Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Approaching the risk perception gap: effects of a subject matter knowledge-based intervention in a health context

ABSTRACT We conducted a short subject matter knowledge-based intervention in a quasi-experimental design and explored whether providing health-related subject matter knowledge affects university students’ risk perception and their behavioural intentions. We chose the everyday context of using antiperspirants that contain aluminium and focused on the presumption that antiperspirants facilitate Alzheimer’s disease development. This study was devoted to a risk perception gap caused by the epistemic and ontological uncertainty involved in the contextual background of using antiperspirants and developing Alzheimer’s disease . By computing repeated measures ANOVA, we found that imparting subject matter knowledge as system, action-related and effectiveness health knowledge increased students’ cognitive and affective risk perception. Path analyses revealed that cognitive and affective risk perception had an indirect, negative effect on behavioural intentions towards using antiperspirants. Attitudes and perceived behavioural control fully mediated the relationship between risk perception and intention. The mediation effect differed between students who received subject matter knowledge and students who did not. We discuss the findings from our study related to the role of subject matter knowledge for understanding risk perception, the ambiguity of overcoming and creating a risk perception gap when uncertainty holds and how risk perception relates to attitudes and behavioural intention.
Somatic cells count in milk and its relation with productive traits in dairy cows

Abstract. The aim of the study was to determine the dependence between Test Day (TD) milk productivity traits and somatic cells count (SCC) in milk and also the influence of the factors: farm, parity and TD recording season of Holstein cows. The survey included a total of 484 lactating cows from 8 cattle farms in Bulgaria. A total of 3473 TD records including data on TD milk yield, fat %, protein % and SCC in milk were used. A statistically significant effect of the farm, recording season, and SCC on TD milk yield, fat % and protein % was reported. The highest TD milk yield was reported in spring (22.42 kg), followed by winter (21.95 kg). In winter and autumn were reported higher mean values for TD fat (3.77 and 3.84%) and TD protein (3.38 and 3.40%) content in milk. At the highest SCC – above 999 000 cells/ml, the highest average daily milk yield – 24.1 kg and the lowest fat (3.48%) was reported. With the highest and positive statistically significant value was the phenotypic correlation between TD milk yield and SCC (0.21). The correlation with TD fat % was statistically significant, with negative value (- 0.07).
Panic Buying and Its Causes: A Case Study of the US Toilet Paper Market

Panic buying refers to a sudden increase in the consumption of certain goods due to perception or expectation of adverse situations. The goal of this paper is to explore the psychological factors that drive panic buying during a pandemic, more specifically, the global-wise COVID-19 outbreak. Literature review showed that perceived risk, lack of social capital, and anxiety coping can be the potential causes of panic buying during a pandemic. A case study of the US toilet paper market during COVID-19 was conducted. Throughout March 2020 and following months, sales of toilet paper increased significantly compared to pre-COVID times, implying the US population panic buying toilet paper at the time. Data from previous research projects and nation-wide surveys were analyzed, and it showed that the afore-mentioned three psychological factors were also present, on one degree or another, at the time in the US: People on average experienced a medium level of perceived risk from the disease; The level of social trust remained medium and the level of social support from neighbors decreased after the outbreak, both of which are components of social capital; And people in general experienced high levels of anxiety during the pandemic. Understanding the underlying drivers of panic buying can provide insights into alleviating such irrational buying behavior in the future.
Biochemical reference intervals in broiler chickens according to age and strain

Abstract. The objective of the research was to study the physiological pattern of biochemical variables and to obtain reference intervals for young (less than 1 month) and adult (more than 1 month) broiler chickens of 2 strains. From the jugular vein, blood for analysis was collected, separated, and then immediately analyzed. The influence of age was significant for the majority of the investigated variables in the 2 groups. In Isa15 strain, a significant age-related decrease in plasma uric acid, glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, phosphorus, potassium and iron was established. Also, a significant age-related increase in plasma calcium and ASAT was obtained in the same broiler strain. In Arbor Acres Plus strain, a significant age-related decrease in plasma glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides and phosphorus was observed. A significant age-related increase in plasma total protein, calcium and ASAT has also been reported in this broiler strain. A significant difference between the two strains was reported for plasma uric acid, glucose, cholesterol, phosphorus, magnesium and iron (p<0.05). For most estimated parameters in the 2 strains, calculation of separate reference intervals for young and adult animals was appropriate. Except for potassium in young Isa15 strain, and phosphorus in young Arbor Acres Plus strain, all variables did not follow a normal distribution. Reference intervals are presented for both ages using non-parametric or robust method. 90% confidence intervals for both groups were calculated non-parametrically, or by the bootstraping method. The established reference intervals will be a useful guide for interpreting plasma biochemical variables in different strains of broiler chickens raised in Algeria, and reared in a mild Mediterranean climate.
Technological, Sensory, and Hypoglycemic Effects of Quinoa Flour Incorporation into Biscuits

