Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Use of Human Albumin Administration for the Prevention and Treatment of Hyponatremia in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background. Hyponatremia is a common complication of liver cirrhosis and aggravates patients’ outcomes. It may be corrected by human albumin (HA) infusion. Herein, we have conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy of intravenous HA administration for the prevention and treatment of hyponatremia in liver cirrhosis. Methods. Literature was searched in the PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases. If possible, a meta-analysis would be conducted. Incidence of hyponatremia, rate of resolution of hyponatremia, and serum sodium level were compared between cirrhotic patients who received and did not receive HA infusion. Odds ratios (ORs) or mean differences (MDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. The quality of evidence was assessed by the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system. Results. Initially, 3231 papers were identified. Among them, 30 studies, including 25 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and 5 cohort studies, were eligible. Among cirrhotic patients without hyponatremia, the HA infusion group had significantly lower incidence of hyponatremia (OR = 0.55, 95%CI = 0.38–0.80, p = 0.001) and higher serum sodium level (MD = 0.95, 95%CI = 0.47–1.43, p = 0.0001) as compared to the control group. Among cirrhotic patients with hyponatremia, the HA infusion group had a significantly higher rate of resolution of hyponatremia (OR = 1.50, 95%CI = 1.17–1.92, p = 0.001) as compared to the control group. Generally, the quality of available evidence is low. Conclusions. Based on the current evidence, HA may be considered for preventing the development of hyponatremia in liver cirrhosis, especially in those undergoing LVP, and treating hyponatremia. Well-designed studies are required to clarify the effects of HA infusion on hyponatremia in liver cirrhosis.
Towards Lean Automation in Construction—Exploring Barriers to Implementing Automation in Prefabrication

As a sustainable alternative to conventional cast-in-situ construction, modular construction (MC) offers several promising benefits concerning energy and waste reduction, shorter construction times, as well as increased quality. In addition, given its high degree of prefabrication, MC offers ideal conditions to solve the industry’s long-lasting productivity problem by implementing manufacturing concepts such as lean production and automation. However, in practice, the share of automation and robotics in the production process is still relatively low, which is why the potential of this construction method is currently far from being fully exploited. An overview of the particular barriers to implementing automation in the context of MC is still lacking. Therefore, a qualitative study was conducted including eight MC manufacturers from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Following a comprehensive literature review, expert interviews were conducted based on an academically proven framework. Thereby, seven barrier dimensions with 21 sub-categories could be identified. The findings of this study contribute to the understanding of current barriers to implementing automation in prefabrication and how they can be overcome most effectively. Additionally, recommendations for future research are proposed within a research agenda.
GALAXIES BEHIND THE GALACTIC PLANE: FIRST RESULTS AND PERSPECTIVES FROM THE VVV SURVEY

VISTA Variables in the Via Láctea (VVV) is an ESO variability survey that is performing observations in near-infrared bands (ZY JHKs) toward the Galactic bulge and part of the disk with the completeness limits at least 3 mag deeper than Two Micron All Sky Survey. In the present work, we searched in the VVV survey data for background galaxies near the Galactic plane using ZY JHKs photometry that covers 1.636 deg2. We identified 204 new galaxy candidates by analyzing colors, sizes, and visual inspection of multi-band (ZY JHKs) images. The galaxy candidate colors were also compared with the predicted ones by star count models considering a more realistic extinction model at the same completeness limits observed by VVV. A comparison of the galaxy candidates with the expected one by Millennium simulations is also presented. Our results increase the number density of known galaxies behind the Milky Way by more than one order of magnitude. A catalog with galaxy properties including ellipticity, Petrosian radii, and ZY JHKs magnitudes is provided, as well as comparisons of the results with other surveys of galaxies toward the Galactic plane.
Inflammatory and Prothrombotic Biomarkers, DNA Polymorphisms, MicroRNAs and Personalized Medicine for Patients with Peripheral Arterial Disease

Classical risk factors play a major role in the initiation and development of atherosclerosis. However, the estimation of risk for cardiovascular events based only on risk factors is often insufficient. Efforts have been made to identify biomarkers that indicate ongoing atherosclerosis. Among important circulating biomarkers associated with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) are inflammatory markers which are determined by the expression of different genes and epigenetic processes. Among these proinflammatory molecules, interleukin-6, C-reactive protein, several adhesion molecules, CD40 ligand, osteoprotegerin and others are associated with the presence and progression of PAD. Additionally, several circulating prothrombotic markers have a predictive value in PAD. Genetic polymorphisms significantly, albeit moderately, affect risk factors for PAD via altered lipoprotein metabolism, diabetes, arterial hypertension, smoking, inflammation and thrombosis. However, most of the risk variants for PAD are located in noncoding regions of the genome and their influence on gene expression remains to be explored. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are single-stranded, noncoding RNAs that modulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. Patterns of miRNA expression, to some extent, vary in different atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases. miRNAs appear to be useful in the detection of PAD and the prediction of progression and revascularization outcomes. In conclusion, taking into account one’s predisposition to PAD, i.e., DNA polymorphisms and miRNAs, together with circulating inflammatory and coagulation markers, holds promise for more accurate prediction models and personalized therapeutic options.
Non-empirical double-hybrid density functionals as reliable tools for electronic structure calculations

