Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of depression and its association with health-related quality of life in people with heart failure in low- and middle-income countries: a protocol for systematic review

Background: Heart failure is a serious clinical burden with variety of physical and emotional symptoms such as fatigue, reduced functional capacity, edema, dyspnea and depression. These symptoms limit patients daily physical and social activities, which reduce their health-related quality of life. The objective of this systematic review is to estimate the prevalence of depression and its association with HRQoL in people living with heart failure in LMICs. Methods: The primary outcome is the prevalence of depression in people with heart failure. The secondary outcome is association of depression with health-related quality of life. Comprehensive search of MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus and JBI EBP databases will be conducted to identify relevant studies. The methodological quality of each article will be assessed using a JBI critical appraisal instruments. A random-effects model using the DerSimonian and Laird method will be employed to estimate the regional prevalence. Heterogeneity across the studies will be assessed by Cochrane Q test and I2 statistic. A funnel plot and Egger's test will be used for assessing publication bias. This protocol is developed in accordance with the JBI methodology for systematic reviews. All statistical analyses will be performed using STATA version 17 software. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines 2020 will be followed for reporting the results. Discussion: This systematic review will provide up-to-date high-quality evidence on the impact of depression and inform healthcare policymakers on effective ways to improve care for this population in LMICs. The results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42022361759.
Analysis of particulate matter air pollution using Markov random field models of spatial dependence

Researchers are beginning to realize the need to take spatial structure into account when modeling data on air pollutants. We develop several models for particulate matter in an urban region that allow spatial dependence to be represented in different manners over a time period of one year. The models are based on a Markov random field approach, and a conceptualization of observed data as arising from two random processes, a conditionally independent observation process and a spatially dependent latent pollution process. Optimal predictors are developed for both of these processes, and predictions of the observation process are used for model assessment. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Corrosion inhibition of mild steel bars by biosurfactant produced by Penicillium citrinum

Corrosion is a major challenge in the construction technology and manufacturing industries. Not only does corrosion reduce the aesthetics of a building, but it also reduces the durability of the structure. Various efforts and research are being carried out globally to overcome this problem, ranging from prevention to maintenance processes. Due to the increased awareness of the importance of preserving the environment for health and ecological systems, studies are increasingly focused on the use of environmentally friendly corrosion inhibitors. This study focuses on the effect of different concentrations of biosurfactant produced by Penicillium Citrinum on mild steel bar corrosion. The biosurfactant was produced from indigenous fungi isolated from the municipal dumpsite and uses waste frying oil (WFO) as the sole carbon source. Weight loss experiment (gravimetric) was carried out to analyse the corrosion inhibition rate and efficiency of the biosurfactant produced. The steel bars were conditioned by immersion in the 0.9% NaCl containing biosurfactant at different concentrations (v/v) of 5%, 7.5%, and 10% for 14 days, 28 days, and 100 days. The weight loss of the coated bars was compared to those of the control samples and the non-organic surfactant, Tween 80. The discovery demonstrates that corrosion inhibition increases as biosurfactant content increases. The results show that biosurfactants secreted by an indigenous soil fungus, Penicillium citrinum have the potential as green corrosion inhibitors in mild steel bars.
Fluid simulation of the effect of a dielectric window with high temperature on plasma parameters in inductively coupled plasma

To maintain the high-density plasma source in inductively coupled plasma (ICP), very high radiofrequency power is often delivered to the antenna, which can heat the dielectric windows near the antenna to high temperature. This high temperature can modulate the plasma characteristics to a large degree. We thus study the effect of dielectric window temperature on plasma parameters in two different ICP structures based on COMSOL software. The distributions of various plasma species are examined at different dielectric window temperatures. The concentration of neutral gas is found to be largely modulated at high dielectric window temperature, which further affects the electron collision probability with neutrals and the electron temperature. However, the electron density profiles are barely affected by the dielectric window temperature, which is mainly concentrated at the center of the reactor due to the fixed power input and pressure.
A Review of HKUST-1 Metal-Organic Frameworks in Gas Adsorption

