Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sustainable Iodized Salt Fortification Reduces the Risk of Underweight Among Under-Five Children

Objective: Underweight is related to many factors including family socioeconomic factors. Stunting is defined as early-life linear growth retardation that is associated with increased morbidity and mortality, decreased physical, neurodevelopmental, and economic capacity. Underweight is more common in stunted children than in wasting/thin children. The purpose of this study is to examine the risk factors for underweight in under-five children in the stunting locus area, West Java, Indonesia Method: The study used a cross-sectional study design from May to August 2023 and involved 309 under five children who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The data used includes the household socioeconomic factors, hygiene and sanitation factors, and children characteristics. The dependent variable was the nutritional status of children as measured by the weight-for-age index. The children were classified as underweight if their z-score was less than -2 standard deviation (< -2 SD). Bivariate analysis employed the chi-square test. Multiple logistic regression test was used for multivariate analysis with a significance value <0.05. Results: Results showed that 20.4% of children were underweight. Logistic regression test showed that the usage of less iodized salt raised the risk of underweight in children (OR: 1.789; 95% CI:1.004-3.218), while low father's education increased the risk of underweight (OR: 1.895; 95% CI: 1.070-3.354). Conclusion: Local government support of sustainable iodized salt fortification is required, as is the inclusion of social aspects of the family and gender in the implementation of nutrition programs.
The Manhattan Project: Big Science and the Atom Bomb

'I am become death, destroyer of worlds. ' Robert J. Oppenheimer Established in 1942 at the height of the Second World War, the Manhattan Project was a dramatic quest to beat the Nazis to a deadly goal: the atomic bomb. At Los Alamos and several other sites, American, British, Canadian and refugee European scientists, together with engineers, technicians and many other workers, laboured to design and build nuclear weapons. With their huge experiments, complex organisations and lavish funding, these institutes represented a new form of scientific organisation: 'Big Science'. Their efforts produced 'Little Boy' and 'Fat Man', the bombs that ultimately destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. In The Manhattan Project, Jeff Hughes offers a lively reinterpretation of the key elements in the history and mythology of twentieth-century science.
Composition of fungal groups associated with sewage sludge amended grassland soils.

Abstract Dried sewage sludge was added to a degraded semiarid grassland soil at three rates of application (22.5, 45, and 90 Mg ha−1)to determine the effect of sludge on soil chemical and fungal properties over the course of four growing seasons. While pH decreased, most soil chemical properties, including N, P, K, and OM, increased linearly with sludge application rates. Likewise, populations of fungi increased linearly with sludge amendment, whereas the diversity of fungal groups decreased. Overall, the composition of fungal groups following sludge amendment changed dramatically, as the light, intermediate, and heavy sludge treatments contained only 38, 30, and 11%, respectively, of those fungi isolated in the control. Mucor spp. and Penicillium chrysogenum dominated the sludge treatments in the first growing season, while Penicillium janthinellum dominated the sludge treatments after two growing seasons. After three growing seasons, the light sludge amended soil had fungal population levels, diversity,.
Improved resolution of recalcitrant nodes in the animal 1 phylogeny through the analysis of genome gene content and 2 morphology 3

16 An accurate phylogeny of animals is needed to clarify their evolution, ecology, and impact 17 on shaping the biosphere. Although datasets of several hundred thousand amino acids are 18 nowadays routinely used to test phylogenetic hypotheses, key deep nodes in the metazoan 19 tree remain unresolved: the root of animals, the root of Bilateria, and the root of 20 Deuterostomia. To assess patterns of congruence with established amino-acid derived 21 phylogenetic hypotheses for these problematic nodes, we independently and extensively 22 analysed newly assembled genome gene content and morphological datasets. Our datasets 23 strongly support sponges as the sister group of all the other animals, the worm-like 24 bilaterian lineage Xenacoelomorpha as the sister group of the other Bilateria, and largely 25 support monophyletic Deuterostomia. We conclude that the last common animal ancestor 26 may have been a simple, microphagous organism without a nervous system and muscles, 27 while the last common ancestor of Bilateria might have been a small, acoelomate-like worm 28 without a through gut. 29
The degradation of impact craters in Maja Valles and Arabia, Mars

