Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association Between Mobile Health App Engagement and Weight Loss and Glycemic Control in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes and Prediabetes (D’LITE Study): Prospective Cohort Study

Background Mobile health apps are increasingly used as early intervention to support behavior change for diabetes prevention and control, with the overarching goal of lowering the overall disease burden. Objective This prospective cohort study conducted in Singapore aimed to investigate app engagement features and their association with weight loss and improved glycemic control among adults with diabetes and prediabetes from the intervention arm of the Diabetes Lifestyle Intervention using Technology Empowerment randomized controlled trial. Methods Diabetes and prediabetes participants (N=171) with a median age of 52 years, BMI of 29.3 kg/m2, and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level of 6.5% and who were being assigned the Nutritionist Buddy Diabetes app were included. Body weight and HbA1c were measured at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. A total of 476,300 data points on daily app engagement were tracked via the backend dashboard and developer’s report. The app engagement data were analyzed by quartiles and weekly means expressed in days per week. Linear mixed model analysis was used to determine the associations between the app engagements with percentage weight and HbA1c change. Results The median overall app engagement rate was maintained above 90% at 6 months. Participants who were actively engaged in ≥5 app features were associated with the greatest overall weight reduction of 10.6% from baseline (mean difference −6, 95% CI −8.9 to −3.2; P<.001) at 6 months. Adhering to the carbohydrate limit of >5.9 days per week and choosing healthier food options for >4.3 days per week had the most impact, eliciting weight loss of 9.1% (mean difference −5.2, 95% CI −8.2 to −2.2; P=.001) and 8.8% (mean difference −4.2, 95% CI −7.1 to −1.3; P=.005), respectively. Among the participants with diabetes, those who had a complete meal log for >5.1 days per week or kept within their carbohydrate limit for >5.9 days per week each achieved greater HbA1c reductions of 1.2% (SD 1.3%; SD 1.5%), as compared with 0.2% (SD 1%; SD 0.6%). in the reference groups who used the features <1.1 or ≤2.5 days per week, respectively. Conclusions Higher app engagement led to greater weight loss and HbA1c reduction among adults with overweight or obesity with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes. Trial Registration Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) ACTRN12617001112358; https://anzctr.org. au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx? ACTRN=12617001112358
The initial motion of a gas bubble formed in an inviscid liquid

This paper deals with the initial motion of a gas bubble starting from rest in a liquid in the form of a sphere. Part 1 (Walters & Davidson 1962) was concerned with the similar problem of the initial motion of a two-dimensional bubble starting from rest in the form of a cylinder. Theory and experiments like those of Part 1 are given for the present problem, and yield qualitatively similar results, the three-dimensional bubble having an initial acceleration equal to twice that of gravity, and distorting into the form of a mushroom. This distortion ultimately causes break-up, but whereas the two-dimensional bubble always detaches two small bubbles at its rear, the three-dimensional bubble breaks up into a small spherical-cap bubble with a large toroid below. A discussion of the toroidal bubble is given, and its relation to the distorted sphere from which it is formed. The initial-motion theory is extended to deal with the problem of the growing, accelerating bubble, and leads to an expression for the volume of bubbles formed continuously at an orifice, and to a criterion for the gas flow-rate at which coalescence occurs between successive bubbles. These theoretical results are compared with experimental data from the literature and from the authors’ experiments at high gas flow-rates.
Context and Aims of the Aqua-Planet Experiment (Special Issue on The Aqua-Planet Experiment Project (APE) and Related Researches)

The Aqua-Planet Experiment (APE) was first proposed by Neale and Hoskins (2000a) as a benchmark for atmospheric general circulation models (AGCMs) on an idealised water-covered Earth. The experiment and its aims are summarised, and its context within a modelling hierarchy used to evaluate complex models and to provide a link between realistic simulation and conceptual models of atmospheric phenomena is discussed. The simplified aqua-planet configuration bridges a gap in the existing hierarchy. It is designed to expose differences between models and to focus attention on particular phenomena and their response to changes in the underlying distribution of sea surface temperature.
Barriers to anti-retroviral therapy adherence among adolescents aged 10 to 19 years living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa: A mixed-methods systematic review protocol

