Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and its determinants in the Bono Region of Ghana

Summary Objective The study assessed willingness to accept the COVID-19 vaccine among out-patient department (OPD) attendants in the Bono Region in Ghana. Design This was an analytical cross-sectional study Setting The study was conducted at the Wenchi Methodist Hospital (WMH) OPD, Bono Region, Ghana. The region had not yet been earmarked for vaccination at the time of the study. Participants Three hundred and twenty-five (325) participants aged ≥18 years, accessing care at the OPD of WMH and willing to give informed consent, were interviewed. Main outcome measures The proportion of participants willing to accept the COVID-19 vaccine and its determinants. Results Of 325 participants interviewed, 32 (9.8%) had been vaccinated already. 82.6% (242/293) indicated COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among the unvaccinated. The major reason for vaccine acceptance was “it could protect against COVID-19” (96.7%, 234/242). “Fear of vaccine side effects and “perception of not being susceptible to COVID-19” were among the reasons for vaccine refusal. Perceived susceptibility to COVID-19 (AOR 4.09, 95% CI 1.79, 9.34), knowledge of COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccine (AOR 3.62, 95% CI 1.14, 11.46) and willingness to pay for the vaccine (AOR 5.20, 95% CI 2.49, 10.43) were associated with vaccine acceptance. Conclusions Adequate knowledge of COVID-19 and the vaccine may drive vaccine acceptance in the study area and possibly other areas in Ghana. Campaign messages aimed at increasing COVID-19 vaccine coverage must emphasise its safety, likely side effects and management in order to help rid the population of misconceptions. Funding None indicated
Effects of pneumoperitoneum and patient position on intracranial pressure in obese patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Background/Aim: Optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) measurement is one of the non-invasive techniques used for intracranial pressure (ICP) measurement. ICP changes have been evaluated based on ONSD measurements during many laparoscopic surgeries. However, such analyses in the obese patient populations are limited. This study aimed at investigating the effects of pneumoperitoneum and reverse Trendelenburg and head-up position on ICP based on ONSD measurements in obese patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Methods: This observational study included 60 female patients who were scheduled for laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Obese patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 and above were assigned to Group 1, while BMI < 30 patients were assigned to Group 2. The first ONSD measurement was performed just before insufflation (T1). The second measurement was taken 5 min after insufflation (T2), the third measurement 5 min after placing patients in the reverse Trendelenburg and head-up position (T3), and the last measurement 5 min after the deflation while the reverse Trendelenburg and head-up position was maintained (T4). Results: ONSD measurements at the T2 and T3 time points in Group 1 patients were higher than in Group 2 patients (P = 0.012 versus P = 0.020). Both measurement values were higher in obese patients. In Group 1 patients, T2 and T3 measurements were significantly higher than T1 and T4 measurements (T2 > T1; P < 0.001, T2 > T4; P < 0.001, T3 > T1; P < 0.001, and T3 > T4; P < 0.001). No significant difference between T2 and T3 and between T1 and T4 measurements were found. In Group 2 patients, T2 measurements were significantly higher than the T1, T3, and T4 measurements, while T3 measurements were significantly higher than T1 and T4 measurements (T2 > T1; P < 0.001, T2 > T3; P = 0.022, T2 > T4; P < 0.001, T3 > T1; P < 0.001, and T3 > T4; P = 0.048). No significant difference between T1 and T4 measurements was noted. Conclusion: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy does not cause an increase in ICP of obese patients with limited pneumoperitoneum pressure, reverse Trendelenburg and head-up position, and controlled anesthesia.
Health risk indices associated with heavy metals from vegetables cultivated in Tsagero District, Rimi Local Government Area, Katsina State, Nigeria

