Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Demand segmentation and sociodemographic aspects of food festivals: A study in Bahrain

Food festivals have been a growing tourism sector in recent years due to their contributions to a region’s economic, marketing, brand, and social growth. This study analyses the demand for the Bahrain food festival. The stated objectives were: i) To identify the motivational dimensions of the demand for the food festival, (ii) To determine the segments of the demand for the food festival, and (iii) To establish the relationship between the demand segments and socio-demographic aspects. The food festival investigated was the Bahrain Food Festival held in Bahrain, located on the east coast of the Persian Gulf. The sample consisted of 380 valid questionnaires and was taken using social networks from those attending the event. The statistical techniques used were factorial analysis and the K-means grouping method. The results show five motivational dimensions: Local food, Art, Entertainment, Socialization, and Escape and novelty. In addition, two segments were found; the first, Entertainment and novelties, is related to attendees who seek to enjoy the festive atmosphere and discover new restaurants. The second is Multiple motives, formed by attendees with several motivations simultaneously. This segment has the highest income and expenses, making it the most important group for developing plans and strategies. The results will contribute to the academic literature and the organizers of food festivals.
U.S. Senator's Ideal Points for Higher Education: Documenting Partisanship, 1965–2004

Few studies of higher education politics have systematically analyzed the voting patterns of elected officials. This paper analyzes roll call data from the United States Senate on votes regarding higher education issue for the years 1965–2004. Senators' ideal points for higher education policy are estimated utilizing Bayesian methods for estimation and inference, with posterior distributions for parameters estimated via Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods. Results indicate that senators' ideal points for higher education are arrayed on a conventional left-right continuum. Senators found to be liberal or conservative in studies of other issues are found to be on opposite sides of the continuum on higher education voting. The number of divisive votes has increased in recent years.
Numerical investigation of the repeatability and reproducibility of laboratory sound insulation measurements

An extensive parametric study has been carried out with a wave based model to numerically investigate the fundamental repeatability and reproducibility of laboratory sound insulation measurements in the frequency range 50-200 Hz. Both the pressure method (according to ISO 10140-2) and the intensity method (according to ISO 15186-1 and ISO 15186-3) are investigated. The investigation includes the repeatability of the different measurement procedures, which depends on the influence of the microphone positions and the source position. The reproducibility of the sound insulation measurements in different test facilities is studied by looking at the influence of geometrical parameters like room and plate dimensions, aperture placement and aperture thickness. The results show that for small-sized test elements, the reproducibility of the intensity method is better. For heavy walls and lightweight double constructions, however, the predicted uncertainty is similar for the three measurement methods. The results of the reproducibility study are also used to investigate systematic differences between the pressure method and both
Examining decisional needs and contextual factors influencing fertility status assessment among young female survivors of childhood cancer: A sequential mixed methods study protocol

Introduction Female cancer survivors who received gonadotoxic cancer treatment are at risk for profound diminished ovarian reserve and/or primary ovarian insufficiency with resulting infertility, which can be associated with distress and decreased quality of life. Despite prioritizing future parenthood, many survivors are unsure of the impact of their treatment on their future fertility, and little is known about the perceived reproductive health needs and factors associated with receipt of a fertility status assessment (FSA). There is a lack of developmentally appropriate reproductive health decisional support interventions available for emerging adult cancer survivors. This study will explore the perceived reproductive health needs of emerging adult female survivors of childhood cancer and to identify decisional and contextual factors that influence pursuit of FSA using an explanatory sequential quantitative to qualitative mixed methods design. Methods and analysis This study will enroll 325 female survivors (aged 18 to 29 years and >1-year post treatment; diagnosed with cancer < age 21 years) from four cancer centers in the United States. Sociodemographic and developmental factors, reproductive knowledge and values, decisional needs, and receipt of an FSA will be assessed through a web-based survey. Informed by survey findings, a subset of participants will be recruited for qualitative interviews to explore decisional factors associated with uptake of an FSA. Clinical data will be abstracted from the medical records. Multivariable logistic regression models will be developed to identify factors associated with FSA and qualitative descriptive analysis will be used to develop themes from the interviews. Quantitative and qualitative findings will be merged using a joint display to develop integrated study conclusions and direct future interventional research.
Determination of heavy metals and risk assessment in nail cosmetics sold in Seoul, Korea

