Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Congenital Heart Disease and the Risk of Cancer: An Update on the Genetic Etiology, Radiation Exposure Damage, and Future Research Strategies

Epidemiological studies have shown an increased prevalence of cancer in patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) as compared with the general population. The underlying risk factors for the acquired cancer risk remain poorly understood, and shared genetic anomalies and cumulative radiation exposure from repeated imaging and catheterization procedures may be contributing factors. In the present review, we provide an update on the most recent literature regarding the associations between CHD and cancer, with a particular focus on genetic etiology and radiation exposure from medical procedures. The current evidence indicates that children with CHD may be a high-risk population, already having the first genetic “hit”, and, consequently, may have increased sensitivity to ionizing radiation from birth or earlier. Future research strategies integrating biological and molecular measures are also discussed in this article.
Tilings and patterns : an introduction

"Tilings and Patterns: An Introduction" presents in convenient paperback form the first half of "Tilings and Patterns". Omitting the more specialized material of the earlier volume, this abbreviated edition make's the authors' contributions to tiling theory and its practical applications accessible to a wide audience. "Tilings and Patterns: An Introduction" covers historical background, tilings of regular polygons, topological and symmetry properties of tilings, the theory of patterns, and special cases of pattern motifs, among other topics. The authors' presentation is enhanced by hundreds of illustrations that form a visual reference in themselves. This volume is a source of information and examples for designers, artists, architects, engineers, mathematicians, crystallographers, chemists, physicists and others.
Analysis of Midrapidity  \({p_t}\) Distributions of Identified Charged Particles in Pb + Pb Collisions at \({\sqrt{S_{nn}}}\) = 5.02 TeV Using Tsallis Distribution with Embedded Transverse Flow

The midrapidity transverse momentum distributions of the charged pions, kaons, protons, and antiprotons, measured by ALICE Collaboration at ten centrality classes of Pb + Pb collisions at = 5.02 TeV in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC, CERN, Switzerland), are successfully analyzed using combined minimum χ2 fits with a thermodynamically non-consistent, as well as thermodynamically consistent, Tsallis function with transverse flow. The extracted non-extensivity parameter q decreases systematically for all considered particle species with increasing Pb+Pb collision centrality, suggesting an increase in the degree of system thermalization with an increase in collision centrality. The results for q suggest quite a large degree of thermalization of quark–gluon plasma (QGP) created in central Pb + Pb collisions at = 5.02 TeV with the average number of participant nucleons > 160. The obtained significantly different growth rates of transverse flow velocity, , in regions < 71 ± 7 and > 71 ± 7 with the temperature parameter T0 remaining constant within uncertainties in region > 71 ± 7 probably indicates that ≈ 71 ± 7 (corresponding to ≈ 251 ± 20) is a threshold border value for a crossover transition from a dense hadronic state to the QGP phase (or mixed phase of QGP and hadrons) in Pb + Pb collisions at = 5.02 TeV. The threshold border value for transverse flow velocity ≈ 0.46 ± 0.03 (corresponding to ≈ 71 ± 7), estimated by us in Pb + Pb collisions at = 5.02 TeV, agrees well with the corresponding border value ≈ 0.44 ± 0.02, recently obtained in Xe + Xe collisions at = 5.44 TeV, and with almost constant values extracted earlier in the Beam Energy Scan (BES) program of the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider (RHIC, Brookhaven, USA) in central Au + Au collisions in the = 7.7 − 39 GeV energy range, where the threshold for QGP production is achieved. The correlations between extracted T0 and parameters are found to be greatly different in regions < 0.46 and > 0.46, which further supports our result obtained for the threshold border value in Pb + Pb collisions at = 5.02 TeV.
Risk Assessment of Acute Myocardial Infarction and Stroke Associated with Long-Acting Muscarinic Antagonists, Alone or in Combination, versus Long-Acting beta2-Agonists

