Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Center-Effect of Incident Hemodialysis Vascular Access Use: Analysis of a Bi-national Registry.

Background Commencing hemodialysis (HD) with an arteriovenous access is associated with superior patient outcomes compared with a catheter, but the majority of patients in Australia and New Zealand initiate HD with a central venous catheter. This study examined patient and center factors associated with arteriovenous fistula/graft access use at HD commencement. Methods We included all adult patients starting chronic HD in Australia and New Zealand between 2004 and 2015. Access type at HD initiation was analyzed using logistic regression. Patient-level factors included sex, age, race, body mass index (BMI), smoking status, primary kidney disease, late nephrologist referral, comorbidities, and prior RRT. Center-level factors included size; transplant capability; home HD proportion; incident peritoneal dialysis (average number of patients commencing RRT with peritoneal dialysis per year); mean weekly HD hours; average blood flow; and achievement of phosphate, hemoglobin, and weekly Kt/V targets. The study included 27,123 patients from 61 centers. Results Arteriovenous access use at HD commencement varied four-fold from 15% to 62% (median 39%) across centers. Incident arteriovenous access use was more likely in patients aged 51-72 years, males, and patients with a BMI of >25 kg/m2 and polycystic kidney disease; but use was less likely in patients with a BMI of <18.5 kg/m2, late nephrologist referral, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, chronic lung disease, and prior RRT. Starting HD with an arteriovenous access was less likely in centers with the highest proportion of home HD, and no center factor was associated with higher arteriovenous access use. Adjustment for center-level characteristics resulted in a 25% reduction in observed intercenter variability of arteriovenous access use at HD initiation compared with the model adjusted for only patient-level characteristics. Conclusions This study identified several patient and center factors associated with incident HD access use, yet these factors did not fully explain the substantial variability in arteriovenous access use across centers.
Price of Fairness in Digital Subscriber Line Systems Using Dynamic Spectrum Management

Bit rate fairness is an important concern in current G.fast and the forthcoming fifth generation DSL systems where the frequency is extended to hundreds of MHz and crosstalk couplings reach unprecedented levels. In this paper, we study the price of fairness (PoF) in dynamic spectrum management (DSM) enabled DSL systems. We propose optimal low complexity PoF-constrained max-min fairness (MMF), weighted max-min fairness (WMMF), proportional fairness (PF), and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$(p,\alpha)$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-PF algorithms. The proposed algorithms inherently provide weight factors which can be used to reduce the computational complexity of user encoding or decoding order optimizing algorithms used in nonlinear vectoring. Our simulation results show that although PoF grows exponentially with the minimum bit rate, fairness can be improved considerably with a relatively small price in DSM level 2 spectrum balancing and particularly in DSM level 3 using minimum mean square error (MMSE) generalized decision feedback equalizer (GDFE). It is also seen that the proposed optimal PoF-constrained MMF algorithm can reach the solutions of PF and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$(p,\alpha)$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-PF measures for some PoF. That is, the PoF-constrained MMF or WMMF algorithms can be used instead of the non-linear PF and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$(p,\alpha)$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-PF measures, which often result in computationally intensive solutions.
A Double-Sided Bidirectional Power Module With Low Heat Concentration and Low Thermomechanical Stress

Double-sided structure leads to severe thermal mismatch, making attachments easy to fail. For the double-sided bidirectional switch (BDS) module, the heat concentration in the buffering spacers further increases the risk of thermal fatigue failure of the attachment, which is the key difficulty that limits the reliability and the application of the double-sided BDS module. This letter proposed a reliable double-sided BDS module with the bridge buffering spacers for both improving the heat dissipation and reducing the thermomechanical stresses. Simulation results showed that the bridge buffering spacer can decrease Tjmax and the maximum thermomechanical stress of the attachment between the IGBT-1 and the spacer by ∼9% and ∼35%, respectively. Furthermore, it was proved by the power cycling tests that the lifetime of the double-side BDS module using the bridge buffering spacer can be at least two times longer, i.e., more than 200 k cycles, than the one using the traditional brick buffering spacer under the same load and ∼21% longer under the same Tjmax and ΔTj.
Formal Volunteering and Mental Health in South Korea: Does Age Matter?