The discovery of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology-1 (HKUST-1) metal-organic framework has made a remarkable improvement in the metal-organic frameworks to achieve the goal of air polluted gas adsorption. Nowadays, HKUST-1 has become a new alternative used as an ideal platform for gas adsorption due to the open metal sites inside the structure with the large adsorption capacity and chemical tunability. The adsorption performance was related to the formation and preparation of the HKUST-1 and its effect on other fabrication parameters. The impact on the fabrications of HKUST-1, such as solvents, reactants, temperature and time, grinding process, and pressure, affected the formation of the surface area and performance of HKUST-1. Air pollution gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and methane (CH4) adsorption on HKUST-1 were studied and discussed. The structure of the HKUST-1 with the presence of the open metal sites, Lewis acid, and the benzene ring structure were the key components to act as a good adsorbate for CO2, CH4, and VOCs gas. Moreover, the incorporated post-synthesized HKUST-1, such as the added functional group, metal cations, or composite materials, could exhibit great adsorption capacities for the polluted gas instead of pristine HKUST-1.
The end of the ‘dark age’

At redshifts beyond 5–perhaps even beyond 20–stars formed within ‘subgalaxies’ and created the first heavy elements; these same systems (together perhaps with ‘miniquasars’) generated the UV radiation that ionized the IGM, and maybe also the first significant magnetic fields. These uncertain processes set the backdrop for the phenomena at z<5 that are the theme of the present conference.
Influence of alkaline activator solution ratio on the properties of biomass fly ash-based alkali-activated materials

This study explored the use of untreated high-carbon biomass fly ash (BFA) and less alkaline Na2CO3 as an activator to create alkali-activated materials (AAM). This article investigated how the Na2CO3/Na2SiO3 (SC/SS) ratio of the alkaline activator solution (AAS) influenced the setting time, structural development and physical-mechanical properties of BFA-based AAM pastes that were cured at room temperature. With an increase in the SC/SS ratio, AAM pastes’ initial and final setting times shorten, respectively. The AAM sample with the lowest density and ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) value also has the maximum water absorption. The compressive strength of AAM samples dropped after 7 days of curing while the SC/SS ratio increased. Nevertheless, after 28 days of curing, the compressive strength of AAM samples rose with a rising SC/SS ratio. The results for density, water absorption, and UPV were corroborated by the scanning electron microscope (SEM) analyses, which demonstrated that when the SC/SS ratio rises, the structure of the samples gets denser and more homogeneous, in line with the increased compressive strength of the samples.
Distribution of Microplastic Abundance and Composition in Surface Water around Anthropogenic Areas (Case Study: Jeneberang River, South Sulawesi, Indonesia)

Microplastic research in urban and industrial areas has been done newly. However, there is still an absence and very little research about microplastic abundances caused by anthropogenic activities in the traditional market, industrial, recreation, and slum area, especially in the Jeneberang River. The Jeneberang River is located in Gowa Regency with its upstream in the Bili-Bili area and empties into the high seas, namely Tanjung Bayang. Jeneberang River water is also used as a source of raw water and for other uses. Therefore, research on the distribution of microplastics in this area is significant to analyze. Microplastic abundance, size, and type research are minimal compared to marine microplastics. Surface water of the river was obtained at eight stations and grouped into four locations based on land use at the riverbank. Microplastic particles were identified using a binocular microscope and categorized by shape and size. The average microplastic concentration fluctuated. It starts from 2.00 ± 1.30 particles per liter of surface water to 5.77 ± 1.25 microplastic particles per liter of surface water. The data on microplastic engagement has been distributed normally (Shapiro-Wilk; p-value > 0.05). Microfiber is the type of microplastic that usually exists in river samples, followed by fragments and films. The Average Size of particles is between 15.33 mm and 26.67 mm. Station 1 A in ± 60 m near the traditional market has a higher microplastic concentration with an average of 5.77 ± 1.25 particle/L, compared to station 2 B and 4 B, which is 4.20 ± 1.30 and 3.93 ± 1.32, respectively.
A nonlinear theory of water waves for finite and infinite depths

