Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mixotrophic microbes create carbon tipping points under warming

1. Mixotrophs are ubiquitous and integral to microbial food webs, but their impacts on the dynamics and functioning of broader ecosystems are largely unresolved. 2. Here, we show that mixotrophy produces a unique type of food web module that exhibits unusual ecological dynamics, with surprising consequences for carbon flux under warming. We develop a generalizable model of a mixotrophic food web module that incorporates dynamic switching between phototrophy and phago-trophy to assess ecological dynamics and total system CO 2 flux. 3. We find that warming switches mixotrophic systems between alternative stable carbon states— including a phototrophy-dominant carbon sink state, a phagotrophy-dominant carbon source state and cycling between these two. Moreover, warming always shifts this mixotrophic system from a carbon sink state to a carbon source state, but a coordinated increase in nutrients can erase early warning signals of this transition and expand hysteresis. 4. This suggests that mixotrophs can generate critical carbon tipping points under warming that will be more abrupt and less reversible when combined with increased nutrient levels, having widespread implications for ecosystem functioning in the face of rapid global change.
Adverse events following immunization to booster dose (precautionary dose) of COVID-19 vaccine among health-care professionals in a tertiary care teaching institute

Background: The worldwide coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus. The Government of India announced the booster dose for patients aged 18 or older on April 10, 2022. The booster dose effectively prevented and controlled the spread of COVID-19. This booster dose was effective against Omicron variant as well. Aims and Objectives: The aims of this study were to find out the type of adverse events following immunization to booster dose (precautionary dose) and the treatment for the adverse drug reactions developed to booster dose (precautionary dose) of COVID-19 vaccine. Materials and Methods: A prospective study was conducted among 157 health-care professionals over a period of 6 months, in a tertiary care teaching hospital. Subjects were interviewed for any adverse events at the time of vaccination and followed up at 6 months for delayed adverse effects. The data were collected and entered in Microsoft Excel sheet and analyzed using SPSS software. Results: Total 157 number of health-care professionals received Booster dose (Precautionary dose) of COVID-19 vaccine in our study. Among 157 recipients, 146 were administered with Covishield vaccine (Group 1) and 11 recipients were given Covaxin (Group 2). Majority of health-care professionals were in the age group of 31–40 years. In them majority of females than males. Six recipients tested positive for COVID-19 virus with Covishield and three with Covaxin (Adverse events noted were fever, headache, body aches, chills, cough, cold, and swelling at the inj. site). There was a statistically significant difference between these two groups with P=0.01. Conclusion: This study concludes that all the reported adverse events to booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine were non serious and were mild to moderate, which have subsided with treatment. Even though few studies on first and second dose of COVID-19 vaccine have evaluated cardiac manifestations, these findings are not evident in the present study. Hence, long-term follow-up studies are required to understand the safety of these vaccines in multiple age groups and with comorbidities.
Sea Fog around the Korean Peninsula

Abstract There are many island stations that routinely observe sea fog around the Korean peninsula. Historical daytime sea fog data were used to investigate the relationships between sea fog occurrence and its associated environmental factors. The frequency of sea fog occurrence is at its maximum in July in all seas around the Korean peninsula. The frequency shows a maximum in the west sea and a minimum in the east sea in spite of their similar latitude. The value of the air temperature minus the sea surface temperature is highest in all seas in July, when the frequency of sea fog occurrence is at its maximum. The heavy frequency of sea fog occurrence appears at the strong tidal mixing region in the west sea in summer, when the temperature difference between the air and the sea surface is large. Strong tidal currents provide relatively cold surface water at the mixing region in summer. It is clearly shown that the sea fog occurrence depends on dewpoint temperature (DPT) and sea surface temperature (SST).
Stratiform Precipitation, Vertical Heating Profiles, and the Madden Julian Oscillation

The observed profile of heating through the troposphere in the Madden‐Julian oscillation (MJO) is found to be very top heavy: more so than seasonal-mean heating and systematically more so than all of the seven models for which intraseasonal heating anomaly profiles have been published. Consistently, the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) precipitation radar shows that stratiform precipitation (known to heat the upper troposphere and cool the lower troposphere) contributes more to intraseasonal rainfall variations than it does to seasonal-mean rainfall. Stratiform rainfall anomalies lag convective rainfall anomalies by a few days. Reasons for this lag apparently include increased wind shear and middle‐upper tropospheric humidity, which also lag convective (and total) rainfall by a few days. A distinct rearward tilt is seen in anomalous heating time‐height sections, in both the strong December 1992 MJO event observed by the Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere Coupled Ocean‐Atmosphere Response Experiment (TOGA COARE) and a composite MJO constructed from multiyear datasets. Interpretation is aided by a formal partitioning of the COARE heating section into convective, stratiform, and radiative components. The tilted structure after the maximum surface rainfall appears to be largely contributed by latent and radiative heating in enhanced stratiform anvils. However, the tilt of anomalous heating ahead of maximum rainfall is seen within the convective component, suggesting a change from shallower to deeper convective heating as the wet phase of the MJO approached the longitude of the observations.
Research on the role of internal audits in ensuring the effectiveness of internal control systems in the Turkish public sector