The development of universal and accurate approximations for electronic structure calculations lies at the central core of (past and modern) research in theoretical and computational chemistry. For that purpose, any reliable method needs to treat in a balanced way exchange and correlation effects arising from the intricate structure of matter at the nanoscopic level. Following this principle, we have developed a set of non-empirical (double-hybrid) density functional expressions, minimizing the parameterization and also widely applicable even for systems of considerable size, while being accurate enough to compete with wavefunction methods or even matching experimental information. The underlying expressions are now implemented in many available codes worldwide, then allowing the access to the whole set of key properties needed for addressing chemical structure, reactivity, and bonding, at all nanostructured levels and/or states of matter. Additionally, the recent extension to excited states through a time-dependent (linear-response) formalism also allows one to deal with photochemistry, photophysical, and related properties. Therefore, this family of methods can now be successfully applied to organic, inorganic, or biomolecular compounds, or any other complex system, within an affordable computational effort.
A Probabilistic Subspace Bound with Application to Active Subspaces

Given a real symmetric positive semi-definite matrix E, and an approximation S that is a sum of n independent matrix-valued random variables, we present bounds on the relative error in S due to randomization. The bounds do not depend on the matrix dimensions but only on the numerical rank (intrinsic dimension) of E. Our approach resembles the low-rank approximation of kernel matrices from random features, but our accuracy measures are more stringent. In the context of parameter selection based on active subspaces, where S is computed via Monte Carlo sampling, we present a bound on the number of samples so that with high probability the angle between the dominant subspaces of E and S is less than a user-specified tolerance. This is a substantial improvement over existing work, as it is a non-asymptotic and fully explicit bound on the sampling amount n, and it allows the user to tune the success probability. It also suggests that Monte Carlo sampling can be efficient in the presence of many parameters, as long as the underlying function f is sufficiently smooth.
DETECTION OF ATOMIC CARBON [C ii] 158 μm AND DUST EMISSION FROM A z = 7.1 QUASAR HOST GALAXY

Using the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer, we report the detection of the 158 μm [C ii] emission line and underlying dust continuum in the host galaxy of the quasar ULAS J112001.48+064124.3 (hereafter J1120+0641) at z = 7.0842 ± 0.0004. This is the highest redshift detection of the [C ii] line to date, and allows us to put the first constraints on the physical properties of the host galaxy of J1120+0641. The [C ii] line luminosity is 1.2 ± 0.2 × 109 L☉, which is a factor ∼4 lower than observed in a luminous quasar at z = 6.42 (SDSS J1148+5251). The underlying far-infrared (FIR) continuum has a flux density of 0.61 ± 0.16 mJy, similar to the average flux density of z ∼ 6 quasars that were not individually detected in the rest-frame FIR. Assuming that the FIR luminosity of LFIR = 5.8 × 1011–1.8 × 1012 L☉ is mainly powered by star formation, we derive a star formation rate in the range 160–440 M☉ yr−1 and a total dust mass in the host galaxy of 6.7 × 107–5.7 × 108 M☉ (both numbers have significant uncertainties given the unknown nature of dust at these redshifts). The [C ii] line width of σV = 100 ± 15 km s−1 is among the smallest observed when compared to the molecular line widths detected in z ∼ 6 quasars. Both the [C ii] and dust continuum emission are spatially unresolved at the current angular resolution of 2.0 × 1.7 arcsec2 (corresponding to 10 × 9 kpc2 at the redshift of J1120+0641).
Tracing the structure of the Milky Way with detached eclipsing binaries from the VVV survey – I. The method and initial results

We present the first results of a project aiming to trace the spatial structure of the Milky Way using detached eclipsing binaries (DEBs) as distance indicators. A sample of DEBs from the OGLE-II catalogue was selected and their near infrared photometry was taken from the Vista Variables in the Via Lactea (VVV) survey. The I band OGLE-II light curves are used to create models of the DEBs, which together with the VVV photometry are compared with a set of theoretical isochrones. After correcting for stellar reddening, we find a set of absolute physical parameters of components of a given binary, including absolute magnitudes and distances. With this approach we can calculate the distances with the precision better than 5 per cent. Even though we have a few systems, the distribution is not homogeneous along the line of sight, and appears to follow the overall structure of the Galaxy - several spiral arms and the Bulge are distinguishable. A number of systems can be seen behind the Bulge, reaching even the distance to the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy.
Cosmic Star-Formation Activity at z = 2.2 Probed by H α Emission-Line Galaxies

