problematic use of the Internet and SNSs.
Determinants of dividend policy in small and medium-sized enterprises of an emerging market

This paper aims to analyze the determining factors of dividend policy in SMEs of an emerging economy such as Colombia. SMEs are very important for emerging economies, as they are great job creators and contribute to improving the quality of life of many families. This study is based on liquidity, profitability and indebtedness variables, to demonstrate their links with the dividend policy in this type of entities on which there is not enough empirical research in the Latin American context. A panel data with a total of 11,888 observations was estimated for the horizon 2017-2019. The results evidence that liquidity and profitability increase SMEs’ dividend policy. Indebtedness level indicators present a negative relationship. Overall, the results provide empirical evidence on this important financial decision in a scarcely studied business context and segment. Additionally, the factors influencing dividend policy for these firms have practical implications for regulators, investors, and financial analysts to strengthen their decision criteria in emerging economies.
Interactive effect of planting date and fertiliser application on maize growth and yield under dryland conditions

Understanding the relationships among management practices during planting period will help producers to improve crop production under climate change. The interaction of planting date and soil fertility on maize yield was evaluated. Field trials were conducted during summer in 2014/15 and 2015/16 at the University of KwaZulu-Natal research farm, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. A split-plot design was used with planting date and soil fertility as main and subplots, respectively, replicated four times. The interaction between planting date and fertility level significantly influenced plant growth and physiological parameters. The highest plant growth and physiological responses occurred in early- and mid-season planted maize during 2014/15 and 2015/16, respectively. Early planting favoured crop growth, grain yield and yield components during 2014/15 (warm season), while mid planting was the best during 2015/16 (dry season). Optimal fertiliser application has economic benefits to the farmer where it is led to increase productivity at early- and mid-planting dates during warm (2014/15) and dry (2015/16) seasons, respectively. However, optimal fertiliser application only improved plant photosynthetic activity under adequate rainfall and temperature, while minimal application of fertiliser gave higher yield returns with a mid-planting date. Longer-term experiments are needed to validate the recommendations from the current study.