Photoclinometry is being utilized to quantify the degree of degradation suffered by Martian impact craters (1- to 5-km-diameter range) in the Arabia and Maja Valles regions. Results indicate that present crater depths can vary substantially from crater depths expected for the original fresh craters at all sizes examined. Localized regions of high, moderate, and low degradation of the order of 102 km2 have been delineated using the percentage change in crater depth/diameter between current and assumed fresh crater morphology. Regions of low degradation occur randomly across these regions and probably represent recently produced impact craters which have undergone little degradation since their formation. Aeolian activity, including current mantling deposits, appears to dominate the processes degrading craters in the Arabia region, with fluvial and impact processes playing a secondary role. In the Maja Valles region, crater degradation is associated primarily with fluvial outflow channel activity, with aeolian and impact processes contributing secondary effects to the destruction of impact craters.
Distribution and seasonal variability of organic matter in a small eutrophicated salt lake

Abstract Distribution and seasonal variability of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and surface active substances (SAS) were studied along the depth profile (15 m) in a small eutrophicated and periodically anoxic sea lake (Rogoznica Lake, Eastern Adriatic coast) in 1996 and 1997. The range of DOC concentrations was characteristic for productive coastal marine ecosystems (60% of samples in the range of 1–2 mg l −1 and 40% between 2 and 3 mg l −1 ). Distribution of SAS concentrations was uniform and shifted toward higher concentrations in comparison to other coastal areas in the Adriatic Sea. Eutrophication in the lake is generated by nutrient recycling under anaerobic conditions. Systematically higher concentrations of chlorophyll a , DOC and SAS were determined at the chemocline in the bottom layer (10–12 m) than in the upper water layer (0·5–2 m). Seasonal variability of organic matter was discussed regarding distributions of microphytoplankton (cells >20 μm) and photosynthetic pigments as well as oxygen and salinity changes along the depth profile. The dissolved oxygen saturation reaching up to 300% in the water layer between 8 m and 10 m depths in May and June 1996, was correlated with enhanced concentrations of phytoplankton biomass (reflected as chl a and b , fucoxanthin, peridinin, zeaxanthin) and increased concentrations of DOC and SAS.
MLT cooling during stratospheric warming events

MLT (Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere) airglow emission rates and temperatures have been monitored with a Spectral Airglow Temperature Imager (SATI), operated at Resolute Bay (74.68°N, 94.90°W). The 2001/2002 winter season data exhibits a major cooling event for both the O2 and OH emissions near the end of December, a mild event in mid February and a final cooling in early March. These temperature perturbations are compared with the UKMO stratospheric assimilated data for the Resolute Bay location and for zonally averaged data at 75°N, at two pressure levels, 3.16 hPa and 0.316 hPa. For the major event the 3.16 hPa zonally averaged temperature coincides in time with the MLT cooling. The O2 temperatures increase slightly, prior to the stratospheric warming, but after onset both emissions exhibit cooling; this is consistent with the TIME‐GCM/CCM3 predictions for the meridional circulation at high latitudes.
Gastrointestinal Manifestations and Outcomes of COVID-19: A Comprehensive Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Introduction Pulmonary symptoms are the most prominent manifestations of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms have been reported widely as well. Literature describing the relation of these symptoms with outcomes of COVID-19 patients is limited in terms of sample size, geographic diversity, and the spectrum of GI symptoms included. We aim to evaluate the association of GI symptoms with outcomes of hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Methods A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies assessing GI symptoms and outcomes in COVID-19 patients were undertaken using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) criteria and the Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) checklist. Details on outcomes included ICU vs. non-ICU admission, severe vs. non-severe disease, invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) vs. no-IMV use, oxygen saturation <90% vs. >90%, in-hospital mortality vs. discharged alive and survivors. We obtained the odds ratio (OR), 95% confidence interval (95%CI), and forest plots. Sensitivity analysis was used to analyze publication bias and heterogeneity. Results In 35 studies with 7931 confirmed COVID-19 patients, we found that anorexia (pooled OR:2.05; 95%CI: 1.36-3.09, p=0.0006) and abdominal pain (OR 2.80; 95%CI: 1.41-5.54, p=0.003) were associated with a higher risk of poor outcomes and no such association was found for diarrhea (OR 1.04; 95%CI: 0.85-1.26, p=0.71), nausea (OR 0.73; 95%CI: 0.38-1.39, p=0.34) and vomiting (OR 1.24; 95%CI 0.86-1.79, p=0.25). Conclusion The meta-analysis concludes that anorexia and abdominal pain are associated with poor outcomes in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, while diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting have no association. Future research should focus on whether detecting GI invasion in conjunction with fecal polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing can aid in the early triage of high-risk individuals and improve outcomes.
Nutritional Value of Yogurt as a Protein Source: Digestibility/Absorbability and Effects on Skeletal Muscle