Background The long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) aclidinium was approved in Europe in 2012 to relieve symptoms in adult patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A post-authorization safety study was initiated to assess potential cardiovascular risks associated with LAMAs versus long-acting beta2-agonists. Purpose To estimate incidence rates and adjusted incidence rate ratios (IRRs) for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), stroke, and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) in new users of aclidinium, aclidinium/formoterol, tiotropium, other LAMA, long-acting beta-agonists/inhaled corticosteroids (LABA/ICS), and LAMA/LABA compared with initiators of LABA. Patients and Methods This population-based cohort study included patients with COPD aged ≥40 years initiating COPD medications in the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) Aurum database from 2012 to 2019. Poisson regression models were used to estimate the IRR for AMI, stroke, and MACE in users of COPD medications versus LABA, adjusting for clinically relevant covariables. Results The study included 11,121 new users of aclidinium, 4804 of aclidinium/formoterol, 56,198 of tiotropium, 23,856 of other LAMA, 17,450 of LAMA/LABA, 70,289 of LABA/ICS, and 13,716 of LABA. During periods of continuous medication use after initiation (current use), crude incidence rates per 1000 person-years for AMI ranged from 8.7 (aclidinium/formoterol) to 12.4 (LAMA/LABA), for stroke ranged from 4.8 (aclidinium/formoterol) to 7.2 (LAMA/LABA), and for MACE ranged from 13.5 (aclidinium/formoterol) to 19.3 (LAMA/LABA). Using LABA as reference, adjusted IRRs [95% confidence intervals] were close to 1 for all study drugs for AMI (lowest for aclidinium/formoterol, 0.95 [0.60–1.52], and highest for LAMA/LABA, 1.23 [0.91–1.67]), stroke (lowest for aclidinium/formoterol, 0.64 [0.39–1.06], and highest for tiotropium, 1.02 [0.81–1.27] for tiotropium) and for MACE (lowest for aclidinium, 0.93 [0.75–1.16], and highest for LAMA/LABA, 1.24 [0.97–1.59]). Conclusion Risks of AMI, stroke, and MACE in current users of aclidinium, aclidinium/formoterol, tiotropium, other LAMA, LAMA/LABA, or LABA/ICS were similar to the risks among current users of LABA.
Efficiency of nanoparticles (titanium dioxide and zinc oxide) in stimulating the growth of different cultivars of wheat plants Triticum aestivum L

The wheat plant, Triticum aestivum L. , is one of top cereal crops in the world, followed by the rice and corn crops; and it is one of the most important food crops for more than a third of the world's population. in recent times, several studies focused on finding ways to increase and encourage growth and production of wheat, and among these methods is the use of nanomaterials. The present study has been conducted to evaluate the nanomaterials titanium dioxide (TiO2) and zinc oxide (ZnO) efficacy in the growth promoting of three cultivars of wheat plant (Ibaa 99, Abu Ghraib and Bhooth 22). Laboratory experiments proved the non-toxicity of TiO2 and ZnO on the germination of wheat seeds. All treatments were 100% germinated, whereas the results showed the superiority of TiO2 in stimulating all examined parameters. The examined parameters, whether in Petri plates or pots, including the length of the radicle and hypocotyl, compared to a control treatment. The results of the pots experiment showed that the concentration of 100 ppm significantly exceeded the rest of the tested concentrations (0, 25 and 50 ppm), and the Abu Ghraib cultivar was the most responsive to nanomaterials. It is worth noting that the nanomaterials TiO2 and ZnO at a concentration of 100 ppm led to an increase in some biochemical indicators, including photosynthesis pigments, carbohydrate content and proline, compared to the control treatment in the cultivar Abu Ghraib . The current study recommends that TiO2 and ZnO should be used in the treatment of wheat plants, with more studies being conducted on other economic plants.
Prognostic Stratification of Multiple Myeloma Using Clinicogenomic Models: Validation and Performance Analysis of the IAC-50 Model