Local preservation of vegetables involves drying to enhance shelf life. The drying processes could, in turn, contaminate the vegetables with environmental heavy metals. Ingestion of foods contaminated with heavy metals may lead to an increase in the chances of incurring cancer and other health disorders in the consumer population. This study investigated heavy metals contaminations and health risks associated with the consumption vegetables from Turaji, Tsagero District, Rimi Local Government Katsina State, North west Nigeria. The vegetables were three samples of Solanum lycopersicum L. (tomato) as fresh tomato, tomatoes sun-dried along tarred road side, and tomatoes air-dried on farmland soil; three samples of Capsicum annuum (sweet pepper) as fresh sweet pepper, sweet pepper sun-dried along tarred road side and sweet pepper air-dried on farmland soil. The samples were grinded, ashed and digested with HNO3 and HCl separately using standard methods. The heavy metals (Cu, Ni, Fe, Cr, Cd, Mn, Zn, and Pb) contents of the samples were analyzed using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Daily intake, non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks as well as hazard indices of the heavy metals were determined. Results of the study showed that the vegetables analyzed generally have low levels of the heavy metals, with Ni being below detection level (BDL) in all the samples. All of the detected heavy metals concentrations were below the maximum permissible limits as set by the regulatory agencies. The calculated target hazard quotient (THQ) Health risk indices (HRIs) of the evaluated heavy metals in all the samples were therefore, less than 1. The Incremental Life time Cancer Risk (ILCR) to the population from consumption of the samples lies within the safe limit (≤10-4). From the results, these vegetables are hence, safe for human consumption.
Intercollegiate Athletics Experience as a High Impact Practice: Examination of Quality Indicators

Intercollegiate student-athletes have lower access and participation rates compared to peers across the high-impact practices (HIPs). HIPs are an active learning practice that deepen learning through engagement. Recently, there has been a call to look at student experiences to identify ‘next-generation’ HIPs. The intercollegiate athletic experience shows lasting transformative benefits for participants and thus constitutes a ‘next-generation’ HIP. This paper provides evidence to support the concept of intercollegiate athletics as a HIP by: 1) presenting data from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and National Survey on Student Engagement (NSSE) in support of athletics as a HIP; 2) share the perceptions of academic personnel in a mid-major Division I conference considering intercollegiate athletics as a fit for a next-generation HIP; and 3) utilizing the quality indicators of HIPs as a way to assess the athletic experience by student-athletes. In total these perspectives indicated that eight key quality elements of HIPs are part of a student’s athletics experience. Additional discussion includes the importance of integrating intentional feedback, reflection, and connection to real-world application to further align and deepen the athlete experience with quality measures of HIPs.
Fiber–fiber interaction in concentrated suspensions: Disperse fibers

A hypothesis for fiber–fiber interaction in planar randomly oriented concentrated fiber suspensions is proposed and tested. The idea is that at sufficiently high fiber concentrations, friction and lubrication at fiber–fiber contact points are the dominant interaction mechanisms. A fiber pull-out technique is introduced to measure the force per unit fiber length on a single longitudinally moving fiber embedded in a volume of bulk suspension. By varying both the fiber velocity and the fiber volume fraction, the lubrication and frictional components of the force are identified. Furthermore, the corresponding bulk shear viscosity resulting from the same mechanisms is derived and compared with experimental data. The results support the hypothesis.
Condition of the Oral Cavity in Patients After Heart Transplantation: A Preliminary Report

Background The constant impairment of the immune system caused by lifelong use of immunosuppressive drugs in patients after heart transplantation has a significant impact on oral cavity health. The aim of this study was to analyze the health of the oral cavity in patients after heart transplantation, with particular regard to occurring pathogens. Material/Methods The study included 25 patients after heart transplantation. The research scheme was divided into 2 parts. The first part consisted of a survey on general health and oral hygiene habits. The second part of the examination consisted of an analysis of the health of the oral cavity: the mucosa, periodontium, and hard dental tissues. Particular attention was paid to PET (test for the presence of pathogens causing periodontitis/periimplantitis) and CAT (diagnostic test for the presence of Candida in the oral cavity), which are real-time PCR tests used to detect pathogens causing periodontitis and microorganisms present in oral candidiasis. Results The conducted research and in-depth analysis of the results showed that the oral health condition in patients after heart transplantation is not satisfactory, regardless of the time that has elapsed since the surgery, sex, age, hygiene habits, or the type of immunosuppression used. The oral cavity of patients after heart transplantation is colonized with Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola, and Candida albicans. Conclusions The cooperation of the dentist with the attending physician at each stage of the treatment should play an unquestionable role.
The Genetic Diversity and Dysfunctionality of Catalase Associated with a Worse Outcome in Crohn’s Disease