This paper is concerned with the construction by a direct approach of a fairly general nonlinear theory of an incompressible inviscid fluid for application to water waves, which upon specialization yields (a) a theory suitable for deep waters, one for waters of finite (non-shallow) depth and also reduces to (c) the theory of a directed fluid sheet given previously by Green & Naghdi (Proc. R. Soc. Lond. A 347, 447—473 ( 1976 a); J. appl.Mech. 44, 523 -5 2 8 (1 9 7 7 )). Whereas our development again is based on a model known as the directed- (or Cosserat-) surfaces model, our approach to the subject differs from the earlier one in two respects: (1) the basic conservation equations are recast here in an Eulerian form by means of a procedure utilized recently for viscous fluid flow in channels Green & Naghdi (Arch. ration. Mech. Analysis 86, 3 9 -6 3 (1984)) and (2) a new procedure for identification of various quantities in the conservation equations which can be specified by constitutive equations. After development of the basic equations in the context of the purely mechanical theory (part A) and their reductions to the three above-mentioned categories for an incompressible, homogeneous, inviscid fluid, the rest of the paper (arranged as parts B, C, and D) deals with applications to various water wave problems under gravity. These include steady-state solutions for surface disturbance of a stream by pressure when the fluid depth may be any one of the above-mentioned three categories and a detailed study of nonlinear stern waves over waters of infinite depth.
Direct and Reverberant Field Amplitude Distributions in Nearly Hard Rooms

The probability distribution of pressure amplitudes in a room is studied theoretically and experimentally. A point source is assumed to emit a Poisson sequence of pulses. The method of cumulant generating functions is used to obtain the distribution of response in the direct field, the reverberant field, and the transition region. In the direct field, the source statistics are reproduced. For sufficiently reverberant spaces, the reverberant field tends to normality independently of the source distribution. For sufficiently short pulses (or short autocorrelation time of the source) the direct and reverberant fields are statistically independent. When these simplifying conditions are not met, we indicate how the results may be generalized. Implications for calculations of random fatigue and component malfunction are discussed briefly.
Extensive, high-speed gas around the Trapezium cluster of the Orion nebula (M42, NGC 1976)

Very sensitive, spatially resolved observations of [0 III] 5007-A line profiles have been obtained, with the Manchester echelle spectrometer combined with the Isaac Newton telescope, along one slit length near the Trapezium group of stars in the Orion nebula. The presence of the approaching side of some kind of ionized shell, ≃1 arcmin in radius and expanding radially from the cluster at ≃100 km s −1 , is dramatically confirmed, although complexities in the small-scale structure of the outflow demand a complicated explanation. A similarly extensive receding counterpart is not found. Various mechanisms for the creation of this 1 arcmin radius feature are considered
COVID-19 and Mental Health in China: Effects of Personality and Demographics

China was the first country affected by the COVID-19 virus and it reacted strongly in the first months of 2020. This paper presents new evidence on the deterioration in mental health in China between 2018 and 2020. Using two waves of the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) we can follow the same individuals pre and during the pandemic periods. We find clear evidence of a moderate level of mental health deterioration between 2018 and 2020. The prevalence of severe cases of depression, measured using an eight-item version of the common CES-D scale, increased from 6.33% in 2018 to 7.54% in 2020; quantifiable as around a 19% increase. This deterioration is higher for individuals who are subject to strict lockdowns, about 0.3 symptoms more on average, and it is stronger among those who already reported symptoms of depression in the 2018 wave of data. The effects we find are larger for individuals with more open personalities: one standard deviation of the Openness trait corresponds to 0.08 more symptoms, while more Neurotic individuals do not seem to be more affected. Younger cohorts and individuals with lower levels of education are more affected. Males seem slightly more affected than females, although this difference is statistically non-significant.
Germline loss-of-function PAM variants are enriched in subjects with pituitary hypersecretion

