Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Diabetes Mellitus and Hyperglycemia on the Severity and Outcome of Patients with COVID-19 Disease: A Single-Center Experience

Purpose Diabetes mellitus (DM) has been reported to be associated with a worse outcome of COVID-19 infection. The evidence is scarce in the Middle East and Saudi Arabia. We aimed to evaluate the impact of diabetes mellitus and hyperglycemia in non-diabetic individuals on the severity and outcome of COVID-19 infection. Methods This is a retrospective observational study, which included patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection [RT-PCR positive for SARS-CoV2] who were admitted to King Fahd Hospital of the University-Khobar-Eastern Province-Saudi Arabia from March to September 2020. Baseline demographic data, laboratory investigations, and markers of the severity of COVID-19 were analyzed. The collected data were categorized according to the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health COVID-19 infection severity criteria. Patients were divided into three groups as follows: patients in Group 1 had pre-existing DM, patients in Group 2 did not have DM but were documented to have hyperglycemia at presentation, and patients in Group 3 were neither diabetics nor hyperglycemics at presentation and served as the control group. The severity and outcome of the control group were compared with the other two groups. The effect of risk factors on the severity and outcome of COVID-19 infection was studied in the DM group. Results A total of 414 patients were included (70.5% males and 29.5% females). The mean age (SD) of patients was 52.3 (±15.5) years. Compared to the control group, pre-existing DM was found to be significantly associated with severe (OR 3.61), critical disease (OR 4.32), intensive care unit (ICU) admission (OR 2.0), and death (OR 2.0) from COVID-19 infection. Hyperglycemia without known DM was also found to be associated with critical COVID-19 pneumonia (P 0.001), and had longer duration of hospitalization (P 0.014), higher ICU admission, mechanical ventilation, and death from COVID-19 infection (P < 0.0001). Conclusion Diabetes mellitus and hyperglycemia at presentation, even in the absence of pre-existing DM, are independent risk factors for disease severity and worse outcome of COVID-19 infection. These patients should be identified and managed accordingly. The COVID-19 vaccination program should also target those populations to improve their outcomes.
The Accuracy of Risk Measurement Models on Bitcoin Market during COVID-19 Pandemic

Since late 2019, during one of the largest pandemics in history, COVID-19, global economic recession has continued. Therefore, investors seek an alternative investment that generates profits during this financially risky situation. Cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin, has become a new currency tool for speculators and investors, and it is expected to be used in future exchanges. Therefore, this paper uses a Value at Risk (VaR) model to measure the risk of investment in Bitcoin. In this paper, we showed the results of the predicted daily loss of investment by using the historical simulation VaR model, the delta-normal VaR model, and the Monte Carlo simulation VaR model with the confidence levels of 99%, 95%, and 90%. This paper displayed backtesting methods to investigate the accuracy of VaR models, which consisted of the Kupiec’s POF and the Kupiec’s TUFF statistical testing results. Finally, Christoffersen’s independence test and Christoffersen’s interval forecasts evaluation showed effectiveness in the predictions for the robustness of VaR models for each confidence level.
A comprehensive reliability assessment of residential photovoltaic systems

Due to the growing use of photovoltaic (PV) systems in recent years, the reliability of these systems as one of the most important issues regarding durability and correct performance is important. This paper presents a comprehensive assessment of the reliability of Residential PV System (RPVS) in various conditions based on the Markov model. The systems taken into considerations consist of PV modules, a DC-DC converter, an inverter, an inverter controller, and a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) controller. These systems are considered repairable. To evaluate the effect of the three-phase boost converter and the PV modules on reliability, these systems have been considered towards this specific perspective. Furthermore, the impact of various factors on the reliability of the system components and the entire system is evaluated. Simulation results demonstrate the capacity of the proposed method to assess and comparison of the reliability of different RPVS. Also, the results indicate the impact of various.
Combination of electric and magnetic dipoles with single‐element feeding for broadband applications

This work presents four types of broadband compound antennas. The antennas are a combination of an electric dipole and small square or circular loops. The feeding of the electric dipole only is realized. The input impedance, reflection coefficient, and gain of the antennas with different geometries are analyzed numerically using the method of moments (MoM). It is shown that for the level of the reflection coefficient |Γ| < −10 dB, 80% to 90% bandwidth can theoretically be achieved for the proposed antennas. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 48: 8–12, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.21248
Knowledge about Care of Pregnant Mothers during the Covid-19 Pandemic