The purpose of this research is to investigate the role of internal audit units in Turkish public administrations in ensuring and improving the effectiveness of their internal control systems within the framework of the internal control components of the Public Internal Control Standards, determined on the basis of the COSO (Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission) model. In our study, the survey method was used to collect data, and questions were answered according to a five-point Likert scale. In order to obtain evidence for the construct validity of the developed scale, a factor analysis was performed, and the components were examined in line with the factor analysis. In this context, statistical data obtained for each research question were examined with a one-way analysis of variance, a t-test and a factor analysis to determine whether there was a significant difference according to gender, experience in the field of auditing, education level, type of administration, or certification variables. The survey study was conducted among internal auditors who work in public administration in Turkey. It was determined that the internal auditors do not get sufficient support from senior management and employees in terms of organizational structure to ensure the effectiveness of the internal control system.
Developing and centralising a nurse‐led local anaesthetic transperineal biopsy service during COVID

Transperineal (TP) biopsy has recently replaced the transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) approach as the ideal method of biopsy in the United Kingdom with growing trends to adopt. To minimise transmission of COVID‐19 during the first wave of the pandemic, the British Association of Urological Surgeons Section of Oncology issued guidelines reducing general anaesthesia (GA) procedures and initiate COVID‐secure ‘green’ site diagnostics. As a result of these guidelines and reduction in clinical diagnostics trust‐wide, we ceased all TRUS diagnostics and implemented a centralised, nurse‐led LA TP biopsy service.
Creative and algorithmic mathematical reasoning: effects of transfer-appropriate processing and effortful struggle

ABSTRACT Two separate studies, Jonsson et al. (J. Math Behav. 2014;36: 20–32) and Karlsson Wirebring et al. (Trends Neurosci Educ. 2015;4(1–2):6–14), showed that learning mathematics using creative mathematical reasoning and constructing their own solution methods can be more efficient than if students use algorithmic reasoning and are given the solution procedures. It was argued that effortful struggle was the key that explained this difference. It was also argued that the results could not be explained by the effects of transfer-appropriate processing, although this was not empirically investigated. This study evaluated the hypotheses of transfer-appropriate processing and effortful struggle in relation to the specific characteristics associated with algorithmic reasoning task and creative mathematical reasoning task. In a between-subjects design, upper-secondary students were matched according to their working memory capacity. The main finding was that the superior performance associated with practicing creative mathematical reasoning was mainly supported by effortful struggle, however, there was also an effect of transfer-appropriate processing. It is argued that students need to struggle with important mathematics that in turn facilitates the construction of knowledge. It is further argued that the way we construct mathematical tasks have consequences for how much effort students allocate to their task-solving attempt.
Biomarker metabolite mating of viable frozen-thawed IVP bovine embryos with pregnancy-competent recipients leads to improved birth rates.