A growing need to evaluate risk-adapted treatments in multiple myeloma (MM) exists. Several clinical and molecular scores have been developed in the last decades, which individually explain some of the variability in the heterogeneous clinical behavior of this neoplasm. Recently, we presented Iacobus-50 (IAC-50), which is a machine learning-based survival model based on clinical, biochemical, and genomic data capable of risk-stratifying newly diagnosed MM patients and predicting the optimal upfront treatment scheme. In the present study, we evaluated the prognostic value of the IAC-50 gene expression signature in an external cohort composed of patients from the Total Therapy trials 3, 4, and 5. The prognostic value of IAC-50 was validated, and additionally we observed a better performance in terms of progression-free survival and overall survival prediction compared with the UAMS70 gene expression signature. The combination of the IAC-50 gene expression signature with traditional prognostic variables (International Staging System [ISS] score, baseline B2-microglobulin, and age) improved the performance well above the predictability of the ISS score. IAC-50 emerges as a powerful risk stratification model which might be considered for risk stratification in newly diagnosed myeloma patients, in the context of clinical trials but also in real life.
Monetary stimulus and bank liquidity hoarding in an emerging market

The paper examines the impact of monetary policy on bank liquidity hoarding. Using novel measures to capture bank liquidity hoarding in Vietnam during 2007–2019, we find that banks decrease total liquidity hoarding and all three liquidity hoarding components (asset-, liability-, and off-balance sheet items) when the central bank injects more money into the economy. An interesting result appears when we document that banks hoard more liquidity in the event of lowered interest rates. Our additional analysis indicates that the extent to which bank liquidity hoarding responds to monetary policy changes is clearer in lower-risk banks.
Fundamental properties of High-Mass X-ray Binaries

The aim of this PhD Thesis is to characterize a representative sample of Supergiant X-ray Binaries (SGXBs) formed by 4 sources: XTE J1855-026, a classical SGXB with long-term stable X-ray flux; AX J1841.0-0535 and AX J1845.0-0433, two supergiant fast X-ray transients (SFXTs) with the X-ray emission mostly dominated by flaring; and IGR J00370+6122, something in between these 2 sub-groups. The physical processes that produce these observable differences are still a matter of debate. In this PhD Thesis I performed a study of these 4 different systems to provide new data to constrain the models. This study consists of:(i) the determination of the orbital solution,(ii) a systematic study of the wind behavior along the orbit by the measure of Halpha variations,(iii) a model of stellar atmospheres of the donor star,(iv) establish whether there are X-ray flux variations modulated by the orbital period. The study of the wind shows that Halpha variations are dominated by intrinsic wind processes. The stellar atmospheres study shows that the supergiant stars that harbor these binaries have a higher projected rotational velocity, higher He abundance and higher N/C ratio than that of isolated supergiant stars. The results of this study show that the eccentricity of the binary does not have a simple correlation with the differences in the X-ray flux of the different sub-groups. Therefore, the idea of a more complex scenario is consolidated. The discovery of a new type of system, IGR J00370+6122, which properties do not fit in any of the established sub-groups, reinforces the idea of a continuum in the observed properties more than a strict classification of systems. Furthermore, I have developed a pipeline to reduce spectra of the FRODOSpec spectrograph at the Liverpool Telescope optimized for the reduction of the red spectra of the obscured supergiants that we find in these SGXBs.
The enigma of infra-slow fluctuations in the human EEG

Spontaneous Infra-Slow Fluctuations (ISFs) of the human EEG (EEG-ISFs) were discovered 60 years ago when appropriate amplifiers for their recordings were designed. To avoid skin-related artifacts the recording of EEG-ISFs required puncturing the skin under the electrode. In the beginning of the 21st century the interest in EEG-ISFs was renewed with the appearance of commercially available DC-coupled amplified and by observation of ISFs of the blood oxygen level–dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging signal at a similar frequency. The independent components of irregular EEG-ISFs were shown to correlate with BOLD signals which in turn were driven by changes in arousal level measured by galvanic skin response (GSR), pupil size and HRV. There is no consensus regarding the temporal organization of EEG-ISFs: some studies emphasize the absence of peaks on EEG-ISFs spectra, some studies report prominent oscillations with frequency around 0.1 or 0.02 Hz, while some emphasize multiple discrete infraslow oscillations. No studies used parameters of EEG-ISFs as neuromarkers to discriminate psychiatric patients from healthy controls. Finally, a set of working hypotheses is suggested that must be tested in future research to solve the enigma of EEG-ISFs.
Optical properties of vanadium pentoxide in the region of photon energies from 2 eV to 14 eV