BACKGROUND: China reported a case of pneumonia known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus to the World Health Organization of unknown cause in Wuhan City. Regulation Number 6 of 2018 concerning Health Quarantine regulates the basic provisions of the PSBB. Health services at the primary care are very limited, one of which is the care of pregnant women which is an activity that monitors and supports the health of normal pregnant women and detects normal pregnancies. AIM: The purpose of this study was to describe the knowledge of pregnant women about the care of pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic at the Jayengan primary health care. METHODS: This study uses a crosssectional design, the sample selection using purposive sampling with a sample of 40 respondents. Data collection was carried out using questionnaires made by researchers and filled out by respondents. Then, the data that have been collected is processed using software. RESULTS: The results showed that the value of the sub-variable understanding of pregnant women with an average value of 100, the sub-variable time of visit to pregnant women had an average value of 72.5, the sub-variable of breast care for pregnant women had an average value of 79.16, sub-variable nutrition variables in pregnant women have an average of 75.63, the tetanus toxoid immunization sub-variable for pregnant women got an average value of 76.66, the pregnancy check-up sub-variable got an average value of 97.5, and the care of pregnant women who were confirmed to have COVID-19 got an average score of 55.93. CONCLUSION: The conclusion shows that the average knowledge level of respondents is sufficient.
Local Scour Downstream of Box-Culvert Outlets

This laboratory study investigates the local scouring phenomenon in sand that occurs downstream of box culverts. Although culvert hydraulics can include special cases, such as culverts on hydraulically steep slopes for which special energy dissipators at an outlet must be provided to handle supercritical flows, this study was restricted to culverts on horizontal or mild slopes that operate freely and do not require special energy dissipators at their outlets. The principal factors governing this form of local scouring were found to be the discharge rate, the culvert width, the tailwater depth, the downstream channel width, and the bed‐material properties. The experimental program investigated the effects of these principal variables on the local scour hole characteristics. The investigation also reviewed some well‐known empirical formulas for the prediction of maximum scour depth, under a variety of hydraulic conditions. One such relationship for maximum scour depth in a stone bed downstream of a culvert .
Teaching and Learning Together: Understanding Faculty Motivation to Interdisciplinary Course Cocreation as a Response to a Global Pandemic

Abstract While higher education plays a critical role in society, little is known about the motivation of faculty members within such institutions. In this paper, we explore the faculty motivation to voluntarily cocreate an interdisciplinary course as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of our qualitative, phenomenological study highlight sensemaking for both students and faculty, being peer-driven, ability to collaboratively innovate, desire for student engagement, being able to leverage existing expertise, and concern for institutional welfare as motivational drivers for faculty. The shared experience of creating and teaching the course subsequently impacts faculty in a number of different ways. A crisis-based faculty motivation model for interdisciplinary course cocreation is presented.
Engineered properties of polyurethane laden with beetroot and cerium oxide for cardiac patch application

The cardiac patch provides appropriate physicochemical properties and mechanical strength for the regeneration of damaged heart tissues. In this work, for the first-time, beetroot (BR) is blended with cerium oxide (CeO2) to produce nanofibrous polyurethane (PU) composite patch using electrospinning. The objective of this work is to fabricate the composite and examine its feasibility for cardiac patch applications. Morphological analysis revealed a dramatic reduction of fiber diameter of PU/BR (233 ± 175 nm) and PU/BR/CeO2 (331 ± 176 mm) compared to the pristine PU (994 ± 113 mm). Fourier transform infrared analysis (FTIR) analysis indicated functional peak intensities of the newly formed composite PU/BR and PU/BR/CeO2 were not similar to PU. The addition of beetroot rendered PU/BR hydrophilic (86° ± 2), whereas PU/BR/CeO2exhibited hydrophobic nature (99° ± 3). Atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis depicted the reduced surface roughness of the PU/BR (312 ± 12 nm) and PU/BR/CeO2 (390 ± 125 nm) than the pristine PU (854 ± 32 nm). The incorporation of beetroot and CeO2 into PU enhanced the tensile strength compared with the pristine PU. The blood clotting time of PU/BR (APTT-204 ± 3 s and PT-103 ± 2 s) and PU/BR/CeO2 (APTT-205 ± 3 s and PT-105 ± 2s) were delayed significantly than the pristine PU(APTT-176 ± 2 s and PT-94 ± 2 s) as revealed in the coagulation study. Further, hemolysis assay showed the less toxic nature of the fabricated composites than the pristine PU. Hence, it can be inferred that the advanced physicochemical and blood compatible properties of electrospun PU/BR and PU/BR/CeO2 nanocomposite can be engineered successfully for cardiac patch applications.
Vitamin D Deficiency Is Inversely Associated with Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance

The study was conducted to comprehensively assess the association of the concentration of vitamin D in the blood and insulin resistance in non-diabetic subjects. The objective was to pool the results from all observational studies from the beginning of 1980 to August 2021. PubMed, Medline and Embase were systematically searched for the observational studies. Filters were used for more focused results. A total of 2248 articles were found after raw search which were narrowed down to 32 articles by the systematic selection of related articles. Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMAIR) was used as the measure of insulin resistance and correlation coefficient was used as a measure of the relationship between vitamin D levels and the insulin resistance. Risk of bias tables and summary plots were built using Revman software version 5.3 while Comprehensive meta-analysis version 3 was used for the construction of forest plot. The results showed an inverse association between the status of vitamin D and insulin resistance (r = −0.217; 95% CI = −0.161 to −0.272; p = 0.000). A supplement of vitamin D can help reduce the risk of insulin resistance; however further studies, like randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm the results.
Young Shoots and Mature Red Cabbage Inhibit Proliferation and Induce Apoptosis of Prostate Cancer Cell Lines

Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in men. Recent dietary and epidemiological studies have suggested the benefit of dietary intake of cruciferous vegetables in lowering the incidence of cancer. The health promoting effects of red cabbage are attributed to their mixture of phytochemicals known for their antioxidant and anticancer activity. In the current study, we investigated whether young shoots and mature red cabbage had any effect on prostate cancer cell lines (DU145 and LNCaP). Attempts were also made to identify the potential molecular mechanism(s) by which plant material elicits its biological effects on prostate cancer cell lines. Here we report that the studied vegetable inhibited the proliferation of cancer cells and that this process was associated with the induction of apoptosis via caspase-dependent and both extrinsic and intrinsic pathways. In addition, we also observed the regulation of genes and proteins associated with cell survival and apoptotic events.
The impact of tourist’s hygiene-safety perception on their intention to travel during the Covid-19 pandemic in Turkey

This study examines the effects of tourists' hygiene-safety perceptions and travel concerns on their intention to travel during the Covid-19 pandemic. Study data were collected from Turkish citizens living in Turkey by online survey technique. The obtained data were analyzed with SPSS 22.0 program and Lisrel 8.80. For the construct validity of the scale, exploratory factor analysis was performed and then confirmatory factor analysis was performed. The model proposed in the study was tested with structural equation modeling. The findings show that tourists' perception of hygiene-safety increases travel anxiety related to the pandemic. Also, it was determined that the travel anxiety of the participants about the pandemic negatively affected their intention to travel
Latinx Emerging Adults’ Religious Identity, Ethnic Identity, and Psychological Well-Being

The current study examined associations among religious and ethnic identity exploration and commitment, and psychological well-being (PWB) among 683 Latinx emerging adults. A subset of data collected in the Multi-Site University Study of Identity and Culture was analyzed, focusing on three measures: (a) Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM), (b) Religious Identity Measure (adapted from MEIM), and (c) Scales of Psychological Well-Being–Short Form. Correlations indicated that PWB was positively related to religious and ethnic identity commitment, not exploration. Regression analyses indicated that commitment to religious or ethnic identity were positively associated with PWB, while exploration of religious or ethnic identity were not associated with PWB. In addition, religious identity exploration moderated the relation between ethnic identity exploration and commitment and PWB. These findings have implications for efforts to support the development of ethnic and religious identity among Latinx emerging adults.
An Education-Counseling Program for Young Prehypertensive Adults

In this non-equivalent control group, non-synchronized study, we assessed the effects of an education-counseling program for young prehypertensive adults. We included 40 and 47 prehypertensive individuals in the experimental and control groups, respectively. A structured questionnaire (pretest) was used to assess prehypertension-related knowledge, attitudes, health-promoting behavior, and self-efficacy. The experimental group underwent the 8-week program, while the control group received basic prehypertension and self-management education. Subsequently, blood pressure (BP) was measured, and prehypertension-related knowledge, attitudes, health-promoting behavior, and self-efficacy were evaluated using a questionnaire (posttest). There were significant intergroup differences in knowledge (t = 3.04, p = .003), attitudes (t = 6.41, p < .001), behavior (t = 11.60, p < .001), self-efficacy (t = 11.76, p < .001), and systolic BP (t = −5.49, p < .001); however, diastolic BP was not significantly different (t = −0.73, p = .473). Our findings demonstrated that the program is effective in improving knowledge, attitudes, behavior, self-efficacy, and systolic BP. Therefore, it can be used to prevent progression to hypertension.
Aesthetic Work as Cultural Competence: Chasing Beauty in the Coproduction of Aesthetic Services