Yogurt is a traditional fermented food that is accepted worldwide for its high palatability and various health values. The milk protein contained in yogurt exhibits different physical and biological properties from those of non-fermented milk protein due to the fermentation and manufacturing processes. These differences are suggested to affect the time it takes to digest and absorb milk protein, which in turn will influence the blood levels of amino acids and/or hormones, such as insulin, and thereby, the rate of skeletal muscle protein synthesis via the activation of intracellular signaling, such as the mTORC1 pathway. In addition, based on the relationship between gut microbiota and skeletal muscle conditions, yogurt, including lactic acid bacteria and its metabolites, has been evaluated for its role as a protein source. However, the substantial value of yogurt as a protein source and the additional health benefits on skeletal muscle are not fully understood. The purpose of this review is to summarize the research to date on the digestion and absorption characteristics of yogurt protein, its effect on skeletal muscle, and the contribution of lactic acid bacterial fermentation to these effects.
Enhancing Metabolism and Milk Production Performance in Periparturient Dairy Cattle through Rumen-Protected Methionine and Choline Supplementation

For dairy cattle to perform well throughout and following lactations, precise dietary control during the periparturient phase is crucial. The primary issues experienced by periparturient dairy cows include issues like decreased dry matter intake (DMI), a negative energy balance, higher levels of non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), and the ensuing inferior milk output. Dairy cattle have always been fed a diet high in crude protein (CP) to produce the most milk possible. Despite the vital function that dairy cows play in the conversion of dietary CP into milk, a sizeable percentage of nitrogen is inevitably expelled, which raises serious environmental concerns. To reduce nitrogen emissions and their production, lactating dairy cows must receive less CP supplementation. Supplementing dairy cattle with rumen-protected methionine (RPM) and choline (RPC) has proven to be a successful method for improving their ability to use nitrogen, regulate their metabolism, and produce milk. The detrimental effects of low dietary protein consumption on the milk yield, protein yield, and dry matter intake may be mitigated by these nutritional treatments. In metabolic activities like the synthesis of sulfur-containing amino acids and methylation reactions, RPM and RPC are crucial players. Methionine, a limiting amino acid, affects the production of milk protein and the success of lactation in general. According to the existing data in the literature, methionine supplementation has a favorable impact on the pathways that produce milk. Similarly, choline is essential for DNA methylation, cell membrane stability, and lipid metabolism. Furthermore, RPC supplementation during the transition phase improves dry matter intake, postpartum milk yield, and fat-corrected milk (FCM) production. This review provides comprehensive insights into the roles of RPM and RPC in optimizing nitrogen utilization, metabolism, and enhancing milk production performance in periparturient dairy cattle, offering valuable strategies for sustainable dairy farming practices.
Analysis of the Readiness of Preservice Teachers in Implementing Teaching Practices