Extensive research shows a positive association between formal volunteering and mental health and this association is stronger for older adults compared to their younger peers. The purpose of our study is to re-examine the link between formal volunteering, age, and mental health in a non-western society, South Korea. We employ two recent waves—years 2012-13 – of nationally representative data from the Korea Welfare Panel Survey to test the extent to which the relationship between formal volunteering and mental health, as measured by depression, varies across two non-elderly age groups—young adults (18–35) and those middle-aged (36–55). Findings reveal that being a formal volunteer is psychologically more beneficial to young adults compared to their middle-aged counterparts. Understanding the age differential in the link between formal volunteering and depression in South Korea is crucial, given the different economic and sociocultural contexts, at current time, for young adults and their middle-aged peers.
Communicative patterns and social networks between scientists and technicians in a culture of care: discussing morality across a hierarchy of occupational spaces

ABSTRACT Communication between scientists and animal technicians is considered important for creating a ‘culture of care’ in facilities that use animals in scientific research. For example, the Brown report, which investigated alleged failures of animal care at Imperial College London, noted the physical and social separation between animal technicians and scientists as a problem that delimited a culture of care. This paper seeks to better understand the communicative relationships between scientists and animal technicians in this context. We conducted a survey of scientists working in the UK who use animals in their research (n = 230), asking who they spoke with about various aspects related to using animals in research. We found that scientists communicated with technicians about operational issues, while they spoke with other scientists about experimental design as well as moral questions and concerns. We probe the meaning of these communicative relationships using narrative analysis of semi-structured, qualitative interviews conducted with consenting survey respondents (n = 14). Analytically, this paper seeks to bridge social network analysis with geographies of care through a shared concern with relations of power.
Pathogenic Variability of Isolates of Rhizoctonia solani of Different Agricultural Crops

Rhizoctonia solani (Teleomorph: Thanatephorus spp.) is soil borne plant pathogenic fungus, which is anubiquitous in nature with a wide host range and worldwide distribution causing diseases ranging from field to horticultural crops (Snehet al., 1996). R. solani frequently exists as thread-like growth on plants or in culture, and is considered as a soil borne pathogen. The infection caused by R. solanican attack the crop in any stage. viz., from seedling to harvesting stage. It is best known to cause various plant diseases such as collar rot (Dutta and Das, 2002), root rot, damping off, wire stem, stem rot (Dutta and Das, 1999), bare patch of cereals, root rot of sugar beet, belly rot of cucumber, sheath blight of rice (Das et al., 1997), black scurf of potatoes. International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 10 Number 01 (2021) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas. com
Motivational Factors and Training Aspects in Postgraduate Students of Anaesthesiology: A Survey

Introduction: Anaesthesiology is a fast growing branch of medicine. There is marked shortage of anaesthesiologists in India and this hinders the growth of surgical and interventional specialities which hinges on well-trained, enthusiastic anaesthesiology support. Exploring the perceptions about the speciality among Postgraduate (PG) students could help in planning strategies to make a career choice in anaesthesiology look more attractive. Aim: To explore the motivational factors for the choice of anaesthesiology for postgraduation, various aspects of PG training, stress among PGs and satisfaction with career choice in order to delineate the perceptions about the speciality among the medical graduates and to find out avenues for improvement to make the speciality more attractive. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey was distributed among 300 PG students in anaesthesiology who attended various national level conferences in India and state level conferences in Kerala between November 2015 and March 2018. Data collected was statistically analysed using R software version 3.1. All the quantitative variables were summarised as mean±SD (Standard Deviation) or median with IQR (Inter Quartile Range) depending on the distribution. Qualitative variables were summarised as proportions. Association between factors was analysed using Chi-square test or Fisher’s-exact test. Results: Anaesthesiology was the first career preference for only 34.63% (n=88) of the participants. Predominant reasons for choosing anaesthesiology included unavailability of other specialities (32.8%, n=82) and good job opportunities without need of super specialisation (32%, n=80). After joining anaesthesiology, majority (68%, n=175) were satisfied with their career choice. Satisfaction with PG training, assessed by the Likert scale was high among the participants and majority suggested improvements especially in theory classes, case discussions and simulation. Stress was experienced by 60% (n=154) of participants ascribed mainly due to lack of time for academics due to high workload. Conclusion: Improving awareness among public health professionals and medical students and increasing Undergraduate (UG) exposure to the subject would increase the proportion of students joining anaesthesiology with genuine interest and improve the recruitment profile. Modifications in training and measures to reduce stress during training should also be considered.
Effect of Exogenous Emulsifier (Lyso-Phospholipid) Supplementation in the Broiler Diet, on the Feed Intake and Growth Performance During Grower Phase