We present a pilot narrow-band survey of H-alpha emitters at z=2.2 in the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey North (GOODS-N) field with MOIRCS instrument on the Subaru telescope. The survey reached a 3 sigma limiting magnitude of 23.6 (NB209) which corresponds to a 3 sigma limiting line flux of 2.5 x 10^-17 erg s^-1 cm^-2 over a 56 arcmnin^2 contiguous area (excluding a shallower area). From this survey, we have identified 11 H-alpha emitters and one AGN at z=2.2 on the basis of narrow-band excesses and photometric redshifts. We obtained spectra for seven new objects among them, including one AGN, and an emission line above 3 sigma is detected from all of them. We have estimated star formation rates (SFR) and stellar masses (M_star) for individual galaxies. The average SFR and M_star is 27. 8M_solar yr^-1 and 4.0 x 10^10M_solar, respectivly. Their specific star formation rates are inversely correlated with their stellar masses. Fitting to a Schechter function yields the H-alpha luminosity function with log L = 42.82, log phi = -2.78 and alpha = -1.37. The average star formation rate density in the survey volume is estimated to be 0. 31M_solar yr^-1Mpc^-3 according to the Kennicutt relation between H-alpha luminosity and star formation rate. We compare our H-alpha emitters at z=2.2 in GOODS-N with narrow-band line emitters in other field and clusters to see their time evolution and environmental dependence. We find that the star formation activity is reduced rapidly from z=2.5 to z=0.8 in the cluster environment, while it is only moderately changed in the field environment. This result suggests that the timescale of galaxy formation is different among different environments, and the star forming activities in high density regions eventually overtake those in lower density regions as a consequence of "galaxy formation bias" at high redshifts.
The Digital Divide Is Aging: An Intergenerational Investigation of Social Media Engagement in China

The aging-based digital divide has gained increased research attention in recent years. This research focused on two important aspects of the aging society, the digital divide and the intergenerational differences, with regard to social media usage in China. The data were collected through a household interview, using a nationally representative sample (n= 3790) from 58 cities in mainland China. The present study investigated the association between differentiated social media usage with demographic characteristics, social economic status, physical and mental health, and social media perceptions. The results show a significant digital divide and generational differences. The existing socio-economic inequalities and demographic variance largely explained older adults’ social media access and diversity of social media engagement. Social media perceptions play more essential roles in the intensity of social media engagement for each generation group. This study contributes a better understanding of the manner in which different factors are associated with different generations’ social media engagement. A discussion is included regarding the necessity to close the aging-based digital gap in order to cope with the issue of rapid aging.
Controlling Adaptive Contention Window to Improve Safe Message Received Rate in VANET

The primary goal of Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs) is to support the secure transmission of applications via vehicles. Broadcasting is an important form of communication in the VANET network. Since there is no recovery for broadcast frames in the VANET network, the rate of receiving safe messages can become very low, especially in dense network conditions. In this paper, we present a new broadcast coordination mechanism with the aim of adaptive control of CW size to improve the received rate of safety messages. Each vehicle in the VANET can identify current local conditions of the network such as collisions or congestion by analyzing recently successfully sent and received frames. Based on the analysis of the received frame rate at each vehicle, the proposed mechanism controls the CW size and uses the EDCA mechanism to prioritize the important data flows. Using a combination of simulation tools in VANET, we build simulation scenarios in different network conditions to evaluate the received rate of safety messages compared to the default mechanism in the 802.11p standard. Simulation results have demonstrated that the proposed mechanism improves the received rate of safety messages better than the default mechanism in the 802.11p standard in all cases.
SS 433's circumbinary ring and accretion disc viewed through its attenuating disc wind

We present optical spectroscopy of the microquasar SS 433 covering a significant fraction of a precessional cycle of its jet axis. The components of the prominent stationary Hα and Hβ lines are mainly identified as arising from three emitting regions: (i) a super-Eddington accretion disc wind, in the form of a broad component accounting for most of the mass loss from the system; (ii) a circumbinary disc of material that we presume is being excreted through the binary's L2 point and (iii) the accretion disc itself as two remarkably persistent components. The accretion disc components move with a Keplerian velocity of ≳600 km s ―1 in the outer region of the disc. A direct result of this decomposition is the determination of the accretion disc size, whose outer radius attains ∼8 R ⊙ in the case of Keplerian orbits around a black hole mass of 10 M ⊙ . We determine an upper limit for the accretion disc inner to outer radius ratio in SS 433, R in /R out ∼ 0.2, independent of the mass of the compact object. The Balmer decrements, Hα/Hβ, are extracted from the appropriate stationary emission lines for each component of the system. The physical parameters of the gaseous components are derived. The circumbinary ring decrement seems to be quite constant throughout precessional phase, implying a constant electron density of log N e (cm ―3 ) ≃ 11.5 for the circumbinary disc. The accretion disc wind shows a larger change in its decrements exhibiting a clear dependence on precessional phase, implying a sinusoid variation in its electron density log N e (cm ―3 ) along our line of sight between 10 and 13. This dependence of density on direction suggests that the accretion disc wind is polloidal in nature.
Accounting for Environmental Awareness on Green Purchase Intention and Behaviour: Evidence from the Philippines