Background Antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence is fundamental in achieving viral load suppression and consequently attaining positive health outcomes among people living with HIV. However, ART adherence is sub-optimum among adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV) thus the high AIDS-related mortality even after World Health Organization (WHO) revised HIV treatment eligibility guidelines in 2010, 2013 and 2016. Consolidated trends of barriers to ART adherence among ALHIV aged 10 to 19 years in sub-Saharan countries post each eligibility guidelines revision to date are unknown. Methods and analysis We will conduct comprehensive search of peer-reviewed and grey literature databases publishing observational studies reporting data adherence and barriers to ART among ALHIV on ART. We will further search the reference lists of included studies and other relevant reviews. We will also do a citation search for included studies in the review. We will search in the following databases PubMed, Cochrane Review, Scopus on Excerpta Medica Database (Embase) and Cumulated Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL). Furthermore WHO, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) websites, conference proceedings and country reports will be searched to identify relevant literature. Data will be extracted from eligible studies and synthesis will be through categorizing studies by year of study, barriers, and outcomes. Meta-analysis and meta-synthesis will be conducted for quantitative and qualitative data, respectively. Where meta-synthesis is impossible, narrative synthesis will be conducted. We will only include studies conducted between 2010 and 2022 within sub-Saharan Africa countries. Discussion Adherence to ART at a high level is required to achieve adequate viral suppression and improve quality of life in ALHIV. The knowledge of barriers to ART among ALHV may aid in the design of interventions aimed at improving ART adherence. Trail registration Systematic review protocol registration: PROSPERO CRD42021284891.
3D radiative transfer simulations of Eta Carinae's inner colliding winds – I. Ionization structure of helium at apastron

The highly eccentric binary system Eta Carinae (Eta Car) shows numerous time-variable emission and absorption features. These observational signatures are the result of interactions between the complex three-dimensional (3D) wind-wind collision regions and photoionization by the luminous stars. Specifically, helium presents several interesting spectral features that provide important clues on the geometry and physical proprieties of the system and the individual stars. We use the SIMPLEX algorithm to post-process 3D smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulation output of the interacting winds in Eta Car in order to obtain the fractions of ionized helium assuming three different primary star (Eta(sub A)) mass-loss rates. The resultant ionization maps constrain the regions where helium is singly- and doubly-ionized. We find that reducing Eta(sub A)'s mass-loss rate (M((sub Eta)(sub A))) increases the volume of He+. Lowering M((sub Eta)(sub A)) produces large variations in the volume of He+ in the pre-shock Eta(sub A) wind on the periastron side of the system. Our results show that binary orientations in which apastron is on our side of the system are more consistent with available observations. We suggest that small variations in M((sub Eta)(sub A)) might explain the observed increase in He(sub I) absorption in recent decades, although numerous questions regarding this scenario remain open. We also propose that the absence of broad He(sub I) lines in the spectra of Eta Car between its 1890's eruption and approximately 1944 might be explained by Eta(sub B)'s He(sup 0+)-ionizing photons not being able to penetrate the wind-wind interaction region, due to a higher M((sub Eta)(sub A)) at that time (by a factor approximately greater than 2, compared to the present value).
The trend and pattern of adult mortality in South-Central Ethiopia: analysis using the 2008-2019 data from Butajira Health and Demographic Surveillance System

ABSTRACT Background Understanding context-specific temporal trends in mortality is essential for setting health policy priorities. Objective To investigate the trends and distribution of deaths due to communicable and non-communicable diseases and external causes in South-Central Ethiopia. Method All adult deaths captured by the Butajira Health and Demographic Surveillance System between January 2008 and December 2019 were included. A verbal autopsy method of collecting cause of death data was used. Physician review and a computerised algorithm, InterVA, were used to determine the cause of death. Coding was undertaken using the World Health Organization's International Classification of Diseases. Trends in adult mortality rate and proportional mortality were estimated by major cause of death categories. Significant trends were analysed using the Mann–Kendall statistical test with a significance set at P < 0.05. Deaths were also disaggregated by age, sex, and residence. Results There were 1,612 deaths in 279,681 person-years; 811 (50.3%) were females. The median age at death was 65 years. The proportional adult mortality and adult mortality rates (per 1000 person-years) attributed to communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases, and external causes were 31.1%, 58.9%, and 6.0%, and 1.9, 3.4, and 0.4, respectively. Adult mortality due to communicable diseases showed a declining trend (tau, the measure of the strength and direction of association, = −0.52; P < 0.05), whereas the trend increased for non-communicable diseases (tau = 0.67, P < 0.05) and external causes (tau = 0.29, P > 0.05). Moreover, death rates were pronounced in the 65+ age group and rural areas but comparable among males and females. Conclusion The trend in deaths due to communicable diseases declined but increased for non-communicable diseases and external causes with significant public health burdens. These findings will provide essential input in formulating health policy reforms to reduce premature mortality.
Strategies to improve respiratory chemoreflex characterization by Duffin's rebreathing

What is the central question of this study? We assessed the test–retest variability of respiratory chemoreflex characterization by Duffin's modified rebreathing method and explored whether signal averaging of repeated trials improves confidence in parameter estimation. What is the main finding and its importance? Modified rebreathing is a reproducible method to characterize responses of central and peripheral respiratory chemoreflexes. Signal averaging of multiple repeated tests minimizes within‐ and between‐test variability, improves the confidence of chemoreflex characterization and reduces the minimal change in parameters required to establish an effect. Future experiments that apply this method might benefit from signal averaging to improve its discriminatory effect.
SPECTRAL POLARIZATION OF THE REDSHIFTED 21 cm ABSORPTION LINE TOWARD 3C 286