Selection of competent recipients before embryo transfer (ET) is indispensable for improving pregnancy and birth rates in cattle. However, pregnancy prediction can fail when the competence of the embryo is ignored. We hypothesized that the pregnancy potential of biomarkers could improve with information on embryonic competence. In vitro produced (IVP) embryos cultured singly for 24 h (from d 6 to 7) were transferred to d 7 synchronized recipients as fresh or after freezing and thawing. Recipient blood was collected on d 0 (estrus; n = 108) and d 7 (4-6 h before ET; n = 107) and plasma was analyzed by nuclear magnetic resonance (1H+NMR). Spent embryo culture medium (CM) was collected and analyzed by UHPLC-MS/MS in a subset of n = 70 samples. Concentrations of metabolites quantified in plasma (n = 35) were statistically analyzed as a function of pregnancy diagnosed on d 40, d 62 and birth. Univariate analysis with plasma metabolites consisted of a block study with controllable fixed factors (i.e., embryo cryopreservation, recipient breed, and day of blood collection; Wilcoxon test and t-test). Metabolite concentrations in recipients and embryos were independently analyzed by iterations that reclassified embryos or recipients using the support vector machine (SVM). Iterations identified some competent embryos, but mostly competent recipients that had a pregnancy incompetent partner embryo. Misclassified recipients that could be classified as competent were reanalyzed in a new iteration to improve the predictive model. After subsequent iterations, the predictive potential of recipient biomarkers was recalculated. On d 0, creatine, acetone and l-phenylalanine were the most relevant biomarkers at d 40, d 62, and birth, and on d 7, l-glutamine, l-lysine, and ornithine. Creatine was the most representative biomarker within blocks (n = 20), with a uniform distribution over pregnancy endpoints and type of embryos. Biomarkers showed higher abundance on d 7 than d 0, were more predictive for d 40 and d 62 than at birth, and the pregnancy predictive ability was lower with frozen-thawed (F-T) embryos. Six metabolic pathways differed between d 40 pregnant recipients for fresh and F-T embryos. Within F-T embryos, more recipients were misclassified, probably due to pregnancy losses, but were accurately identified when combined with embryonic metabolite signals. After recalculation, 12 biomarkers increased ROC-AUC (>0.65) at birth, highlighting creatine (ROC-AUC = 0.851), and 5 new biomarkers were identified. Combining metabolic information of recipient and embryos improves the confidence and accuracy of single biomarkers.
Antecedents of the responsible acquisition of computers behaviour: Integrating the theory of planned behaviour with the value-belief-norm theory and the habits variable

The responsible behaviour of consumers that purchase green computers is a form of sustainable consumption, as green computers use less energy resulting in less CO2 emissions and the use of fewer toxic metals and materials during their production. The research question is how to encourage such behaviour. Although prior research has provided some answers by investigating the antecedents of the behaviour, it has done so through a piecemeal approach from the angles of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), the value-belief-norm (VBN) theory, and habits. The present research aims to investigate the antecedents of the responsible acquisition of computers behaviour (RACB) among Malaysian consumers by integrating the TPB and the VBN theory with the habits variable. Hypotheses and a research framework were developed based on these theories and a survey questionnaire was used to collect information on the green computer purchase behaviour of computer owners aged 17 and over in Malaysia. A total of 1,000 usable surveys were completed and structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data collected. The findings reveal that the TPB, the VBN theory, and the habits variable can be integrated to explain RACB, which is formed when biospheric values trigger subjective norms that subsequently result in the formation of habits that lead to intentions of acquiring green computers and RACB. The study’s findings show that although personal norms do not affect RACB, subjective norms affect ascriptions of responsibility, personal norms, and RACB. The findings provide insights to policymakers, NGOs, manufacturers, and marketers that can assist them in designing strategies for the effective promotion of RACB.
Genomic Surveillance of Salmonella Paratyphi A: Neglected No More?

Abstract Salmonella enterica serovar Paratyphi A, the causative agent of paratyphoid fever, is a neglected tropical disease with a high burden and mortality in low- and middle-income countries. Limited information is available regarding its genomic diversity, especially from South Asian countries that are collectively responsible for >80% of all paratyphoid cases. At the 2021 International Conference on Typhoid and Other Salmonelloses, researchers from the around the globe presented their work on Salmonella Paratyphi A genomics. Presentations described recent genomic data from South Asia and the development of Paratype, an open-access single-nucleotide polymorphism–based genotyping scheme, to segregate Salmonella Paratyphi A genomes in a systematic and sustainable manner. In this review, we attempt to summarize the progress made thus far on Salmonella Paratyphi A genomics and discuss the questions that remain to better understand the pathogen and develop interventions to fight it.
Probability in High Dimension

Abstract : Lecture notes from course ORF 570 - Probability in High Dimension, Princeton University (educational material made freely available on author's website). The aim was to introduce a set of methods, many of which have their origin in probability in Banach spaces, that arise across a broad range of contemporary problems in different areas.
Mortality in patients with COVID-19 versus non-COVID-19- related acute respiratory distress syndrome: A single center retrospective observational cohort study