Prior research stresses the importance of consumer participation in service coproduction. We examine the coproduction of aesthetic services, which are services in which beauty is a critical outcome. Consumers face challenges communicating their aesthetic tastes because of technical constraints that are understood by service providers but that consumers do not fully understand. To fill this gap, consumers do aesthetic work in communities of practice. Service providers also face challenges, as they must coproduce with consumers whose aesthetic tastes are formed amid shifting social standards. In this qualitative study, we highlight aesthetic work as a different type of consumer work that involves developing cultural competence. We identify four types of aesthetic coproduction in which cultural competence is distributed differently within the service dyad: aesthetic codesigning, aesthetic consenting, aesthetic yielding, and aesthetic reigning. We explore the managerial implications that arise as consumers increasingly use online social resources that shape and increase aesthetic expectations. We examine the unintended consequences of aesthetic service coproduction in which providers’ technical and aesthetic expertise is difficult for consumers to understand often leading to disappointing outcomes.
Youths’ Intention towards Online Food Delivery (OFD) Services in Kota Kinabalu

The business of online food delivery (OFD) services has grown rapidly over the years and more so during the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, a significant amount of research works relating to OFD services have been conducted, however, not many have focused on the intention of using OFD services especially from the youths’ perspective. Hence, the purpose of this study is to examine youth’s intention of using OFD services. The study applied a quantitative approach and the unit of analysis for this study is the youths between 18 to 40 years old, as the potential users of OFD services living in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. Through the cross-sectional data collection approach and purposive sampling technique, 346 samples were collected via an online survey questionnaire. The survey questionnaire was adopted from previous studies with minor modifications, validated and pilot tested. A total of 346 responses were collected and analysed using descriptive and multiple regression analysis. The results indicated all the predictors (convenience motivation, time-saving motivation, price-orientation motivation, and hedonistic motivation) significantly affect youth’s intention towards OFD services. The study contributes to the existing literature on OFD and practical implications to the food industry, food delivery services, and marketers from the youths’ perspective. Keywords – Intention, Online Food Delivery, Youth, Convenience Motivation, Time-Saving Motivation, Price-Orientation Motivation, Hedonistic Motivation
Fully Digital Current Mode Constant On-Time Controlled Buck Converter With Output Voltage Offset Cancellation

Fully digital current mode constant on-time (COT) control buck converter with output voltage offset cancellation is presented in this paper. Current mode COT can achieve fast transient response and low output voltage ripple with additional current path. To fully digitalize the control loop in this work, both current mode control and the additional current path are implement in digital way. However, the current path may induce inevitable output voltage offset. To ensure effective output voltage regulation within all load current ranges, an output voltage offset cancellation mechanism was proposed. A prototype converter was fabricated using 0.18- $\mu \text{m}$ CMOS process technology. The controller was fully implemented as a standard-cell-based digital circuit. Measurement results indicated the output voltage regulation in full-load range was 2%, and 100 mV output voltage overshoot under 2.5A load transient response.
The Quick and the Careless: The Construct Validity of Page Time as a Measure of Insufficient Effort Responding to Surveys

Several recent studies have examined the prevention, causes, and consequences of insufficient effort responding (IER) to surveys. Scientific progress in this area, however, rests on the availability of construct-valid IER measures. In the current paper we describe the potential merits of the page time index, which is computed by counting the number of questionnaire pages to which a participant has responded more quickly than two seconds per item (see Huang et al., 2012). We conducted three studies (total N = 1,056) to examine the page time index's construct validity. Across these studies, we found that page time converged highly with other IER indices, that it was sensitive to an experimental manipulation warning participants to respond carefully, and that it predicted the extent to which participants were unable to recognize item content. We also found that page time's validity was superior to that of total completion time and that the two-seconds-per-item rule yielded a construct-valid page time score for items of various word lengths. Given its apparent validity, we provide practical recommendations for the use of the page time index.
A Comparative Analysis of Two Artificial Neural Networks Using Pavement Performance Prediction

The management of pavements requires the ongoing allocation of substantial manpower and capital resources by the responsible agencies. These agencies ultimately report to the executive and legislative branches of government, which require justification and proof of the efficacy of these expenditures. This and the need for improved engineering technical feedback have encouraged the development of pavement management systems (PMS). One goal of a PMS is to provide decision makers at all levels with optimal resource‐allocation strategies. This requires evaluation of alternatives over an analysis period based on predicted values of pavement performance. This necessitates more reliable pavement performance prediction models. Traditional modeling uses multiple regression techniques to predict pavement performance from traffic, time, and pavement distress or various combinations of these factors. Within the last 10 years, new modeling techniques, including artificial neural networks (ANNs), have been applied to transportation problems. The ANNs examined usually have been of a single type called a dot product ANN. This paper examines a different type called the quadratic function ANN and compares the results to the dot product ANN. The quadratic function ANN is a generalized adaptive, feedforward neural network that combines supervised and self‐organizing learning. Models were developed to predict roughness using both types of ANN on the same data samples and the results compared. The data samples were drawn from the Kansas Department of Transportation's PMS database. The results indicate a significant improvement in the use of the self‐organizing quadratic function ANNs and lead to recommendations for specific areas of additional research.