This research aims to analyze the readiness of students from the Chemistry Education Department to implement the Teaching Practices (PPL) program in 2023. This type of research is descriptive qualitative with a phenomenological research design. The research subjects were three Chemistry Education Department students who carried out PPL in 2023. The data collection techniques used were interviews and documentation. Data analysis techniques are done by data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion. The research results show that students in the Chemistry Education Department have pedagogical competency readiness in implementing the 2023 PPL program. In the learning process, students need to master the skills of opening and closing learning. For personality competence and social competence, all students of the Kinia Education Study Program are ready to implement it. Likewise, in terms of Professional and Social competence, five students from the Chemistry Education Department are in a good category. In other words, students have no obstacles in implementing these four competencies.
TEMPERATURE EFFECT ON PRECONSOLIDATION PRESSURE

A change in temperature is known to affect the deformation properties of a clay specimen. In order to study the effect quantitative y and its dependence on clay type a number of oedometer tests were carried out. Conventional incremental oedometer tests as well as constant-rate-of-strain tests were used. Test results clearly show that the preconsolidation pressure decreases with increasing temperature; the compression modulus is little affected. Five different clays were tested, and the change in preconsolidation pressure was found to be larger for higher clay content of the specimen. The research shows that laboratory testing at different temperatures gives the necessary information for the calculation of temperature induced settlements.
GPS HEIGHT MEASUREMENT OF PEAK BOLIVAR, VENEZUELA

Abstract Based on a series of GPS observations made in 2002 on the summit of Peak Bolívar, the highest Venezuelan mountain, and on seven other nearby sites along the Venezuelan Andes, including another three of the highest peaks of the country; and using a recently derived local geoid for Venezuela, we have determined the orthometric height of Peak Bolívar as 4978.4 ± 0.4 m. This height is 23.6 m smaller than the height obtained by combining trigonometric triangulation techniques and barometric measurements in the nearby town of Mérida in 1912, and 28.6 m smaller than the current official altitude that dates from 1928.
Rare earth element and yttrium analyses of sulfides from the Dachang Sn-polymetallic ore field, Guangxi Province, China : Implication for ore genesis

The Dachang Sn-polymetallic ore field (Guangxi, China) is one of the largest tin deposits in the world with a tin reserve of above 106 tons. Several types of orebody occur in this giant ore field, including mainly the Lamo Cu-Zn skarns at the contact of Devonian limestone and the Cretaceous Longxianggai granite, the Changpo-Tongkeng stratiform Sn-Pb-Zn ores in Devonian siliceous rocks, and the Gaofeng massive sulfide ore in Devonian reef limestone. Rare-earth element (REE) and yttrium concentrations in sulfides from different orebody types have been determined by ICP-MS. Sulfides from the Lamo skarn-type Cu-Zn mines display significant LREE-enriched pattern with large negative Eu anomalies. This is in agreement with the mineralizing fluid being of magmatic hydrothermal origin. However, sulfides from massive and stratiform orebodies show significantly different REE distributions. The Gaofeng massive sulfides have very low total REE concentrations and REE patterns range from (1) being strongly enriched in light REE with positive Eu anomalies, to (2) relatively flat patterns with strongly negative Ce and positive Eu anomalies. Pattern 1 resembles REE distributions in modern submarine hydrothermal fluids. Pattern 2 exhibits both seawater and hydrothermal vent-fluid characteristics. Sulfides from stratiform orebodies at Changpo-Tongkeng are LREE-enriched with small or no negative Eu anomalies. REE patterns of sulfides from different stratiform orebodies are slightly different, but they are similar to those of each host rock. It indicates that the sulfides and host rocks are synsedimentary and that their REE patterns are controlled by the local physical-chemical environments. Y/Ho atomic weight ratios of granite, skarn and sulfides at Lamo vary from 26.3 to 33.7, close to the chondritic Y/Ho ratio. But sulfides from massive and stratiform ores have more variable Y/Ho ratios (28.4-134) that are similar to those of many modern hydrothermal fluids. Hence, the ore-forming fluids responsible for mineralization of the stratiform and massive ores at Dachang were likely to be of exhalative hydrothermal origin. It is suggested that the Dachang deposits are formed through a two-stage hydrothermal process, i.e., the Devonian submarine hydrothermal ore-forming stage and the Yanshanian magmatic-hydrothermal ore-forming stage.
Hydraulic Design of Stepped Spillways