Abstract Objective The objective of this study was to evaluate some toxic levels of nail cosmetics marketed in Seoul, Korea and health risk assessment on humans. Methods We collected 45 random nail cosmetics and analysed for lead, cadmium, arsenic and antimony by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Results Four metals concentrations were Pb 0.037 ± 0.083 (<LOD ∼ 0.322) mg/kg, Cd 0.021 ± 0.058 (<LOD ∼ 0.342) mg/kg, As 0.094 ± 0.278 (<LOD ∼ 1.696) mg/kg and Sb 6.75 ± 17.54 (<LOD ∼ 59.017) mg/kg respectively. The concentrations of antimony were significantly higher than other metal concentrations (p < 0.05) and Sb concentrations in 6 samples were above the acceptable limits in Korea. As the result of the health risk assessment, MoS, HQ and HI values for Pb, As and Cd were within the permissible limit, but outside the acceptable range of Sb. LCR value was lower than the allowed limit for all nail cosmetics. Discussion and conclusion Six nail cosmetics had high antimony concentrations which were higher than the current legal limit in Korea. Because of 6 high antimony concentrations, MoS, HQ and HI were outside the acceptable range. LCR value for Pb, As and Cd was below 1 0 −6 which was lower than the permissible limit and nail cosmetics may not possess lifetime cancer risk. Our results suggested that metals were present in nail cosmetics at diverse concentrations and some nail cosmetics appeared to pose a harmful impact on health.
Boundary element analysis of strain fields in InAs/GaAs quantum wire structures

This paper studies the elastic fields in InAs/GaAs quantum wire (QWR) structures arising from the mismatch lattice between InAs and GaAs. The present treatment is different from recent analyses based on the Eshelby inclusion approach where the QWR material, for simplicity, is assumed to be the same as the matrix/substrate. Here, a more complete treatment is developed taking into account the structural inhomogeneity using the boundary integral equation method. We implement our model using discrete boundary elements at the interface between the QWR and its surrounding matrix. The coefficients of the algebraic equations are derived exactly for constant elements using our recent Green’s function solutions in the Stroh formalism. For both (001) and (111) growth directions, our results show that while the elastic fields far from the QWR are approximated well by the homogeneous inclusion approach, for points within or close to the QWR, the differences between the fields computed with the simplified inclusion and complete inhomogeneity models can be as large as 10% for the test system. These differences in the strain fields will have strong implications for the modeling of the quantized energy states of the quantum wire nanostructures. Since the strain fields inside and close to the wire are more important than the exterior strain fields from the standpoint of the confined electronic states, we suggest that in the vicinity of the QWR, the inhomogeneity model be used with proper elastic constants, whilst the simple exact inclusion model be used in the bulk of surrounding medium.
Effect of quick simple exercise on non-specific low back pain in Japanese workers: a randomized controlled trial

