Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effects of adding glucocorticosteroids to standard care for children with sepsis. A systematic review of randomized clinical trials with meta-analysis and Trial Sequential Analysis

Background: Glucocorticosteroids are widely used to treat severe sepsis in pediatric intensive care units. However, the evidence on the clinical effects is unclear.Objective: To assess the benefits and harms of glucocorticosteroids for children with sepsis. Data Sources: We conducted a systematic review of randomized clinical trials with meta-analysis and Trial Sequential Analysis (TSA) (PROSPERO CRD42017054341). We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, LILACS, SCI-Expanded, and more. Study Selection: Randomized clinical trials assessing the effects of adding glucocorticosteroids to standard care for children with sepsis. Data Extraction: Two independent reviewers screened studies and extracted data. Evidence was assessed by GRADE according to our published protocol.Data Synthesis: We included 24 trials randomizing 3073 participants. Meta-analyses showed no evidence of an effect of adding glucocorticosteroids for children with sepsis with a mixed focus for any of our outcomes. Meta-analyses suggested evidence of a beneficial effect of dexamethasone for children with meningitis when assessing serious adverse events (risk ratio (RR) 0.68, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.53 to 0.86; P = 0.001, very low certainty of evidence) and ototoxicity (RR 0.63, 95% CI 0.45 to 0.88; P = 0.007, low certainty of evidence). TSAs showed that we did not have sufficient data to confirm or reject these results. We found insufficient evidence to confirm or reject an effect on mortality or our other outcomes. No trials reported quality of life or organ failure. Most trials were at high risks of bias. We found high clinical heterogeneity between participants. None of our TSAs showed benefits, harms or futility. Conclusions: Generally, we found no evidence of an effect of glucocorticosteroids for children with sepsis without meningitis. Dexamethasone for sepsis in children due to meningitis may decrease serious adverse events and ototoxicity.
Characterizing the variation in aggressiveness and sporulation of the NA1 and EU1 lineages of
 Phytophthora ramorum
 in Oregon

Phytophthora ramorum , the cause of sudden oak death, is an invasive pathogen present in parts of coastal California and south- western Oregon forests. The majority of these forest infestations have been caused by the NA1 clonal lineage. In 2015, the EU1 lineage of P . ramorum was isolated from a tanoak ( Notholithocarpus densiflorus ) tree located in a mixed- conifer forest of Curry County, Oregon. In order to evaluate the threat to Oregon forests of the EU1 lineage relative to the established NA1 lineage, a series of experiments was conducted comparing aggressiveness and sporulation of NA1 and EU1 isolates on logs and seedlings in the growth chamber and forest. There was no significant difference in lesion size on logs inoculated with NA1 and EU1 isolates for any of the tree species tested. Across all seedling experiments differences among isolates within lineage, in terms of both aggressiveness and sporulation, were more commonly observed than differences among lineages. Site to site variation in tanoak sporulation, as measured by rain bucket baiting, appears to be correlated with the number of P . ramorum - positive seedlings detected at each site.
Examining Perceived and Projected Destination Image: A Social Media Content Analysis

Destination image has been extensively studied in tourism and marketing, but the questions surrounding the discrepancy between the projected (perceptions from the National Tourism Organizations) and perceived destination image (perceptions from tourists) as well as how the discrepancy may influence sustainable experience remain unclear. Poor understanding of the discrepancy may cause tourist confusion and misuse of resources. The aim of this study is to empirically investigate if the perceived (by tourists) and projected (by NTOs) destination image are significantly different in both cognitive and affective aspects. Through a comprehensive social media content analysis of the NTO-generated and tourist-generated-contents (TGC), the current study identifies numerous gaps between the projected and perceived destination image, which offers some important theoretical and practical implications on destination management and marketing.
Τhe effect of foreign direct investment on economic growth in Ghana: the role of exchange rate volatility