Chronic gut inflammation in Crohn’s disease (CD) is associated with an increase in oxidative stress and an imbalance of antioxidant enzymes. We have previously shown that catalase (CAT) activity is permanently inhibited by CD. The purpose of the study was to determine whether there is any relationship between the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the CAT enzyme and the potential risk of CD associated with high levels of oxidative stress. Additionally, we used protein and regulation analyses to determine what causes long-term CAT inhibition in peripheral white mononuclear cells (PWMCs) in both active and inactive CD. We first used a retrospective cohort of 598 patients with CD and 625 age-matched healthy controls (ENEIDA registry) for the genotype analysis. A second human cohort was used to study the functional and regulatory mechanisms of CAT in CD. We isolated PWMCs from CD patients at the onset of the disease (naïve CD patients). In the genotype-association SNP analysis, the CAT SNPs rs1001179, rs475043, and rs525938 showed a significant association with CD (p < 0.001). Smoking CD patients with the CAT SNP rs475043 A/G genotype had significantly more often penetrating disease (p = 0.009). The gene expression and protein levels of CAT were permanently reduced in the active and inactive CD patients. The inhibition of CAT activity in the PWMCs of the CD patients was related to a low concentration of CAT protein caused by the downregulation of CAT-gene transcription. Our study suggests an association between CAT SNPs and the risk of CD that may explain permanent CAT inhibition in CD patients together with low CAT gene and protein expression.
Biometric-Based Security System for Smart Riding Clubs

Horses, workers or riders need safety in a farm or a riding club. On account of the great value of the horse, the breeder needs to protect it from theft and disease. In this context, it is important to detect and recognize the identity of each worker or rider and horse for security reasons. In fact, this paper proposes a Smart Riding Club Biometric System (SRCBS) consisting in automatically detecting and recognizing horses as well as humans. The proposed system is based on the facial biometrics for a horse as well as the human gait biometrics due to their simplicity and intuitiveness in an uncontrolled environment. This work suggests a Siamese network based on DenseNet features for human gait recognition, a Sparse Neural Network (SNN) based on sparse features for horse face detection and a horse face recognition method based on Gabor features, LDA and SVM. Because of the unavailability of horse databases, this paper presents a new benchmark for horse detection and recognition in order to evaluate our proposed system. The proposed systems achieved an average accuracy of gait recognition equal to 95% in the 0° view, 100% in the 90° view and 98.90% in the 180° view on Casia-B dataset, an average precision equal to 90% for horse face detection and a recognition rate equal to 99.89% for horse face identification.
Influence of different plant growth regulators on yield and quality of sapota (Manilkara achras) cv. Kalipatti

The present study was carried out at Regional Fruit Research Station, PAU, Ludhiana during the year 2016â€“17 to investigate the influence of different plant growth regulators on yield and quality of sapota Sapota (Manilkara achras (Mill) Fosberg) cv Kalipatti. Eight yearâ€™s old uniformly grown Kalipatti sapota plants planted at 9Ã—9 m spacing were sprayed with plant growth regulators NAA @ 50,75,100 and 125 ppm and GA3 @ 25,50,75 and 100 ppm keeping two controls, one as water spray and second without any spray in the month of May, August and September during flowering and at pea stage. Sapota fruits were analyzed for physical and chemical parameters. It was concluded that application of NAA @ 125 ppm during flowering and at pea stage resulted in improved fruit quality in terms of maximum fruit size, fruit firmness (4.01 kg/cm2 ), pulp weight (70.55 g) fruit weight (88.33 g), reducing sugars (9.44%), total sugars (14.39%), TSS (22.2%) with low acidity (0.16%) and higher fruit yield (37.13 kg/tree).
On Average Predictive Comparisons and Interactions