Background We designed a quick simple exercise program that can be performed in a short period of time in real-world occupational health settings and investigated the effects of three months of program implementation on non-specific low back pain (NSLBP). Methods Participants were 136 individuals working in the manufacturing industry. The quick simple exercise program was designed to be doable in three minutes and consisted of two exercises: a hamstring stretch and a lumbar spine rotation with forward, backward, and lateral flexion. This was a randomized controlled trial incorporating an intervention group to whom the exercises were recommended within a leaflet, and a control group to whom the exercises were not recommended. NSLBP was evaluated at baseline and after three months using numerical rating scale (NRS) scores, ranging from 0 points (no pain at all) to 10 points (worst pain imaginable). The percentages of cases that improved by a minimal clinically important difference (two points or above) were compared. Results Overall, 76.1% of the intervention group participants performed the quick simple exercises at least once every one or two days. Three months after baseline, a significantly higher percentage of participants in the intervention group (17 participants: 25%) had NSLBP improvement of two or more points on the NRS compared to that in the control group (8 participants, 12%) (P = 0.047). The average NRS score decreased significantly from 1.87 ± 1.86 to 1.33 ± 1.60 in the intervention group but showed no significant change in the control group, transitioning from 1.46 ± 1.73 to 1.52 ± 1.83. A significant interaction was also observed between the intervention and control groups (F = 6.550, P = 0.012). Conclusions Three months of a quick simple exercise program among workers in the manufacturing industry increased the percentage of workers with improvement in the NRS scores. This suggests that the program is effective in managing NSLBP in workers in the manufacturing industry. Trial registration UMIN-CTR UMIN000024117.
Is islet amyloid polypeptide indeed expressed in the human brain?

This study aims to study the association between pancreatic islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) and Alzheimer's disease neuropathological change (ADNC) in brain biopsies obtained from subjects with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) and in post‐mortem (PM) brain samples obtained from aged individuals.
Homeostatic crosstalk among gut microbiome, hypothalamic and hepatic circadian clock oscillations, immunity and metabolism in response to different light–dark cycles: A multiomics study

The accelerated pace of life at present time has resulted in tremendous alterations in living patterns. Changes in diet and eating patterns, in particular, coupled with irregular light–dark (LD) cycles will further induce circadian misalignment and lead to disease. Emerging data has highlighted the regulatory effects of diet and eating patterns on the host‐microbe interactions with the circadian clock (CC), immunity, and metabolism. Herein, we studied how LD cycles regulate the homeostatic crosstalk among the gut microbiome (GM), hypothalamic and hepatic CC oscillations, and immunity and metabolism using multiomics approaches. Our data demonstrated that central CC oscillations lost rhythmicity under irregular LD cycles, but LD cycles had minimal effects on diurnal expression of peripheral CC genes in the liver including Bmal1. We further demonstrated that the GM could regulate hepatic circadian rhythms under irregular LD cycles, the candidate bacteria including Limosilactobacillus, Actinomyces, Veillonella, Prevotella, Campylobacter, Faecalibacterium, Kingella, and Clostridia vadinBB60 et al. A comparative transcriptomic study of innate immune genes indicated that different LD cycles had varying effects on immune functions, while irregular LD cycles had greater impacts on hepatic innate immune functions than those in the hypothalamus. Extreme LD cycle alterations (LD0/24 and LD24/0) had worse impacts than slight alterations (LD8/16 and LD16/8), and led to gut dysbiosis in mice receiving antibiotics. Metabolome data also demonstrated that hepatic tryptophan metabolism mediated the homeostatic crosstalk among GM‐liver–brain axis in response to different LD cycles. These research findings highlighted that GM could regulate immune and metabolic disorders induced by circadian dysregulation. Further, the data provided potential targets for developing probiotics for individuals with circadian disruption such as shift workers.
Assessing Autism in Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing Youths: Interdisciplinary Teams, COVID Considerations, and Future Directions

Autism spectrum disorders are more prevalent in children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (D/HH) than in the general population. This potential for diagnostic overlap underscores the importance of understanding the best approaches for assessing autism spectrum disorder in D/HH youths. Despite the recognition of clinical significance, youths who are D/HH are often identified as autistic later than individuals with normal hearing, which results in delayed access to appropriate early intervention services. Three primary barriers to early identification include behavioral phenotypic overlap, a lack of “gold-standard” screening and diagnostic tools for this population, and limited access to qualified clinicians. In the current article, we seek to address these barriers to prompt an appropriate identification of autism by providing recommendations for autism assessment in children who are D/HH from an interdisciplinary hearing and development clinic, including virtual service delivery during COVID-19. Strengths, gaps, and future directions for implementation are addressed.
Undifferentiated component of dedifferentiated endometrial carcinoma presenting as a “small round cell” malignancy in a mediastinal lymph node, mimicking small cell carcinoma