The main objective of the study is to examine the effect of foreign direct investment inflows on economic growth in Ghana: the moderating role of exchange rate volatility. The study used Auto-Regressive Distributed Lags (ARDL) and Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity (GARCH). The study was based mainly on secondary data from World Development Indicators (WDI) where annual time-series data of 39 years was used for the study ranging from 1980 to 2018. The study found that FDI had a positively significant impact on growth in the short run. Also, exchange rate volatility had a negatively significant impact on economic growth in the long run. However, domestic capital and trade openness had a positive significant impact on economic growth in the long run. The long-run estimate suggests that FDI decrease growth and exchange rate volatility dampen the negative effect of FDI on growth. The study, therefore, recommended, among other things, that the government should formulate policies that attract foreign direct investors into the country, as this may stabilize the economy.
Multi-Session Influence of Two Modalities of Feedback and Their Order of Presentation on MI-BCI User Training

By performing motor-imagery tasks, for example, imagining hand movements, Motor-Imagery based Brain-Computer Interfaces (MI-BCIs) users can control digital technologies, for example, neuroprosthesis, using their brain activity only. MI-BCI users need to train, usually using a unimodal visual feedback, to produce brain activity patterns that are recognizable by the system. The literature indicates that multimodal vibrotactile and visual feedback is more effective than unimodal visual feedback, at least for short term training. However, the multi-session influence of such multimodal feedback on MI-BCI user training remained unknown, so did the influence of the order of presentation of the feedback modalities. In our experiment, 16 participants trained to control a MI-BCI during five sessions with a realistic visual feedback and five others with both a realistic visual feedback and a vibrotactile one. training benefits from a multimodal feedback, in terms of performances and self-reported mindfulness. There is also a significant influence of the order presentation of the modality. Participants who started training with a visual feedback had higher performances than those who started training with a multimodal feedback. We recommend taking into account the order of presentation for future experiments assessing the influence of several modalities of feedback.
Siedetemperaturen und Dampfdrücke von H2O-D2O-Gemischen und deren Azeotropen

Die Siedetemperaturen und Dampfdrücke von H 2 0 und D 2 0 und deren Gemischen wurden im Temperaturbereich von 74 •••222°C ebulliometrisch bestimmt. Im gesamten Temperaturbereich wurden kleine negative Abweichungen vom Raoultschen Gesetz nachgewiesen. Zwischen 220 und 222 °C bildet sich ein Azeotrop mit einer sehr kleinen Siedetemperaturerhöhung, die bei 221,00 °C maximal 0,003 °C ausmacht, wenn die Siedetemperaturen der beiden Substanzen gleich sind. Es wurde eine spezielle Apparatur für Siedetemperaturmessungen mit einem Überdruck bis 25 atm konstruiert.
Introduction of 5,6-dihydro-4H-cyclopenta[b]thiophene core unit into phenyl-tolane: Expanding the mesophase range and increasing the birefringence and dielectric anisotropy of liquid crystal

ABSTRACT Six novel phenyl-tolane type liquid crystals based on 5,6-dihydro-4 H-cyclopenta[b]thiophene core were designed and synthesised by Sonogashira coupling reactions in high yields. Two reference compounds were then used to clarify the effects of this new core on the mesomorphic behaviours and physical properties of phenyl-tolane type mesogens and found that these new core-based mesogens possessed wider mesophase ranges. Both the birefringence (Δn) and dielectric anisotropy (Δε) values were increased after the employment of this new core, offering an alternative option for the design and synthesis of high-performance phenyl-tolanes. The geometry, ultraviolet absorption, polarisability (α) and dipole moment (μ) of two representative compounds and their references were calculated by density functional theory to correlate the structure–property relationship of the new mesogens. The calculated energy minimum structures of the new mesogens showed well linearity and the molecular length/width ratio was increased, which would benefit the formation of the nematic phase. The orders of the calculated polarisability (α) and dipole moment (μ) of two representative compounds and their references were in accordance with the sequences of the measured birefringence (Δn) and dielectric anisotropy (Δε) values, respectively, which might shed light on the correlation between microscopic molecular structure and macroscopic physical properties. Graphical Abstract
Ethyl Lauroyl Arginate (LAE): Antimicrobial Activity of LAE-Coated Film for the Packaging of Raw Beef and Pork