This study examines the green purchase awareness of Philippine youth consumers and its influence on green purchase intention and, ultimately, their green purchase behaviour. The study used the theory of planned behaviour as a conceptual framework. The research used an online five-point Likert scale questionnaire and gathered data from accounting and business students in the Philippines; data were collected from 923 usable respondents and then validated and analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM). The findings suggest that respondents’ awareness of environmental degradation’s consequences influences green purchase intention and positively mediates green purchase behaviour. The attitudes, norms, and respondents’ perceived behavioural control represent the environmental awareness beliefs; they positively and significantly contributed to green purchase intention, which contributed to green purchase behaviour. The study is original in that it examines the applicability of the theory of planned behaviour in the context of the Philippines, which has legislative backing for environmental awareness among the citizens. It also investigates the extent to which subjective norms can influence personal behavioural control and mediate towards green purchase intention. The findings contribute to the Philippine setting; however, it is extensible with further research on emerging nations that share societal cultures. The data obtained sufficiently explain the phenomenon using the theory of planned behaviour; combining it with Hofstede’s model of societal culture can increase explanatory power for societal-based studies on purchase intention and behaviour. In a high-power distance and collective societal-cultural setting, findings support the argument that environmental awareness contributes to green purchase intention and buyer behaviour. The proactive stance of making the population aware of the environmental effects is noticeable. However, they provide a low-level explanation of their intention to purchase green products and a medium-level explanation of translating purchase intention to purchase behaviour. Hence, we recommend the government review their approach to making people environmentally aware, which measurably translates into green purchasing intention and purchasing behaviour.
How Shareholders Impact Stakeholder Interests: A Review and Map for Future Research

Research on how shareholders influence the interests of stakeholders has proliferated in recent years, at pace with the active debate on the merits of “stakeholder capitalism. ” This research has sought to unpack: (1) the types of shareholders that affect stakeholder-relevant firm outcomes, (2) the mechanisms through which shareholders exert their influence on stakeholders’ interests, (3) the types of stakeholders that are influenced by shareholders, and (4) the factors that moderate the influence of shareholders on stakeholder-relevant firm outcomes. However, this literature is highly fragmented, as it spans the boundaries of various disciplines, draws on different theoretical frameworks, and is based on diverse assumptions. Moreover, exsiting research discusses outcome variables that are relevant to stakeholders, but not from the perspective of stakeholder interests. A comprehensive review of the literature is essential for understanding the heterogeneity of shareholders in terms of their impact on other stakeholders. In the absence of such an endeavor, we systematically review, synthesize, interpret, and critique literature published over the past three decades in leading management, sociology, finance, and accounting journals. Focusing on articles about how shareholders influence stakeholder interests through firms' decisions and outcomes, we chart a promising path for future studies to more fully unpack the complex relationships between shareholders and various other stakeholders.
Laboratory and field evaluation of polymerase chain reaction assays for diagnosis of zoonotic tuberculosis in bovine post mortem samples

The diagnosis of zoonotic tuberculosis revolves around detection of pathogen by gold standard culture method. In the live animals, tuberculin testing and interferon gamma assays are the options with their own limitation of specificity and cost effectiveness respectively. Clinical examination along with the affordable methods can lead to a definitive diagnosis which could help in decision making for not only the individual animal but also for the whole farm. During post-mortem examination, the post-mortem lesions with visible tubercle and acid fast staining give a fair idea of tuberculosis infected carcass for tuberculosis. The molecular testing of tissue samples with proven mycobacterial genus, Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (which includes M. bovis also) and M. bovis species-specific primers can add to the diagnostic strength for bovine tuberculosis. In this regard, we evaluated sequential PCRs for mycobacterial genus specific primer (hsp65), M. tuberculosis complex specific primer (IS6110 & IS1081) and M. bovis specific primer (RD4 and 500 bp) in spiked and field tissue samples of cattle. The research was carried out in 2019-20 in Division of Animal Health for framing out a diagnostic confirmation protocol for TB infected cattle on tissue samples. All the PCR assays were almost equally efficient in detection of M. bovis in spiked samples, if supported by an efficient DNA extraction method which is the foremost limiting factor. It was concluded that a combination of minimum of two assays can give a definitive result along with the support of the clinical history or post mortem outcome of the animals.