Undifferentiated/dedifferentiated endometrial carcinoma is an uncommon malignant neoplasm of the endometrium that can present as a diagnostic challenge, especially in a metastatic setting. We present a case of a 70‐year‐old woman with a prior endometrial biopsy diagnosed as endometrioid carcinoma, FIGO Grade 2. Chest computerized tomography showed moderate to severe centrilobular emphysema with a 3 mm nodule in the right upper lobe and posterior mediastinal lymphadenopathy. Fine needle aspiration smears of the mediastinal lymph node showed predominantly single and loosely cohesive tumor cells with scant basophilic cytoplasm, prominent nuclear streaking, and molding. Inconspicuous nucleoli and mitotic figures were present. Immunohistochemical (IHC) stains showed the tumor cells were positive for CD56 and synaptophysin but negative for AE1/AE3, CAM5.2, CK7, CK20, TTF‐1, INSM1, chromogranin, CD99, HMB45, SOX10, EBV‐LMP1, and desmin. Flow cytometry was negative for lymphoma. Based on the overall cytologic findings and significant smoking history, a small cell carcinoma could not be excluded. Similar morphologic findings were identified on the corresponding lymph node biopsy. Because of the history of endometrial carcinoma, additional IHC stains (PAX 8, ER, and EMA) were done but were negative. However, the mismatch repair proteins revealed loss of MLH1 and PMS2 with retained MSH2 and MSH6 nuclear expression. Hence, a metastatic undifferentiated component of a dedifferentiated carcinoma from the patients' endometrial primary was favored and subsequently confirmed on the hysterectomy specimen.
Effect of sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) consumption on glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials

Conflicting evidence exists on the effect of sesame consumption on glucose metabolism in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Therefore, this meta‐analysis focuses on the relationship between sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) intervention and glycemic control in patients with T2D. Published literature was retrieved and screened from PubMed, Scopus, ISI Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library up to December 2022. Outcome measures included fasting blood sugar (FBS) concentrations, fasting insulin levels, and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) percentage. Pooled effect sizes were reported as weighted mean differences (WMDs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Eight clinical trials (395 participants) were eligible for meta‐analyses. Overall, sesame consumption significantly reduced serum FBS (WMD: −28.61 mg/dL, 95% CI: −36.07 to −21.16, p˂0.001; I2 = 98.3%) and HbA1c percentage (WMD: −0.99%, 95% CI: −1.22 to −0.76, p ≤ 0.001; I2 = 65.1%) in patients with T2D. However, sesame consumption did not significantly influence fasting insulin levels (Hedges's: 2.29, 95% CI: −0.06 to 4.63, p = 0.06; I2 = 98.1%). In summary, the current meta‐analysis showed a promising effect of sesame consumption on glycemic control through reducing FBS and HbA1c, yet additional prospective studies are recommended, using higher doses and longer intervention period, to confirm the impact of sesame consumption on insulin levels in T2D patients.
Defining Allowable Stimulus Ranges for Position and Force Controlled Cutaneous Cues

Haptic cues delivered via wearable devices have great potential to enhance a user's experience by transmitting task information and touch sensations in domains such as virtual reality, teleoperation, and prosthetics. Much is still unknown on how haptic perception, and consequently optimal haptic cue design, varies between individuals. In this work we present three contributions. First, we propose a new metric, the Allowable Stimulus Range (ASR), as a way to capture subject-specific magnitudes for a given cue, using the method of adjustments and the staircase method. Second, we present a modular, grounded, 2-DOF, haptic testbed designed to conduct psychophysical experiments in multiple control schemes and with rapidly-interchangeable haptic interfaces. Third, we demonstrate an application of the testbed and our ASR metric, together with just noticeable differences (JND) measurements, to compare perception of haptic cues delivered via position or force control schemes. Our findings show that users demonstrate higher perceptual resolution in the position-control case, though survey results suggest that force-controlled haptic cues are more comfortable. The results of this work outline a framework to define perceptible and comfortable cue magnitudes for an individual, providing the groundwork to understand haptic variability, and compare the effectiveness of different types of haptic cues.
Incidence, outcomes and costs of severe sepsis and septic shock in geriatric trauma patients: Analysis of 2,563,463 hospitalizations at 3,284 hospitals