Background. Biscuits are consumed by all of society in the world. Incorporation of different ratios of quinoa flour into wheat flour for the production of biscuits is needed for the production of functional foods. Objective. This study aimed to evaluate the incorporation of 12.5% or 25% quinoa flour into biscuit production, evaluate rheological and sensory characteristics, and investigate the effect of the consumption of 20% cooked biscuits on diabetic rats. Design. The gross chemical composition, total carotenoids, phenolic and flavonoids of wheat flour and quinoa flour, and the rheological properties of the control, 12.5% quinoa, and 25% quinoa biscuit dough were determined. The effects of consumption of 12.5% quinoa and 25% quinoa biscuits on diabetic rats were investigated. Results. Quinoa flour had significantly higher levels of the gross chemical composition except for carbohydrate and increased phenolic compound and flavonoids content than those in wheat flour. Increasing the amount of quinoa flour in the biscuits could increase the farinograph and extensograph values of the dough. Biological results showed that the highest improvement in nutritional values appeared in the diabetic rat group, which consumed 25% quinoa biscuit for 60 days. The consumption of 12.5% quinoa biscuit and 25% quinoa biscuit showed a decline in blood glycosylated hemoglobin and glucose and an elevation in insulin levels compared with the positive control diabetic rat group. Discussion and Conclusion. It is encouraging to replace wheat flour with quinoa flour in biscuit manufacturing owing to positive effects on both the technological properties and sensory evaluation of biscuits. The increase of quinoa flour up to 25% had favorable nutritional values and hypoglycemic effects.
Advanced utilization of multi-learning algorithm: ensemble super learner to map groundwater potential for potable mineral water

Abstract Although mapping the groundwater quality is crucial for people who require groundwater with strict quality standards, the ability to take intensive measurements has been restricted by a lack of groundwater accessibility. Thus, this study aimed to estimate and map the suitability of groundwater quality for use as potable mineral water. We attempted a novel approach by targeting comprehensive qualities for a specific groundwater use and by adopting a super learner that combines multiple different learning algorithms. The super learner generated a groundwater potential map indicating a zone with a high potential for mineral water and it outperformed the base learners by 21%–74%. Estimation results designated appropriate groundwater development locations for mineral water use, and assessment of predictors determined favorable environments. Consequently, the proposed approach presented a possible method for finding groundwater with the required quality for its optimal usage. Furthermore, it provided the possibility of worldwide application.
The relevance of pelagic calcification in the global carbon budget of lakes and reservoirs

The relevance of pelagic calcification in the global carbon budget of lakes and reservoirs Calcite precipitation acts as a carbon sink in the sediments and a short-term source of carbon dioxide (CO2) to the atmosphere, as widely acknowledged in marine studies. However, pelagic calcite precipitation has received limited attention in lakes. Here we use the relationship between lake water alkalinity and reported calcification rates to provide the first global estimate of pelagic calcification in lakes. Global gross calcification rates amount to 0.03 Pg C yr-1 (0.01 – 0.07) comparable to rates of organic carbon burial, whereas its related CO2 release is largely buffered by the carbonate equilibria. Calcification occurs at water alkalinity above 1 meq/L corresponding to 57 % of global lake and reservoir surface area. Pelagic calcification therefore is a prevalent process in lakes and reservoirs at the global scale, with a potentially relevant role as a sedimentary inorganic carbon sink, comparable in magnitude to the total calcite accumulation rates in ocean sediments.
Efficient FPGA Parallelization of Lipschitz Interpolation for Real-Time Decision-Making