A reanalysis of the Stokes-parameter spectra obtained of the z = 0.692 21 cm absorption line toward 3C 286 shows that our original claimed detection of Zeeman splitting by a line-of-sight magnetic field, Blos = 87 μG, is incorrect. Because of an insidious software error, what we reported as Stokes V is actually Stokes U: the revised Stokes V spectrum indicates a 3σ upper limit of Blos< 17 μG. The correct analysis reveals an absorption feature in fractional polarization that is offset in velocity from the Stokes I spectrum by −1.9 km s−1. The polarization position-angle spectrum shows a dip that is also significantly offset from the Stokes I feature, but at a velocity that differs slightly from the absorption feature in fractional polarization. We model the absorption feature with three velocity components against the core–jet structure of 3C 286. Our χ2 minimization fitting results in components with differing (1) ratios of H i column density to spin temperature, (2) velocity centroids, and (3) velocity dispersions. The change in polarization position angle with frequency implies incomplete coverage of the background jet source by the absorber. It also implies a spatial variation of the polarization position angle across the jet source, which is observed at frequencies higher than the 839.4 MHz absorption frequency. The multi-component structure of the gas is best understood in terms of components with spatial scales of ∼100 pc comprised of hundreds of low-temperature (T ⩽ 200 K) clouds with linear dimensions of ≪100 pc. We conclude that previous attempts to model the foreground gas with a single uniform cloud are incorrect.
Understanding the Long-Term Spectral Variability of Cygnus X-1 with Burst and Transient Source Experiment and All-Sky Monitor Observations

We present a comprehensive analysis of all observations of Cyg X-1 by the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE; 20-300 keV) and by the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer all-sky monitor (ASM; 1.5-12 keV) until 2002 June, including ~1200 days of simultaneous data. We find a number of correlations between fluxes and hardnesses in different energy bands. In the hard (low) spectral state, there is a negative correlation between the ASM 1.5-12 keV flux and the hardness at any energy. In the soft (high) spectral state, the ASM flux is positively correlated with the ASM hardness but uncorrelated with the BATSE hardness. In both spectral states, the BATSE hardness correlates with the flux above 100 keV, while it shows no correlation with the 20-100 keV flux. At the same time, there is clear correlation between the BATSE fluxes below and above 100 keV. In the hard state, most of the variability can be explained by softening the overall spectrum with a pivot at ~50 keV. There is also another, independent variability pattern of lower amplitude where the spectral shape does not change when the luminosity changes. In the soft state, the variability is mostly caused by a variable hard (Comptonized) spectral component of a constant shape superposed on a constant soft blackbody component. These variability patterns are in agreement with the dependencies of the rms variability on the photon energy in the two states. We also study in detail recent soft states from late 2000 until 2002. The last of them has lasted thus far for more than 200 days. Their spectra are generally harder in the 1.5-5 keV band and similar or softer in the 3-12 keV band than the spectra of the 1996 soft state, whereas the rms variability is stronger in all the ASM bands. On the other hand, the 1994 soft state transition observed by BATSE appears very similar to the 1996 one. We interpret the variability patterns in terms of theoretical Comptonization models. In the hard state, the variability appears to be driven mostly by changing flux in seed photons Comptonized in a hot thermal plasma cloud with an approximately constant power supply. In the soft state, the variability is consistent with flares of hybrid, thermal/nonthermal, plasma with variable power above a stable cold disk. The spectral and timing differences between the 1996 and 2000-2002 soft states are explained by a decrease of the color disk temperature. Also, on the basis of broadband pointed observations simultaneous with those of the ASM and BATSE, we find the intrinsic bolometric luminosity increases by a factor of ~3-4 from the hard state to the soft one, which supports models of the state transition based on a change of the accretion rate.
Stellar Ages through the Corners of the Boxy Bulge