In this study, the antimicrobial activity of an ethyl lauroyl arginate- (LAE®-) coated film applied to the packaging of raw beef and pork was evaluated. Two different trials were performed for each meat species, aiming to evaluate the functionality of the film in contrasting the development of the natural microflora and of a specific target agent, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922. In the first trial, LAE-coated packaging was applied to test its activity towards the natural meat microflora over a period of 24 days at 6-7°C. The comparison with the control sample series showed a slight initial inhibitory activity on total viable count, followed by a growing trend. In the second trial, the antimicrobial activity of the LAE-coated film was evaluated on raw beef and pork voluntarily inoculated with Escherichia coli: an initial killing effect on E. coli was detected in both pork and beef meat (reduction around 0.7 and 1 log CFU/g, respectively), followed by a stable trend for the following storage period (24 days).
Type 2 diabetes control and complications and their relation to serum magnesium level

Introduction Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a growing health problem nationally and worldwide. Magnesium is an important mineral that is essential for a wide range of metabolic reactions. Here, our primary goal was to determine the prevalence of hypomagnesemia and its relationship to glycemic control, cardiovascular markers, and T2D-related complications. Material and methods A cross-sectional study was performed from September 2015 to March 2017 including adult patients with T2D who attended the Endocrine and Diabetes Center, Taif, Saudi Arabia. Those with known hypomagnesemia, patients with type 1 diabetes, gestational diabetes, patients with end-stage renal disease, and those on magnesium supplementations were excluded. Those with a serum magnesium level < 0.7 mmol/l were considered to have hypomagnesemia. Otherwise, patients were considered to have a normal serum Mg level. Results A total of 285 patients with a mean age of 59.4 ±12.7 years were enrolled. The majority of patients were female, with long-standing T2D, with a mean body mass index in the obesity category, and most of them had comorbid conditions. Twenty-eight percent of the screened T2D patients had hypomagnesemia and this group were more likely to have a bachelor degree (p = 0.034), to be on metformin, statin, and glargine insulin (all p < 0.05), have worse glycemic control (p < 0.05), and a higher pulse rate (p = 0.039), but were less likely to be on diet control (p = 0.034) when compared to those with a normal Mg level. Conclusions Almost one-third of the screened T2D patients have hypomagnesemia. Hypomagnesemia was associated with the treatment modalities, worse glycemic control, and with peripheral artery disease.
Upper Cretaceous paleoenvironmental changes and petrophysical responses in lacustrine record (Songliao Basin, NE China) and marine sedimentary deposit (Goban Spur Basin, NW Europe)

The Cretaceous interval is marked by several important geological changes whose prints are buried in both continental and marine sytems. Although significant paleoenvironmental details of this period have been inferred from biological and geochemical indicators, little is known about the physical proxies. Through scientific borehole data, petrophysical properties of Upper Cretaceous Songliao Basin (SB) in NE China and Goban Spur Basin (GSB) in NW Europe were intercorrelated to investigate the critical geological paleoenvironmental shifts and their petrophysical responses, through statistical, wavelet and spectral approaches. The results demonstrated that petrophysical features, particularly gamma-ray and resistivity reactivities, were responsive to past environmental changes in both terrestrial and marine systems. Shifts in organic-rich shale deposition and brine bearing shale showed a correlation to a probable period of seawater incursion in SB, while the gamma log, resistivity and density reactivities were interrelated to the basin paleo-structuration. At GSB, the gamma-ray and resistivity reactivities are tied-up to the Mid-Atlantic seabed motion, marine-water level shifts and paleoceanographic instabilities. In both paleo-basins, a decrease in the gamma-ray reactivity occurred from Turonian to Maastrichtian and is consistent with a regional or global increase in hydrodynamic energy. The oceanic/lacustrine anoxic events related to low sedimentation rate occurred in both basins and are associated with high gamma-ray and resistivity signals (SB); high gamma-ray and low resistivity signals (GSB). These changes correlated with geochemical evidence, suggesting that gamma-ray and resistivity can represent alternative means for marine and continental paleoenvironmental comparison.
PASTEURIZATION OF BEER BY A CONTINUOUS DENSE-PHASE CO2 SYSTEM