In this analysis of Medicare claims data from 2.56M hospitalizations at 3284 hospitals, severe sepsis/septic shock occurs infrequently among geriatric trauma patients, but is associated with significantly increased mortality and resource utilization. BACKGROUND Severe sepsis/septic shock (sepsis) is a leading cause of death in hospitalized trauma patients. Geriatric trauma patients are an increasing proportion of trauma care but little recent, large-scale, research exists in this high-risk demographic. The objectives of this study are to identify incidence, outcomes and costs of sepsis in geriatric trauma patients. METHODS Patients at short-term, nonfederal hospitals 65 years or older with ≥1 injury International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification code were selected from 2016 to 2019 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Medicare Inpatient Standard Analytical Files. Sepsis was defined as International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification diagnosis codes R6520 and R6521. A log-linear model was used to examine the association of Sepsis with mortality, adjusting for age, sex, race, Elixhauser score, and Injury Severity Score. Dominance analysis using logistic regression was used to determine the relative importance of individual variables in predicting Sepsis. Institutional review board exemption was granted for this study. RESULTS There were 2,563,436 hospitalizations from 3,284 hospitals (62.8% female; 90.4% White; 72.7% falls; median ISS, 6.0). Incidence of Sepsis was 2.1%. Sepsis patients had significantly worse outcomes. Mortality risk was significantly higher in septic patients (adjusted risk ratio, 3.98, 95% confidence interval, 3.92–4.04). Elixhauser score contributed the most to the prediction of Sepsis, followed by ISS (McFadden's R2 = 9.7% and 5.8%, respectively). CONCLUSION Severe sepsis/septic shock occurs infrequently among geriatric trauma patients but is associated with increased mortality and resource utilization. Pre-existing comorbidities influence Sepsis occurrence more than Injury Severity Score or age in this group, identifying a population at high risk. Clinical management of geriatric trauma patients should focus on rapid identification and prompt aggressive action in high-risk patients to minimize the occurrence of sepsis and maximize survival. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Therapeutic/Care Management; Level III.
Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 IgG and associated factors among people living with HIV over the first 12 months following the outbreak of COVID-19 in Burkina Faso, a sub-Saharan African country

Objective This study aimed to evaluate the seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG and factors associated with the infection among PLWHIV over the first 12 months following the outbreak of COVID-19 in Burkina Faso. Design A retrospective cross-sectional study of plasma samples collected from March 9, 2020, and March 8, 2021, at the outpatient HIV referral center, before the introduction of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in Burkina Faso. Methods Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG were detected in plasma using DS-ЕIA-ANTI-SARS-CoV-2-G (S) kit. Logistic regressions were used to compare SARS-CoV-2 specific immune responses between groups and within subgroups. Results and discussion A total of 419 plasma were subjected to serological diagnosis. None of the participants was vaccinated against COVID-19 during the period of sample collection, and 130 samples were positive for anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG, giving a prevalence of 31.0% (95% CI 26.6–35.7). The median CD4 cell count was 661 cells/μL (IQR,422–928). Retailers had half the risk of being infected compared to housemaids with an OR of 0.49 (p = 0.028, 95% CI 0.26–0.91). Likewise, the risk of infection was 1.69 times higher in patients on integrase inhibitors compared to that of patients on non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (p = 0.020, 95% CI 1.09–2.63). Conclusion Our study reveals a high seroprevalence among PLWHIV to SARS-CoV-2 during the first year of the pandemic. In addition, PLWHIV on integrase inhibitors are 1.69 times more likely to be infected than PLWHIV on non-nucleoside inhibitors, and this observation remains an intriguing topic that still needs to be clarified.