Aims: In some scenarios for the formation of the Milky Way bulge, the stellar population at the edges of the boxy bulge may be younger than those on the minor axis or close to the Galactic center. So far the only bulge region where deep color-magnitude diagrams have been obtained is indeed along the minor axis. To overcome this limitation, we aim to age-date the bulge stellar populations far away from the bulge minor axis. Methods: Color-magnitude diagrams and luminosity functions have been obtained from deep near-IR VLT/HAWK-I images taken at the two Southern corners of the boxy bulge, i.e., near the opposite edges of the Galactic bar. The foreground disk contamination has been statistically removed using a pure disk field observed with the same instrument and located approximately at similar Galactic latitudes of the two bulge fields and ~30° in longitude away from the Galactic center. For each bulge field, mean reddening and distance are determined using the position of red clump stars, and the metallicity distribution is derived photometrically using the color distribution of stars in the upper red giant branch. Results: The resulting metallicity distribution function of both fields peaks around [Fe/H] ~ -0.1 dex, with the bulk of the stellar population having a metallicity within the range: -1 dex ≲ [Fe/H] ≲ +0.4 dex, quite similar to that of other inner bulge fields. As for the previously explored inner fields, the color-magnitude diagrams of the two bar fields are consistent with their stellar population being older than ~10 Gyr, with no obvious evidence of younger population. Conclusions: The stellar population of the corners of the boxy bulge appears to be coeval with those within the innermost ~4° from the Galactic center. Based on data taken at the ESO/VLT Telescope, within the observing program 081.B-0489(A). The derived photometric catalogs are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat? J/A+A/559/A98
“Feeling Good” After Exercise During a Weight Loss Program: Subjective Well-Being in Support of a Hedonic Paradigm

A large portion of the U.S. population desires to lose weight, but only a small portion maintains a desirable body weight. We examined weight loss success and the psychological benefits of exercise among men and women who were obese and initially sedentary (N = 33). These participants completed anthropometric assessments and psychological inventories before and after graded exercise tests (GXTs) at the beginning and end of their enrollment in a 6-month behavioral weight loss program (BWLP). Participants significantly decreased their body weight, body mass index (BMI), and % body fat; they also increased their aerobic capacity and exercise time. They reported long-term increases in their stage of change, self-efficacy, exercise enjoyment and processes of change. They also reported immediate changes toward more positive affect, as measured with pre-to post-GXTs on both the Profile of Mood States (POMS) and State Anxiety Subscale (A-State) at the beginning and again at end of the BWLP. Mood benefits were reported on the POMS subscales of Tension, Depression, Anger, Vigor, and Confusion. At the end of the BWLP, Fatigue and Confusion continued to improve after a 20-min post-GXT recovery period. Finally, reductions in Depression and Fatigue after the first GXT were correlated with program success, as indicated by decreases in BMI, percent body fat, and body weight. Initial scores on trait enjoyment were associated with decreased BMI and body weight. Psychological benefits of exercise may help individuals who are obese and sedentary change their behavior and exercise perceptions from something they “should do” to something they “want to do. ” Feeling good during weight loss efforts is an important pathway to change and should be an explicit component goal of BWLPs.
Revealing the influence of dark matter on the nature of motion and the families of orbits in axisymmetric galaxy models

An axially symmetric galactic gravitational model composed of a dense, massive and spherical nucleus with an additional dark matter halo component was used to distinguish between the regular and chaotic character of orbits of stars that move in the meridional plane ( R,z ). We investigated two different cases: (i) a flat-disk galaxy; (ii) an elliptical galaxy. It is of particular interest to reveal how the portion of the dark matter inside the main body of the galaxy influences the ordered or chaotic nature of motion. Varying the ratio of dark matter to stellar mass, we monitored the evolution not only of the percentage of chaotic orbits, but also of the percentages of orbits that compose the main regular resonant families, by classifying regular orbits into different families. Moreover, we tried to reveal how the starting position of the parent periodic orbits of each regular family changes with respect to the fractional portion of dark matter. We compared our results with previous similar work.
Tuberculosis treatment and resulting abnormal blood glucose: a scoping review of studies from 1981 - 2021

ABSTRACT Background Hyperglycaemia is a risk factor for tuberculosis. Evidence of changes in blood glucose levels during and after tuberculosis treatment is unclear. Objective To compile evidence of changes in blood glucose during and after tuberculosis treatment and the effects of elevated blood glucose changes on treatment outcomes in previously normoglycaemic patients. Methods Original research studies (1980 to 2021) were identified in PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL and Embase databases. Results Of the 1,277 articles extracted, 14 were included in the final review. All the studies were observational and 50% were prospective. Fasting blood sugar was the most common clinical test (64%), followed by the glycated haemoglobin test and the oral glucose tolerance test (each 50%). Most tests were conducted at baseline and in the third month of treatment. Twelve studies showed that the prevalence of hyperglycaemia in previously normoglycaemic patients decreased from baseline to follow-up and end of treatment. Three studies showed successful treatment outcomes of 64%, 75% and 95%. Patients with hyperglycaemia at baseline were more likely to develop cavitary lung lesions and poor treatment outcomes and had higher post-treatment mortality. There was no difference in outcomes by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status. Conclusion Elevated blood glucose in normoglycaemic patients receiving treatment for tuberculosis decreased by the end of treatment. Positive HIV status did not affect glucose changes during treatment. Further research is needed to investigate post-treatment morbidity in patients with baseline hyperglycaemia and the effects of HIV on the association between blood glucose and tuberculosis.