Introduction Pituitary adenomas (PAs) are common, usually benign tumors of the anterior pituitary gland which, for the most part, have no known genetic cause. PAs are associated with major clinical effects due to hormonal dysregulation and tumoral impingement on vital brain structures. PAM encodes a multifunctional protein responsible for the essential C-terminal amidation of secreted peptides. Methods Following the identification of a loss-of-function variant (p.Arg703Gln) in the peptidylglycine a-amidating monooxygenase (PAM) gene in a family with pituitary gigantism, we investigated 299 individuals with sporadic PAs and 17 familial isolated PA kindreds for PAM variants. Genetic screening was performed by germline and tumor sequencing and germline copy number variation (CNV) analysis. Results In germline DNA, we detected seven heterozygous, likely pathogenic missense, truncating, and regulatory SNVs. These SNVs were found in sporadic subjects with growth hormone excess (p.Gly552Arg and p.Phe759Ser), pediatric Cushing disease (c.-133T>C and p.His778fs), or different types of PAs (c.-361G>A, p.Ser539Trp, and p.Asp563Gly). The SNVs were functionally tested in vitro for protein expression and trafficking by Western blotting, splicing by minigene assays, and amidation activity in cell lysates and serum samples. These analyses confirmed a deleterious effect on protein expression and/or function. By interrogating 200,000 exomes from the UK Biobank, we confirmed a significant association of the PAM gene and rare PAM SNVs with diagnoses linked to pituitary gland hyperfunction. Conclusion The identification of PAM as a candidate gene associated with pituitary hypersecretion opens the possibility of developing novel therapeutics based on altering PAM function.
Application of Elastic Net Regression for Modeling COVID-19 Sociodemographic Risk Factors

Objectives: COVID-19 has been at the forefront of global concern since its emergence in December of 2019. Determining the social factors that drive case incidence is paramount to mitigating disease spread. We gathered data from the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) along with Democratic voting percentage to attempt to understand which county-level sociodemographic metrics had a significant correlation with case rate for COVID-19. Methods: We used elastic net regression due to issues with variable collinearity and model overfitting. Our modelling framework included using the ten Health and Human Services regions as submodels for the two time periods 22 March 2020 to 15 June 2021 (prior to the Delta time period) and 15 June 2021 to 1 November 2021 (the Delta time period). Results: Statistically, elastic net improved prediction when compared to multiple regression, as almost every HHS model consistently had a lower root mean square error (RMSE) and satisfactory R2 coefficients. These analyses show that the percentage of minorities, disabled individuals, individuals living in group quarters, and individuals who voted Democratic correlated significantly with COVID-19 attack rate as determined by Variable Importance Plots (VIPs). Conclusions: The percentage of minorities per county correlated positively with cases in the earlier time period and negatively in the later time period, which complements previous research. In contrast, higher percentages of disabled individuals per county correlated negatively in the earlier time period. Counties with an above average percentage of group quarters experienced a high attack rate early which then diminished in significance after the primary vaccine rollout. Higher Democratic voting consistently correlated negatively with cases, coinciding with previous findings regarding a partisan divide in COVID-19 cases at the county level. Our findings can assist policymakers in distributing resources to more vulnerable counties in future pandemics based on SVI.
Immunogenicity, Safety and Effectiveness of COVID-19 Pfizer-BioNTech (BNT162b2) mRNA Vaccination in Immunocompromised Adolescents and Young Adults: A systematic Review and Meta-Analyses