One of the main open challenges in the field of learning-based control is the design of computing architectures able to process data in an efficient way. This is of particular importance when time constraints must be met, as, for instance, in real-time decision-making systems operating at high frequencies or when a vast amount of data must be processed. In this respect, field-programmable gate array (FPGA)-based parallel processing architectures have been hailed as a potential solution to this problem. In this article, a low-level design methodology for the implementation on FPGA platforms of Lipschitz interpolation (LI) algorithms is presented. The proposed design procedure exploits the potential parallelism of the LI algorithm and allows the user to optimize the area and energy resources of the resulting implementation. Besides, the proposed design allows to know in advance a tight bound of the error committed by the FPGA due to the representation format. Therefore, the resulting implementation is a highly parallelized and a fast architecture with an optimal use of the resources and consumption and with a fixed numerical error bound. These facts flawlessly suit the desirable specifications of learning-based control devices. As an illustrative case study, the proposed algorithm and architecture have been used to learn a nonlinear model predictive control law applied to self-balance a two-wheel robot. The results show how computational times are several orders of magnitude reduced by employing the proposed parallel architecture, rather than sequentially running the algorithm on an embedded ARM-CPU-based platform.
Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy Associated with Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Concentrations Among Newly Diagnosed Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Purpose This study was aimed at the prevalence, cardiovascular risk factors of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), and the relationship between DPN and fasting glucagon-like peptide-1 (fGLP-1) concentrations in newly diagnosed patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (nT2D). Methods A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted from 2015 to 2020 with a population of 473 nT2D. Screening for DPN was based on the United Kingdom screening test. fGLP-1 was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results The prevalence of DPN was 26.6%, in which mild grade was 17.3%, moderate grade was 8.2% and severe grade was 1.1% in total. Age (OR = 1.73, 95% CI 1.12–2.67, p = 0.012), smoking (OR = 1.64, 95% CI 1.03–2.62, p = 0.037), poor control HbA1c (OR = 2.66, 95% CI 1.23–5.76, p = 0.01), 24-h urinary albumin (24hUA) (OR = 2.49, 95% CI 1.26–4.94, p = 0.007), and diabetic retinopathy (OR = 3.17, 95% CI 1.46–6.89, p = 0.002) significantly increased the risk for DPN. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, hypertension (OR = 2.96, 95% CI 1.16–7.55, p = 0.023), triglyceride (OR = 1.50, 95% CI 1.11–2.03, p = 0.009), albumin (OR = 0.85, 95% CI 0.75–0.95, p = 0.005), and fGLP-1 (OR = 0.79, 95% CI 0.67–0.93, p = 0.005) correlated with DPN. The fGLP-1 concentrations were reduced significantly in DPN (p < 0.001). In particular, male patients with DPN had a significantly lower fGLP-1 levels than those without DPN (p < 0.001). Conclusion The prevalence of DPN among nT2D was 26.6%. Age, smoking, hypertension, HbA1c control, triglyceride, albumin, 24hUA, diabetic retinopathy were the associated risk factors of DPN, and fGLP-1 was negatively correlated with DPN (OR = 0.79, 95% CI 0.67–0.93, p = 0.005).
Therapeutic approach for osteoporotic animal model by bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells

Abdullah S. M. Aljohani1*, Abdel Kader A. Zaki1, Waleed Al Abdulmonem2, Zafar Rasheed3, Fahad A. Alhumaydhi4, Faten A. M. Abo-Aziza5 1Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia. 2Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia. 3Department of Medical Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia. 4Department of Medical Labratories, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia. 5Department of Parasitology and Animal Diseases, Veterinary Research Institute, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt.
Effects of Anxiety, Depression, and Stress on Sleep Disorder and Night Eating Syndrome in Adolescents: Results of an Internet Survey

PurposeThe current study examined how sleep quality is related to night eating syndrome (NES) via the indirect effects of anxiety, depression, and stress to determine the mechanism of its development. MethodsThis cross-sectional web-based study included 171 adolescents aged 12-18 years (55.0% girls). Participants completed the self-report Night Eating Questionnaire (NEQ), Scales for Outcomes in Parkinson’s disease (SCOPA) Sleep Scale, and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale–21 items (DASS-21). ResultsThe results showed that anxiety, depression, and stress directly influenced the NEQ. AMOS path analysis was used to examine whether these also had an indirect influence on the NEQ. Moreover, for the anxiety, depression, and stress subscales, only the anxiety subscale influenced nighttime eating problems due to increased sleep problems, which in turn increased the difficulty of morning sleepiness and falling asleep at night. ConclusionConsequently, depression and stress directly increased nighttime eating problems. Anxiety exacerbates eating problems, both directly and indirectly, through sleep. Behavioral and psychological interventions to reduce anxiety, depression, and stress may be helpful strategies for the treatment of night eating syndrome.Level of evidence: Level IV
Comparison of Ultrasonographic Evaluation of Gallbladder Volume in Type II Diabetic Patients with Non-diabetic Healthy Subjects

Background: Measurement of increased gallbladder volume is necessary for the detection of pathology of gallbladder. Objective: The purpose of the present study was to find out the difference between ultrasonographically measured gall bladder volume in fasting and post prandial states of type II diabetic patients and non-diabetic control subjects. Methodology: This cross-sectional study, carried out department of Radiology and Imaging at Bangladesh Institute of Research and Rehabilitation in Diabetes, Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders (BIRDEM) Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh from June 2013 to July 2014. The type II diabetic patients were selected as group A and the healthy individual with age and sex matched were selected as group B. An ultrasonographic evaluation of fasting gallbladder volume and 2 hours after meal was done in all the subjects using a 3.5 MHz transducer. Information was recorded in preformed data collection sheet. Results: There was statistically significant (p<0.001) difference of mean fasting gall bladder volume between diabetic and non-diabetic subjects. The mean postprandial gall bladder volume of type II diabetic patients was significantly higher than that of the non-diabetic controls. By using Karl-Pearson coefficients of correlation it was found that gallbladder enlargement in type II diabetics, was significantly correlated with body mass index (p= 0.05) and systolic blood pressure (p= 0.05). Conclusions: Cholecystomegaly is found in type II diabetics in the present study to a significant degree which is also significantly correlated with body mass index and systolic blood pressure. Journal of Current and Advance Medical Research, July 2021;8(2):114-118
CEO Compensation and Audit Opinion ‘Going Concern’ Effect Banking Performance Using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) Method?