14/July/2020 Approved: 15/October/2020 ABSTRACT The objective of this experiment was to investigate the effect of supplementation of an exogenous emulsifier (lyso-phospholipid) in the diet of growing broilers on growth performance and digestibility. A total of 1224 Ross-308 ten day old broiler chicks were distributed into two experimental treatments in such a way that each treatment had twelve replicates with fifty-one birds per replicate. Two experimental diets were formulated with and without emulsifier supplementation according to the nutrition standards of Ross 308. Feed intake and body weight gain of the broilers were measured on a daily basis and feed conversion ratio was also calculated. Nutrient digestibility was determined on the 25 th day of age. Analysis of variance under completely randomized design technique was used to analyze the data. Feed intake was increased ( p <0.05) by supplementation of emulsifier in the broiler diet on theat 12th, 13th, 21th, 22th, 23th, 24th, and 25th days. Bodyweight gain was not affected ( p >0.05) with or without emulsifier supplementation in the broiler diet during 11-25 days of life. However, feed conversion ratio was effected ( p <0.05) by emulsifier supplementation and increased from days 21-25th. Nutrient digestibility (dry matter, fat, and crude protein) in the grower phase was decreased ( p <0.05) by supplementation of emulsifier in the diet. It can be concluded that supplementation of an exogenous emulsifier in the diet did not show positive effect on the growth performance during the grower phase of broilers, while nutrient digestibility showed adverse effect. Emulsifier supplementation should be tested after 25 days of the
Tide level in time and frequency domains at Dili port: Characteristic feature of a Lorentz oscillator

Tide level during one year in time-domain measured at Dili port (East Timor) is analyzed by the frequency spectrum with the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), together with the autocorrelation function (AF). The frequency spectrum shows a characteristic feature of the Lorentz-type resonance (Lorentz oscillator) with the special peaks which are attributed to the major tide constituents related to the gravitational motions of the sun and the moon. The Lorentz-type resonance occurs in water fluid systems under the periodic change in gravitational potential, which is similar to the electronic polarization under an electric potential change. The 1/ f characteristics found at high frequencies in the power spectrum (the so-called 1/ f characteristics in frequency domain) can be originated only from the gravitational effect, while its origin is usually discussed in terms of meteorology such as atmospheric pressure.
Language Learning Strategies Used by Art School ESL Learners

Language Learning Strategies (LLSs) are important in learning a language especially in learning second and foreign language. Many studies on LLSs have been conducted by scholars around the world that prove the significant impact of employing LLSs in acquiring a second language. In Malaysia, English is regarded as a second language and learnt formally in school as an academic subject from 7 to 17 years old. This paper aims to investigate LLSs used by ESL learners who are artistically talented in an art school. This study is a survey and the data were gathered by administering the Strategy Inventory Language Learning (SILL) questionnaire by Oxford (1990). The questionnaire was given to 77 pupils who are 16 and 17 years old. They study in an art school in Malaysia and they have different talents in arts. They are considered as artistically talented to be enrolled in art school. The data were analysed descriptively. The finding shows that the most employed LLSs by art school ESL learners areMetacognitive Strategy and the least employed LLSs are Compensation Strategy. Most ESL learners in Malaysia are very dependent on teachers and have difficulty in achieving a certain level of fluency. They are not aware of their self-ability to govern self-learning. That is why LLS is very important as it effectively improves learners’ proficiency in acquiring the second language. Both teachers and pupils need to be aware of the learners’ ability and preference in choosing suitable LLSs. Since most of the previous researches focus on successful and good language learner, more studies need to be carried out to help and guide less successful learners to be at the same par as a good language learner.
Nanomaterial-based encapsulation for controlled gastrointestinal delivery of viable probiotic bacteria

Probiotics are microorganisms that have beneficial health effects when administered in adequate dosages. The oral administration of probiotic bacteria is widely considered beneficial for both intestinal as well as systemic health but its clinical efficacy is conflicted in the literature. This may at least in part be due to the loss of viability during gastrointestinal passage resulting in poor intestinal delivery. Microencapsulation technology has been proposed as a successful strategy to address this problem by maintaining the viability of probiotics, thereby improving their efficacy following oral administration. More recently, nanomaterials have demonstrated significant promise as encapsulation materials to improve probiotic encapsulation. The integration of nanotechnology with microencapsulation techniques can improve the controlled delivery of viable probiotic bacteria to the gut. The current review aims at summarizing the types of nanomaterials used for the microencapsulation of probiotics and showing how they can achieve the delivery and controlled release of probiotics at the site of action.
Genetic variability and character association among the quality traits in rice

One hundred rice genotypes released for different ecologies such as upland, irrigated, lowland and saline were evaluated for 12 quality characters like Hulling(%), Milling(%), Head rice recovery(%), Kernel length(cm), Kernel breadth(cm),Length breadth ratio, Volume expansion ratio, Elongation ratio and Amylose content(%) etc. Analysis of variance showed high significant difference among the genotypes. Milling(%) is very good in all the genotypes and ranged from 74.5(PR113) to 81.3 (Improved Lalat). HRR (%) is highest in Bhanja (72.0) and lowest in Konark(42.5). Intermediate amylase content are in most of the genotypes except GR 103(27.1),IR 64 MAS(27.86) WGL32100(27.3), WGL32183(27.5)and Purnendu (27.9). Water uptake ranged from 77.5(WGL 32100) to 342.5(PR116) indicating very wide variation. Elongation ratio is > 2.0 in Sudhir, Sashi, Bindli. PCV is always greater than GCV indicating less influence of environment. Hulling (%) is positively significantly correlated with Milling (%) and kernel breadth and negatively significantly correlated with L/B ratio, volume expansion ratio.
On a Stakeholder Model of Corporate Governance