Measurements of the reflectrance R for V/sub 2/O/sub 5/ single crystals and photon energies h.omega. from 2 eV to 14 eV are given, and the spectral dependence of the real and imaginary parts of the dielectric constant epsilon and of the refractive index N is calculated for h.omega. 3d (V/sup +5/) electronic transitions and for h.omega. >8 eV or 9 eV with transitions between the 2p (O/sup -2/) and 4s (V/sup +5/) electronic states. It is shown that the dispersion of epsilon for h.omega. below the intrinsic absorption edge is chiefly determined by strong optical transitions near 3 eV, and the absorption edge in this material corresponds to the low energy tail of a weak absorption band with a maximum at 2.5 eV. An investigation of the shape of the R (h.omega.) extrema of V/sub 2/O/sub 5/ single crystals is carried out, and a comparison of these characteristics with the analogous dependencies for other oxides of transition metals (SrTiO/sub 3/ andmore » NiO) as well as with the transmission spectra of dilute solutions of V/sub 2/O/sub 5/ is made. On the basis of such an investigation a hypothesis is given about the significant contribution that localized excitations together with interband transitions, make to the optical properties of this material. (AIP)« less
Effect of Use of Tacit Knowledge Transfer Techniques on Organizational Performance of Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization Researchers

Tacit knowledge is key in managing the performance of agricultural research organizations. This study analyzed the adequacy of tacit knowledge transfer techniques, how tacit knowledge transfer enables achievement of performance indicators of Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), and the nature of association between tacit knowledge transfer and researchers' performance. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design, used cluster sampling and a semi-structured questionnaire to collect data from 191 respondents in KALRO research centers. Data were analyzed using the Likert scale and Chi-square in Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. Collaborative research, workshops and seminars are the most adequate techniques for transferring tacit knowledge among agricultural researchers and enhancing their performance. Cognitive Self-Motivation, collective and local tacit knowledge are the most useful types of tacit knowledge in enhancing agricultural researchers' performance. Management of agricultural research projects and writing of research fund-winning proposals were the performance indicators that researchers were most enabled to attain by tacit knowledge. Chi-square showed that there was significant association between the types of tacit knowledge and performance of researchers. In conclusion, use of tacit knowledge transfer techniques enables researchers to achieve their organization’s performance indicators and a significant positive association exists between tacit knowledge and researchers’ performance. KALRO needs to encourage more use of the most employed techniques in management of agricultural research projects and writing of research fund winning proposals through workshops, seminars and its knowledge management policy.
Modelling glacier mass balance and climate sensitivity in the context of sparse observations: application to Saskatchewan Glacier, western Canada

Abstract. Glacier mass balance models are needed at sites with scarce long-term observations to reconstruct past glacier mass balance and assess its sensitivity to future climate change. In this study, North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR) data were used to force a physically based, distributed glacier mass balance model of Saskatchewan Glacier for the historical period 1979–2016 and assess its sensitivity to climate change. A 2-year record (2014–2016) from an on-glacier automatic weather station (AWS) and historical precipitation records from nearby permanent weather stations were used to downscale air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, incoming solar radiation and precipitation from the NARR to the station sites. The model was run with fixed (1979, 2010) and time-varying (dynamic) geometry using a multitemporal digital elevation model dataset. The model showed a good performance against recent (2012–2016) direct glaciological mass balance observations as well as with cumulative geodetic mass balance estimates. The simulated mass balance was not very sensitive to the NARR spatial interpolation method, as long as station data were used for bias correction. The simulated mass balance was however sensitive to the biases in NARR precipitation and air temperature, as well as to the prescribed precipitation lapse rate and ice aerodynamic roughness lengths, showing the importance of constraining these two parameters with ancillary data. The glacier-wide simulated energy balance regime showed a large contribution (57 %) of turbulent (sensible and latent) heat fluxes to melting in summer, higher than typical mid-latitude glaciers in continental climates, which reflects the local humid “icefield weather” of the Columbia Icefield. The static mass balance sensitivity to climate was assessed for prescribed changes in regional mean air temperature between 0 and 7 ∘C and precipitation between −20 % and +20 %, which comprise the spread of ensemble Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) climate scenarios for the mid (2041–2070) and late (2071–2100) 21st century. The climate sensitivity experiments showed that future changes in precipitation would have a small impact on glacier mass balance, while the temperature sensitivity increases with warming, from −0.65 to −0.93 m w.e. a−1 ∘C−1. The mass balance response to warming was driven by a positive albedo feedback (44 %), followed by direct atmospheric warming impacts (24 %), a positive air humidity feedback (22 %) and a positive precipitation phase feedback (10 %). Our study underlines the key role of albedo and air humidity in modulating the response of winter-accumulation type mountain glaciers and upland icefield-outlet glacier settings to climate.
Using the history of plate tectonics to teach the nature of science