An experimental study on a large model flume using fiber-optical instrumentation indicated that the onset of skimming flow is a function of critical depth, chute angle, and step height. Uniform mixture depths that determine the height of chute sidewalls and uniform equivalent clear water depths are described in terms of a roughness Froude number containing unit discharge, chute angle and step height. The spillway length needed to attain uniform flow is expressed as a function of critical depth and chute angle. The flow resistance of stepped spillways is significantly larger than for smooth chutes due to the macro roughness of the steps. The friction factor for uniform aerated flow is of the order of 0.1 for typical gravity dam and embankment dam slopes, whereas the effect of relative roughness is rather small. The energy dissipation characteristics of stepped spillways and the design of training walls are also discussed. The paper aims to focus on significant findings of a research program and develops design guidance to lessen the need for individual physical model studies. A design example is further presented.
Prevalence of long-lasting loss of smell and taste after coronavirus disease 2019 infection in Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND: People with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who experience symptoms for more than 35 weeks are said to have long COVID. Anosmia can occur on its own or in combination with other COVID-19 symptoms. Anosmia may be a significant differential presentation for the suspicion and diagnosis of COVID-19 in patients with asymptomatic-to-mild COVID-19 disease and may disappear in 3 weeks. This study sought to determine the prevalence of persistent loss of taste and smell following COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted among Saudi citizens who had been diagnosed with COVID-19 for more than 2 weeks and had experienced a loss of taste and smell. Data was collected using a questionnaire having questions about demographics, long-lasting loss of taste and smell, whether this related to COVID-19 infection, and whether respondents had received the COVID-19 vaccine. SPSS was used for data analysis; statistical significance was determined using Chi-square test. RESULTS: A total of 383 Saudis who had a history of COVID-19 participated in the study. About 43.3% study participants had experienced persistent loss of taste and smell after COVID-19 infection. A significant association was found between loss of smell and the region, Northern region having highest proportion of study participants who had loss of smell and Western region having the lowest prevalence (34%). CONCLUSION: There were permanent changes in the sense of taste or smell in 34.3% of participants. This might add to the growing weight of long COVID.
Divergent hepaciviruses, delta-like viruses, and a chu-like virus in Australian marsupial carnivores (dasyurids)

Abstract Although Australian marsupials are characterised by unique biology and geographic isolation, little is known about the viruses present in these iconic wildlife species. The Dasyuromorphia are an order of marsupial carnivores found only in Australia that include both the extinct Tasmanian tiger (thylacine) and the highly threatened Tasmanian devil. Several other members of the order are similarly under threat of extinction due to habitat loss, hunting, disease, and competition and predation by introduced species such as feral cats. We utilised publicly available RNA-seq data from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) Sequence Read Archive (SRA) database to document the viral diversity within four Dasyuromorph species. Accordingly, we identified fifteen novel virus sequences from five DNA virus families (Adenoviridae, Anelloviridae, Gammaherpesvirinae, Papillomaviridae, and Polyomaviridae) and three RNA virus taxa: the order Jingchuvirales, the genus Hepacivirus, and the delta-like virus group. Of particular note was the identification of a marsupial-specific clade of delta-like viruses that may indicate an association of deltaviruses with marsupial species. In addition, we identified a highly divergent hepacivirus in a numbat liver transcriptome that falls outside of the larger mammalian clade. We also detect what may be the first Jingchuvirales virus in a mammalian host—a chu-like virus in Tasmanian devils—thereby expanding the host range beyond invertebrates and ectothermic vertebrates. As many of these Dasyuromorphia species are currently being used in translocation efforts to reseed populations across Australia, understanding their virome is of key importance to prevent the spread of viruses to naive populations.