People with weak immune systems are more likely to develop severe COVID-19, less likely to be included in vaccine controlled studies but more likely to be under-vaccinated. We review post-marketing studies to examine the immunogenicity, safety and effectiveness of BNT162b2 vaccine in immunocompromised adolescents and young adults (AYA). We searched more than three international databases from 2020 to 30 May 2022 and used the ROBINS-I for bias assessment. Random effect model was used to estimate pooled proportion, log RR, and mean difference. Egger's regression and Begg's rank correlation were used to examine publication bias. 47 full texts were reviewed, and nine were included. Conditions studied were rheumatic diseases, diabetes mellitus, Down syndrome, solid tumours, neurodisability, and cystic fibrosis. Eight studies used cohort designs and one used cross-sectional designs. Europe led most of the investigations. Most studies had unclear risk of bias and none could rule out selection bias, ascertainment bias, or selective outcome reporting. The overall estimated proportion of combined local and systemic reactions after the first BNT162b2 vaccination was 30%[95% CI: 17-42%] and slightly rose to 32% [95% CI: 19-44%] after the second dose. Rheumatic illnesses had the highest rate of AEFI (40%[95% CI: 16-65%]), while cystic fibrosis had the lowest (27%[95% CI: 17%-38%]). Hospitalizations for AEFIs were rare. Healthy controls exhibited higher levels of neutralizing antibodies and measured IgG than immunocompromised AYA, although pooled estimations did not demonstrate a statistically significant difference after primary dose. BNT162b2 is safe and effective in immunocompromised AYA, with no significant difference to healthy controls. However, current evidence is low to moderate due to high RoB. Our research advocates for improving methodology in studies including specific AYA population.
The diameter of Pallas from its occultation of SAO 85009

The May 29, 1978, occultation of SAO 85009 by Pallas was observed photoelectrically at seven widely spaced sites. The observations are well represented by an elliptical apparent limb profile having semimajor and semiminor axes of 279.5 + or - 2.9 and 262.7 + or - 4.5 km, respectively. Combining these results with published information on the light curve and rotational pole position, Pallas's mean diameter is found to be 538 + or - 12 km, which yields a mean density for Pallas of 2.8 + or - 0.5 g/cu cm and a visual geometric albedo of 0.103 + or - 0.005. The diameter of Pallas as determined from this occultation is significantly smaller than the values derived by radiometric, polarimetric, and double-image techniques.
Microbes and microbial processes in sediments

Buried sediments are generally characterized by the absence of oxygen and so microbial processes will be dominated by the activity of anaerobic bacteria. Carbon turn over in the presence of electron acceptors therefore involves interaction of the carbon, nitrogen and sulphur cycles. In the absence of electron acceptors other methods of energy conservation become significant. Interspecies H2-transfer permits the use of otherwise energetically unfavourable reactions. Conservation of the energy in polyphosphate bonds and reduction of Fe (III) and Mn (IV ) to produce more energetically favourable end-products are other mechanisms available to benthic bacteria. The reduction of CO2 to acetate may require more serious consideration as a hydrogen sink in certain sediments. The list of substrates known to be susceptible to attack by anaerobic bacteria has grown rapidly in recent years and estimates are now available for the turnover of refractory components such as lignin. Finally, bacteria are considered as producers of biomass, particularly of specific cell components that may be used as biomarkers to identify zones of activity. The key features of such biomarkers are identified.
Design Criteria for Local Euler Preconditioning

Euler preconditioning has remarkable benefits in removing stiffness, making systems of equations behave as a scalar equation, preserving accuracy, and decoupling the Euler equations. Design criteria for optimal Euler preconditioning are discussed that retain the basic preconditioning benefits and remove the causes of instabilities due to the use of preconditioning. New families of 1D and 2D optimal Euler preconditioners are presented that may satisfy the design criteria in an optimal way. In particular, focusing on resolution of the stability problem associated with stagnation points, a stagnation preconditioner and a suboptimal Van Leer? Lee? Roe preconditioner are studied. These preconditioners are less sensitive to flow-angle variation across cells and/or produce a closer-to-orthogonal eigenvector system.