The pathophysiology of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19)-related acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) varies from other pneumonia-related ARDS. We evaluated whether the mortality rates differed for COVID-19 and non-COVID-19-related ARDS in the Asian population in 2021. This single center retrospective observational cohort study included patients with COVID-19 and non-COVID-19-related ARDS that required invasive mechanical ventilation. The primary outcome was all-cause in-hospital mortality. The secondary outcomes included hospital length of stay, ICU length of stay, duration of mechanical ventilation, and ventilator-free days (VFDs) during the first 28 days. A 1:1 propensity score matching was performed to correct potential confounders by age, obesity or not, and ARDS severity. One-hundred-and-sixty-four patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria. After 1:1 propensity score matching, there were 50 patients in each group. The all-cause in-hospital mortality of all patients was 38 (38%), and no significant differences were found between COVID-19 and non-COVID-19-related ARDS (17 [34%) vs. 21 [42%], p = 0.410). Both groups had length of stay (30.0 [20.0–46.0] vs. 27.0 [13.0–45.0] days, p = 0.312), ICU length of stay (19.0 [13.0–35.0] vs. 16.0 [10.0–32.0] days, p = 0.249), length of mechanical ventilation (19.0 [10.0–36.0] vs. 14.0 [9.0–29.0] days, p = 0.488), and ventilator-free days during the first 28 days (5.5 [0.0–17.0] vs. 0.0 [0.0–14.0] days, p = 0.320). Immunocompromised status (Hazard ratio: 3.63; 95% CI: 1.51–8.74, p = 0.004) and progress to severe ARDS (Hazard ratio: 2.92; 95% CI: 1.18–7.22, p = 0.020) were significant in-hospital mortality-related confounders. There were no significant difference in mortality among both groups. Immunocompromised status and progression to severe ARDS are two possible risk factors for patients with ARDS; COVID-19 is not a mortality-related risk exposure.
Characterization of Typhoid Intestinal Perforation in Africa: Results From the Severe Typhoid Fever Surveillance in Africa Program

Abstract Background Typhoid intestinal perforation (TIP) remains the most serious complication of typhoid fever. In many countries, the diagnosis of TIP relies on intraoperative identification, as blood culture and pathology capacity remain limited. As a result, many cases of TIP may not be reported as typhoid. This study demonstrates the burden of TIP in sites in Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Ghana, Madagascar, and Nigeria. Methods Patients with clinical suspicion of nontraumatic intestinal perforation were enrolled and demographic details, clinical findings, surgical records, blood cultures, tissue biopsies, and peritoneal fluid were collected. Participants were then classified as having confirmed TIP, probable TIP, possible TIP, or clinical intestinal perforation based on surgical descriptions and cultures. Results A total of 608 participants were investigated for nontraumatic intestinal perforation; 214 (35%) participants had surgically-confirmed TIP and 33 participants (5%) had culture-confirmed typhoid. The overall proportion of blood or surgical site Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Typhi positivity in surgically verified TIP cases was 10.3%. TIP was high in children aged 5–14 years in DRC, Ghana, and Nigeria. We provide evidence for correlation between monthly case counts of S. Typhi and the occurrence of intestinal perforation. Conclusions Low S. Typhi culture positivity rates, as well as a lack of blood and tissue culture capability in many regions where typhoid remains endemic, significantly underestimate the true burden of typhoid fever. The occurrence of TIP may indicate underlying typhoid burden, particularly in countries with limited culture capability.
Effects of age on non-communicable disease risk factors among Nepalese adults

The growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and an increase in the prevalence of the underlying risk factors are creating a challenge to health systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In Nepal, deaths attributable to NCDs have been increasing, as has life expectancy. This poses questions with regards to how age and various risk factors interact in affecting NCDs. We analyzed the effects of age on NCD risk factors, using data from the Nepalese STEPs survey 2019, a nationally representative cross-sectional study. Six sociodemographic determinants, four behavioral risk factors, and four biological risk factors were examined. Age effects were analyzed among three age groups: below 35 years (young), 35–59 years (middle aged) and 60 years and above (elderly). The prevalence of selected behavioral risk factors for NCDs, notably smoking, alcohol consumption and insufficient physical activity, and some biological risk factors (hypertension, hyperlipidemia) increases with age. The prevalence of most behavioral risk factors was highest among men and women aged 60 years and above. The prevalence of hypertension and hyperlipidemia was highest among the elderly, but the prevalence of diabetes and overweight/obesity was highest among the middle aged for both sexes. Age interactions in the association between behaviors and biological risk factors were surprisingly weak. However, age interactions were significant in the association between alcohol consumption and -hypertension, -overweight/obesity and -hyperlipidemia among women. While the prevalence of NCD risk factors tends to be higher among elders, the interaction between age and risk factors is complex. Most NCD risk factors are related to behaviors, which originate in young adulthood. It is necessary to diagnose and treat biological risk factors, in younger age groups before they manifest as NCDs. Similarly, behavior change interventions need to target these younger age groups to reduce the risk of NCDs later in life.