In a regression context, consider the difference in expected outcome associated with a particular difference in one of the input variables. If the true regression relationship involves interactions, then this predictive comparison can depend on the values of the other input variables. Therefore, one may wish to consider an average predictive comparison as a target of inference, where the averaging is with respect to the population distribution of the input variables. We consider inferences about such targets, with emphasis on inferential performance when the regression model is misspecified. Particularly, in light of the difficulties in dealing with interaction terms in regression models, we examine inferences about average predictive comparisons when additive models are fitted to relationships truly involving pairwise interaction terms. We identify some circumstances where such inferences are consistent despite the model misspecification, notably when the input variables are independent, or have a multivariate normal distribution.
High-Speed Time-Series CCD Photometry with Agile

We have assembled a high-speed time-series CCD photometer named Agile for the 3.5 m telescope at Apache Point Observatory, based on the design of a photometer called Argos at McDonald Observatory. Instead of a mechanical shutter, we use the frame-transfer operation of the CCD to end an exposure and initiate the subsequent new exposure. The frame-transfer operation is triggered by the negative edge of a GPS pulse; the instrument timing is controlled directly by hardware, without any software intervention or delays. This is the central pillar in the design of Argos that we have also used in Agile; this feature makes the accuracy of instrument timing better than a millisecond. Agile is based on a Princeton Instruments Acton VersArray camera with a frame-transfer CCD, which has 1K × 1K active pixels, each of size 13 μ m × 13 μ m . Using a focal reducer at the Nasmyth focus of the 3.5 m telescope at Apache Point Observatory, we yield a field of view of 2.2 × 2.2 arcmin2 with an unbinned plate scale of 0.13″ pixel-1. The CCD is back-illuminated and thinned for improved blue sensitivity and provides a quantum efficiency ≥80% in the wavelength range of 4500–7500 Å. The unbinned full-frame readout time can be as fast as 1.1 s; this is achieved using a low-noise amplifier operating at 1 MHz with an average read noise of the order of 6.6 e rms. At the slow read rate of 100 kHz to be used for exposure times longer than a few seconds, we determine an average read noise of the order of 3.7 e rms. Agile is optimized to observe variability at short timescales from one-third of a second to several hundred seconds. The variable astronomical sources routinely observed with Agile include pulsating white dwarfs, cataclysmic variables, flare stars, planetary transits, and planetary satellite occultations.
Developing photoacoustic ocular imaging system

Ocular imaging plays a key role for the diagnosis of various ocular diseases. In this work, we have developed an ocular imaging system based on the photoacoustic tomography. This system has successfully imaged the entire eye of a mouse, from its iris to the retina region, and the imaging is label-free and non-invasively. The resolution of this system reaches several micron meters, allowing the study of microstructures in various ocular tissues. Our system has the potential to be a powerful non-invasive imaging method for the ophthalmology.
BVR photometry of comparison stars in selected blazar fields - II. Photometric sequences for 9 quasars

In the course of the blazar monitoring activity at the Torino Astronomical Observatory, we obtained standard BVR magnitudes for 36 stars and standard VR magnitudes for 10 stars in the fields of 9 quasars. Observations were done during 14 photometric nights with the Cassegrain REOSC telescope equipped with a pixel CCD camera. All stars are brighter than and are useful comparison objects for the evaluation of the quasar magnitudes.
A Bayesian approach to high-resolution beamforming

The ideas involved in the application of Bayesian statistics to the areas of spectral analysis and parameter estimation are here extended to provide a high-resolution algorithm for directionof-arrival estimation. The simplest form of the algorithm (essentially a Bayesian maximum likelihood [BML] technique) is discussed and it is found that in the case of very low signal-to-noise ratios and closely-separated sources, the BML algorithm outperforms methods such as MUSIC and other eigen-decomposition techniques. One of the advantages of the present method is that it is able to handle special cases such as coherent and correlated signals and it does not assume the receivers to be equally spaced. It is also particularly well suited to the problem of estimating the directions of signals of quite different frequencies, and in such a case, the frequency and bearing estimation can be obtained simultaneously.
Force gradient detection under vacuum on the basis of a double pass method