Company performance as an achievement of finished tasks illustrates the compa-ny's financial condition, which can be analyzed by financial analysis tools. This study aimed to determine the impact of CEO compensation and audit opinion 'go-ing concern' on the performance of banks listed on the BEI from 2014 to 2019, as well as to evaluate the performance using the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) tool. Furthermore, this study also aimed to examine the effect of audit opinion 'going concern,' which was determined as the moderation variable to the relationship between the CEO's compensation and banking performance. The study used a quantitative type. Subjects examined were banks listed in BEI and reported their financial statements consistently from 2014 to 2019. The data analysis was using Partial Least Square (PLS). Based on the study results, it is discovered that CEO's compensation positively and significantly affected banking performance on the studied year, audit opinion 'going concern' significantly affected banking performance, and the audit opinion 'going concern' that determined as the moderation variable could not strengthen or weaken the relationship between CEO's compensation and banking performance.
Feature extraction and neural network-based multi-peak analysis on time-correlated LiDAR histograms

Time correlated single photon counting is a statistical method to generate time-correlated histograms (TC-Hists), which are based on the time-of-flight information measured by photon detectors such as single-photon avalanche diodes. With restricted measurements per histogram and the presence of high background light, it is challenging to obtain the target distance in a TC-Hist. In order to improve the data processing robustness under these conditions, the concept of machine learning is applied to the TC-Hist. Using the neural network-based multi-peak analysis (NNMPA), introduced by us, including a physics-guided feature extraction and a distance prediction process, the analysis is focused on a small number of critical features in the TC-Hist. Based on these features, possible target distances with correlated certainty values are inferred. Furthermore, two optimization approaches regarding learning ability and real-time performance are discussed. In particular, variants of the NNMPA are evaluated on both synthetic and real datasets. The proposed method not only has higher robustness in allocating the coarse position ( ±5% ) of the target distance in harsh conditions, but also is faster than the classical digital processing with an average-filter and noise suppression. Thus, it can be applied to improve the system robustness, especially in the case of high background light and middle-range detections.
Quality of life and tracheostomy influence in successfully treated hypopharyngeal cancer: A case report

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the hypopharynx is associated with the worst prognosis of all squamous cell cancer types of the head and neck, with a rich submucosal lymphatic network and a significant inferior extent. Generally, cancers of the head and neck have a big impact on the quality of life (QoL) in patients, both before and after treatment, due to the fact that most cases are diagnosed in advanced stages, with lymph node metastases and have an aggressive pattern associated with low survival rates. The present case report aimed to see the evolution of a patient successfully treated for hypopharyngeal cancer with conservation therapies from the QoL perspective and the influence made by the presence of tracheostomy. Variables, including clinical parameters (sex, age, TNM classification, performance status, histological type and tumor subsite), local control, QoL, Adult Comorbidity Evaluation-27 score and overall survival were assessed, according to the American Joint Committee on Cancer 8th edition, for a 58-year-old patient treated with conservation therapies and tracheostomy in a tertiary center. Subjective features measured through the QoL questionnaire had scores with lowering tendencies during the treatment period. The patient was provided with early training for tracheostomy care and early discharge education. The following objective features of treatment response were exhibited: Hemoglobin levels, leukocyte count, tumor size, imagistic evaluations and local control to confirm treatment response. It is essential when planning the treatment of aggressive and rare pathologies, such as hypopharyngeal cancer, to consider the QoL and patient choice for better adherence. Overall, the results demonstrated that the initial requirement for emergency tracheostomy was not associated with any ulterior complications and did not influence the end result of the treatment.
Diversity of benthic macroinvertebrates in Margaraça forest streams (Portugal)

Structure and diversity of the benthic macroinvertcbrate fauna were st~tdied in two deciduous forest streams in Central Portugal. In the three sampling occasions. 120 tax-cl were collected from the two streams. Number of tci,xci per sampling occasion ranged from 53 to 60. Macroinvertebrate densities ranged from 1465 to 2365. Insects were the most abundant taxonomic group (280 ? h) in all samples. Detritivorous invertebrates were numerically dominant in both streams, representing 62 to 85 5% of the total macroinvertebratc