Rationales for a stakeholder model of corporate governance are based on enlightened self-interest, moral imperative, and/or externalities. Of these, the externalities rationale holds the most promise to justify a stakeholder focus. Recent evidence, however, indicates that the benefits of a stakeholder focus are limited because the social costs of many corporate activities already are internalized. Potential benefits also must be weighed against the costs, which include increased potential for conflict, waste, and managerial self-dealing. I conclude by advocating for the traditional governance model based on shareholder interests, with allowance for managers to deviate from this model in limited circumstances when the external impacts on other stakeholders are large. To constrain managerial opportunism, such deviations should be defended with a new type of double bottom line reporting, which augments traditional financial reporting with a statement of the social benefits of any deviations from shareholder value maximization.
Recent Advances in Non‐Aqueous Electrolyte for Rechargeable Li–O2 Batteries

The rechargeable Li–O2 battery has attracted much attention over the past decades owing to its overwhelming advantage in theoretical specific energy density compared to state‐of‐the‐art Li‐ion batteries. Practical application requires non‐aqueous Li–O2 batteries to stably obtain high reversible capacity, which highly depends on a suitable electrolyte system. Up to now, some critical challenges remain in developing desirable non‐aqueous electrolytes for Li–O2 batteries. Herein, we will review the current status and challenges in non‐aqueous liquid electrolytes, ionic liquid electrolytes and solid‐state electrolytes of Li–O2 batteries, as well as the perspectives on these issues and future development.
Robust passivity analysis of mixed delayed neural networks with interval nondifferentiable time-varying delay based on multiple integral approach

Abstract: New results on robust passivity analysis of neural networks with interval nondifferentiable and distributed time-varying delays are investigated. It is assumed that the parameter uncertainties are norm-bounded. By construction an appropriate Lyapunov-Krasovskii containing single, double, triple and quadruple integrals, which fully utilize information of the neuron activation function and use refined Jensen’s inequality for checking the passivity of the addressed neural networks are established in linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). This result is less conservative than the existing results in literature. It can be checked numerically using the effective LMI toolbox in MATLAB. Three numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness and the merits of the proposed methods.
Impact of social media usage on performance of construction businesses (CBs) in Abuja, Nigeria

Purpose Many construction businesses are currently building and keeping social media pages for their enterprises to be visible to the public to improve their social interaction, promote business interest, build trust and relationships with their targeted audience on social media. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of social mediausage on performance of construction businesses (CBs) in Abuja, Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach This study used a quantitative research approach by identifying constructs that reveal three aspects of organisation’s physiognomies that impact the process of espousing, implementing and using technological innovations in conducting businesses. Well-structured questionnaire was used to obtain data from 113 purposively sampled building materials’ merchant operating in Dei-Dei Market, Abuja, Nigeria. This study used partial least squares structural equation modelling technique to establish the relationship among the constructs. Findings The results of this study indicated that technology has significant relationship with social media adoption, whereas social media adoption has a very strong positive impact on organisation’s performance (P < 0.001) with respect to improved customer relations and services and enhanced information accessibility. Research limitations/implications This study has implications for CBs that wish to adopt social media to promote their businesses by presenting to them the opportunity to understand the impact of technology, environment and organisational potential in improving business performance. This study is cross-sectional in nature, and this calls for caution in interpreting the results. Originality/value This paper developed and tested a conceptual framework presented to understand the interrelationships amongst the constructs, which would be of great significance to business owners in developing their social interaction and promote business interest via social media. The outcome of this research is beneficial to researchers to further study how the different social media tools could help in influencing business decisions.
Energy equality for weak solutions to the 3D magnetohydrodynamic equations in a bounded domain

In this paper, we study the energy equality for weak solutions to the 3D homogeneous incompressible magnetohydrodynamic equations with viscosity and magnetic diffusion in a bounded domain. Two types of regularity conditions are imposed on weak solutions to ensure the energy equality. For the first type, some global integrability condition for the velocity \begin{document}$ \mathbf u $\end{document} is required, while for the magnetic field \begin{document}$ \mathbf b $\end{document} and the magnetic pressure \begin{document}$ \pi $\end{document} , some suitable integrability conditions near the boundary are sufficient. In contrast with the first type, the second type claims that if some additional interior integrability is imposed on \begin{document}$ \mathbf b $\end{document} , then the regularity on \begin{document}$ \mathbf u $\end{document} can be relaxed.