The feasibility of detecting electrostatic gradients in the linear regime is shown under vacuum by combining intermittent contact atomic force microscopy and a double pass method. To achieve our goal, different flexure mode orders were employed. We show that the sensitivity of the frequency or phase shifts to a given gradient was reduced when the order was increased. This behavior is theoretically explained in quantitative agreement with the experiments. Thus, on the basis of different flexure mode orders, gradient detection can now be extended to other forces plus various environments, i.e., under vacuum or controlled atmosphere.
Bayesian Analysis of Realistically Complex Models

Models with complex structure arise in many social science applications and appear natural candidates for the use of Markov chain Monte Carlo methods for inference. Conditional independence assumptions simplify the model specification and make estimation using Gibbs sampling particularly appropriate. Two examples are discussed: random effects models for repeated ordered categorical data and sensitivity analysis to assumptions concerning the mechanism underlying informative drop‐out in a longitudinal study. The use of a program bugs is demonstrated.
Multiple Mutations Associated with Emergent Variants Can Be Detected as Low-Frequency Mutations in Early SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic Clinical Samples

Genetic analysis of intra-host viral populations provides unique insight into pre-emergent mutations that may contribute to the genotype of future variants. Clinical samples positive for SARS-CoV-2 collected in California during the first months of the pandemic were sequenced to define the dynamics of mutation emergence as the virus became established in the state. Deep sequencing of 90 nasopharyngeal samples showed that many mutations associated with the establishment of SARS-CoV-2 globally were present at varying frequencies in a majority of the samples, even those collected as the virus was first detected in the US. A subset of mutations that emerged months later in consensus sequences were detected as subconsensus members of intra-host populations. Spike mutations P681H, H655Y, and V1104L were detected prior to emergence in variant genotypes, mutations were detected at multiple positions within the furin cleavage site, and pre-emergent mutations were identified in the nucleocapsid and the envelope genes. Because many of the samples had a very high depth of coverage, a bioinformatics pipeline, “Mappgene”, was established that uses both iVar and LoFreq variant calling to enable identification of very low-frequency variants. This enabled detection of a spike protein deletion present in many samples at low frequency and associated with a variant of concern.
Energy and first law of thermodynamics for Born–Infeld–anti-de-Sitter black hole

We calculate the local energy and the energy density of the Reisner–Norström–anti-de-Sitter black hole, study the first law of thermodynamics and show the Smarr formula for the Born–Infeld–anti-de-Sitter black hole. Applying the first law of thermodynamics to the black hole region, we analyse the three energy exchange processes between the black hole region and the outer and the inner regions.
The 160 Minute Solar Oscillation: an Artifact?

Analysis of data obtained over the years 1980-1985 are analyzed to show that the period of the 160-minute signal is indeed 160.00 minutes. It is demonstrated that this signal may be simulated by a slightly distorted diurnal sine wave such as that occasioned by differential atmospheric extinction. 15 refs.
Comparability of Jackknife and Bootstrap Results: An Investigation for a Case of Canonical Correlation Analysis.

Abstract The jackknife and bootstrap methods are becoming increasingly popular in research. Although the two approaches have similar goals and use similar strategies, information is lacking with regard to the comparability of their results. In the present study, this issue was systematically investigated for a case of canonical correlation analysis. Bootstrap, jackknife, and Monte Carlo experiments were carried out for 4 sample sizes (n = 200, 100, 50, 20). The jackknife analyses were also varied as regards the number of jackknife observations deleted in each analysis. Some meaningful discrepancies were observed between the bootstrap and jackknife results, especially under small sample-size conditions. Based on the comparisons made with Monte Carlo estimates, the empirical results suggest that the bootstrap technique provides less biased and more consistent results than the jackknife technique does.