ABSTRACT Current science education efforts emphasise the need to train students to understand the nature of scientific work. In geosciences, training students to understand how science works does not only promote their interest and community engagement in the field, but also has the potential to promote awareness and ethics. However, instructional activities using an explicit and reflective approach to promote students’ learning of the nature of science concepts remain scant. In this paper, a two-class unit intervention using an explicit reflective approach to the teaching of nature of science was used in an undergraduate lesson on the history of plate tectonics. We measured the influence of the lesson on students’ nature of science knowledge using the Student Understanding of Science and Scientific Inquiry instrument. We collected parallel quantitative and qualitative pre- and post-intervention data from 37 community college students involved in a physical geology course. Quantitative and qualitative data analysis indicated that students’ nature of science knowledge related to the tentativeness of scientific theories and the role of society and culture in science improved after the intervention unit. Results imply that geoscience educators should consider using explicit and reflective approaches when using the history of science to teach about the nature of science.
A paediatric pain assessment and management survey at Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa.

BACKGROUND Painful experiences are common in the paediatric inpatient population. Immaturity and cognitive impairment may preclude clear description of such experiences, and requests for analgesia when needed. Methods of pain assessment and guidelines for treatment in the paediatric population are well established, but are not widely used. Limited data suggest that the situation is similar in South Africa (SA). OBJECTIVES To review the assessment and management of pain in SA medical paediatric inpatients. The primary objective was to determine the proportion of children who receive analgesia where indicated. The secondary objectives were to determine the prevalence of pain, at presentation and among admitted patients, whether pain evaluations were performed and pain treated, and the adequacy of such treatment. METHODS A prospective cross-sectional survey of medical paediatric inpatients at Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital (RMMCH) in Johannesburg, SA, was conducted. The tool used for data collection was specifically designed for the study, with sections for demographic data, patient or caregiver interview, and chart review. Pain assessments were done using the revised Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability Scale and the Neonatal/Infant Pain Scale. The analysis consisted of descriptive statistics of epidemiological data and comparative statistics using grouped variables, with the level of significance set at p<0.05. RESULTS The sample consisted of 74 children, aged between 3 days and 4 years. Male patients accounted for 58% of the cohort. The prevalence of pain at admission was 73% (n=53). Eight percent (n=6) of the study sample had pain evaluation at admission, and only 1 child had been evaluated for pain within the preceding 24 hours. Of the 74 patients reviewed, 10% (n=7) received appropriate analgesia. Paracetamol was given to 31% of patients (n=23), either for pyrexia or for an undocumented indication. More than half of the study sample (59%; n=44) received no analgesia. The presence of pain, both by caregiver report (p=0.62) and by pain score (p=0.074), was not associated with the administration of analgesia. CONCLUSION Pain in the paediatric population at RMMCH was found to be common, but it was seldom assessed, and validated pain scores were rarely used. The result was inadequate pain management in all the four domains of assessment, intervention, reassessment and ongoing management.