of Dissertation Presented to the Graduate School of the University of Florida in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy PASTEURIZATION OF BEER BY A CONTINUOUS DENSE-PHASE CO2 SYSTEM By Gillian Folkes August 2004 Chair: Murat Balaban Major Department: Food Science and Human Nutrition The world production of beer grew 26% between 1987 and 1997, despite the growing market of competing beverages. In 1999-2000, $7.7 billion worth of beer was produced in the United States. Bottled beer is currently flash-pasteurized. Because beer is a delicate beverage, off-flavors are easily formed during pasteurization. With “freshness” being top priority, it is evident a method of pasteurization using no heat would be of great help to the brewing industry. Currently there is great interest in dense-phase CO2 as an alternative processing method, and studies using the combination of carbon dioxide and pressure for pasteurization have been successful. Not only is microbial inactivation achieved, but also no taste or aroma changes are perceived, and vitamin quality is maintained. The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the effectiveness of dense-phase CO2 pasteurization system with beer. A predicted maximum log reduction in yeast
Survival of SARS-CoV-2 on Non-Porous Materials in an Experimental Setting Representative of Fomites

To better understand plausible SARS-CoV-2 transmission through fomites, a physiological model was designed to analyze the decay rate of SARS-CoV-2 infectivity. We focused on non-porous materials present in high-touch surfaces or used as containment barrier surfaces, namely glass, acrylic glass, photo-activated coated glass, stainless steel and aluminium. SARS-CoV-2 survival depended on the material considered, with half-lives on glass, photo-activated coated glass, stainless steel and aluminium equal to 6.9, 4.1, 3.5 and 2.3 h, respectively. This study highlights the potential utility of coatings in the fight against the current threat. In addition, it spotlights the need for standardizing assays to assess indirect transmission of COVID-19.
Neck circumference, visceral adiposity, and hypertension: does upper body adiposity outperforms visceral adiposity in terms of hypertension predictions?

Background: This study set up to determine which of the neck circumference (NC), as a predictor of upper body sub-cutaneous fat, or visceral adipose tissue, as an indicator of intra-abdominal fat mass, can be the better predictor of hypertension. Material and methods: 130 overweight/obese women took part in this cross-sectional study conducted in November 2017. Blood pressure, anthropometric measurements, and body composition were determined. Pearson’s correlation coefficients, multivariate logistic regression, and the area under the curve of the receiver operator characteristic curves analyses were performed. Results: Mean age, weight, and neck circumference were 39.93 ± 8.71 years, 74.26 ± 9.86 Kg, and 35.06 ± 1.74 cm, respectively. There was a significant correlation between neck circumference and visceral adipose tissue with systolic blood pressure (r = 0.32, p = 0.001) (r = 0.57, p < 0.001) and diastolic blood pressure (r = 0.23, p = 0.008) (r = 0.45, p < 0.001), in the respective order. According to the results of the ROC curve analysis, visceral adipose tissue and neck circumference predicted hypertension with an accuracy of 81 and 65 percent, respectively. In addition, the probability of having increased blood pressure increased with higher visceral adipose tissue (OR = 1.22, p < 0.001). Conclusions: According to our findings, abdominal obesity and high NC in implication with overweight or obesity can more exactly evaluate hypertension risk.
A Fast-Transient Low-Dropout Regulator With Current-Efficient Super Transconductance Cell and Dynamic Reference Control

A fast-transient, current-efficient low-dropout regulator (LDO) with super transconductance cell (STC) is proposed in this paper. By adopting advanced current amplifier (CA) and dynamic biasing (DB) techniques for the error amplifier (EA), the feedback loop bandwidth can be significantly extended without increasing much quiescent power, which reduces output voltage spikes and response time greatly. Moreover, dynamic reference control (DRC) with robust loop stability is embedded in the LDO to adaptively adjust voltage reference during transient so as to further enhance the slew rate of EA, realizing significant enhancement for the transient performances. This circuit has been implemented in a <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$0.35\mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> CMOS process and occupies an active chip area of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$456\times 278 \mu \text{m}^{\mathbf {2}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. Experimental results show that it is able to provide 100mA load current at 200mV dropout voltage, with current efficiency of 99.88%. The output voltage spike under maximum load current change in 20ns edge time is less than 11.2mV with a <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$0.054\mu \text{s}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> response time. The power-supply rejection (PSR) at 100kHz is −75.6dB.
Effect of zinc and boron on seed yield and yield contributing traits of mungbean in acidic soil

The experiment was carried out in Acidic Northern and Eastern hills Soil (AEZ 29) at Regional Agricultural Research Station (RARS), Akbarpur, Moulvibazar during Kharif 1 of 2012 to observe the effect of zinc (Zn) and boron (B) on the seed yield and yield contributing characters of mungbean. There were four levels of zinc (0, 1.0, 2.0, and 4.0 kg/ha) and boron (0, 0.75, 1.5, and 3.0 kg/ha) along with a blanket dose of N24 P20 K30 S15 kg/ha. Experiment was laid out in RCBD with three replications. Incase of zinc application, highest seed yield (1.418 ton/ha) was obtained from 1.0 kg Zn/ha which was statistically similar (1.358 t/ha) with dose 1.0 kg Zn/haand but significantly higher (1.034 t/ha) than the control. Again for boron application,the highest seed yield (1.550 t/ha) was found from the treatment 1.50 kg B/ha which was statistically identical with 3.0 kg B/haand the lowest (0.927 t/ha) for control. The combined application of zinc and boron showed significant effect on mungbean yield than the single application of zinc and boron. Results showed that the combination of Zn1.0B1.5 produced significantly higher yield (1.677ton/ha) than the control (Zn0B0) combination (0.64 ton/ha). Combined application of zinc and boron were observed superior to their single application. Therefore, the combination of 1.0 kg zinc per hectare and 1.5 kg boron per hectaremight be considered as suitable dose for mungbean cultivation in acidic soil of Sylhet region of Bangladesh.
Hypertension and diabetes patients’ perspective of challenges and their coping mechanisms in Mukono and Buikwe districts in Uganda – a qualitative study

Background: In sub-Saharan Africa, the burden of non-communicable diseases is steadily rising amidst a high prevalence of communicable diseases stretching the healthcare system. This study explored hypertension and diabetes patients’ perspective of challenges and their coping mechanisms in Mukono and Buikwe districts in Uganda. Methods: This descriptive qualitative study involved four focus group discussions with 26 patients at four selected health facilities. All interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and data analysed following the thematic content analysis guided by the semantic approach with the aid of Atlas ti 6.0. 15 software. Results: Five themes were identified regarding challenges and coping mechanisms of patients in managing their conditions. 1) Inadequate opportunities for diagnosis, with community screening supporting identification of patients. 2) Accessing care came amidst transport challenges, absence of health workers and the lack of essential supplies for monitoring conditions. Patients borrowed transport funds or trekked to health facilities and some formed groups to contribute resources to buy equipment and supplies. 3) Access to medications was affected by frequent drug stockouts at public health facilities which pushed patients to purchase own drugs or obtain these through friends and networks. However, other patients resorted to cheaper herbal remedies. 4) Monitoring and managing conditions was affected by insufficient knowledge and opportunities for self-monitoring. Information from health workers and experiences from peers bridged the knowledge gap while private facilities or community health workers supported self-monitoring. 5) Adopting changes in behaviour was challenging but patients fitted these within their usual routines and mobilised family members to also adopt lifestyle changes while ignoring those they deemed unrealistic. Conclusions: The coping mechanisms patients adopted to manage their chronic conditions reflects self-care initiatives at the individual and community levels which could be reinforced and supplemented to better support and empower patients as steps are taken to address existing challenges.