Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On the Evolution of Stars that Form Electron-degenerate Cores Processed by Carbon Burning. V. Shell Convection Sustained by Helium Burning, Transient Neon Burning, Dredge-out, Urca Cooling, and Other Properties of an 11 M☉ Population I Model Star

A stellar model of mass 11 M☉ and Population I composition is evolved from the hydrogen-burning main sequence through the core carbon-burning phase. In contrast with 9, 10, and 10.5 M☉ models studied in earlier papers of this series, carbon burning is ignited at the center of the 11 M☉ model. Like the 10.5 M☉ model, the 11 M☉ model experiences a dredge-out episode at the end of the carbon-burning phase. At the beginning of this episode, a semiconvective zone forms at the base of the hydrogen-rich envelope and carries hydrogen inward in mass toward the outer edge of a fully convective zone that is sustained by helium burning at its base. Hydrogen diffuses into the helium-rich convective zone untila hydrogen shell flash occurs. Helium burning dies out and the outer edge of the convective layer,sustained by fluxes due to hydrogen burning, extends outward in mass through hydrogen-rich material, mixing freshly synthesized nuclei outward. Then, hydrogen burning dies out and the outer edge of the convective shell, now sustained primarily by fluxes due to the release of gravothermal energy, moves outward until it reaches the inner edge of the convective envelope. Freshly synthesized material is then convected to the surface. Mixing during the final phase of homogenization in the convective envelope is maintained by fluxes due to the release of gravothermal energy. At the end of the dredge-out phase, the surface nitrogen abundance has decreased and the C/N ratio has changed from less than unity to larger than unity, showing that mixing has extended into regions where helium burning has manufactured substantial quantities of 12C and destroyed 14N. Prior to the dredge-out phase, neon burning is narrowly averted, and, after the dredge-out phase, neutrino losses due to electron capture and decay reactions between A=25 and A=23 isotopes in and above convective Urca shells cool the inner portions of the electron-degenerate oxygen-neon (ONe) core. Ultimately, the model becomes a thermally pulsing super-asymptotic giant branch (TPSAGB) star with an ONe core of mass ~1.368 M☉. Hydrogen and helium burning over a period of ~1.4×104 yr of TPSAGB evolution add a carbon-oxygen layer of mass ~0.014 M☉ to the electron-degenerate core. Then, electron captures on products of carbon burning lead to the collapse of the core into a neutron star and expulsion of the envelope in a weak Type II supernova explosion. The ratio of helium to hydrogen in the ejecta is approximately twice solar.
Evaluating the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire among medical staff in Taiwan.

PURPOSE The rapid changes that the healthcare services industry is undergoing pose a challenge to obtaining accurate measurements of the delivery of medical services to patients. Current Chinese measures of patient safety culture may not adequately capture how medical staff perceives the promotion of patient safety. This study aims to construct a valid and applicable patient safety culture instrument by re-estimating the Chinese version of the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ) with medical staff in Taiwan. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted on data collected from a sample of 448 medical workers at a regional teaching hospital in Taiwan, and data from 804 participants at a medical center were subjected to confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The distribution of the questions among the dimensions was different from that in the Chinese version of the SAQ. FINDINGS The authors' results confirm that 3 correlated first-order factors, including 11 items, can be used to measure collaboration and safety, stress recognition and emotional exhaustion (EE). The authors' data suggest that the cooperation mechanism, patient safety promotion, stress management and emotional management are drivers of patient safety and should be prioritized when seeking to evaluate the perceptions of hospital staff toward patient safety culture in hospitals in Taiwan. ORIGINALITY/VALUE To improve the quality and safety of patient care, the measurement scale should be revisited and modified as the industry changes over time and to take account of cultural variation. The authors restructured the current Chinese version of the SAQ developed by the Joint Commission of Taiwan (JCT) to offer more precise measures that increase the sensitivity of the measurement of the level of care in items of patient safety and that serve as a diagnostic instrument to review patient safety management.
Scabicidal Potential of Coconut Seed Extract in Rabbits via Downregulating Inflammatory/Immune Cross Talk: A Comprehensive Phytochemical/GC-MS and In Silico Proof

Scabies is an invasive skin condition caused by Sarcoptes scabiei mites. The present study investigates the antiscabies potential of coconut seed extract (CSE) in rabbits. GC-MS analysis of the seed oil identified 17 known compounds, while CSE phytochemical investigation afforded 4 known ones. The topical application of seed extract improved all signs of infection, and the improvement started 3 days post application. However, in vitro application of the extract caused 99% mortality of mites 1 day post application. Histopathological examination revealed the absence of inflammatory infiltration and hyperkeratosis of the epidermis, compared with ivermectin-treated groups which revealed less improvement. The mRNA gene expression results revealed a suppression of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, MMP-9, VEGF, and MCP-1, and an upregulation of I-CAM-1, KGF as well as TIMP-1. The docking analysis emphasized a strong binding of gondoic acid with IL-1β, IL-6, and VEGF with high binding scores of −5.817, −5.291, and −8.362 kcal/mol, respectively, and a high binding affinity of 3″(1‴-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl)-sucrose with GST with −7.24 kcal/mol. Accordingly, and for the first time, our results highlighted the scabicidal potential of coconut seed extract, which opens the gate for an efficient, cost-effective as well as herbal-based alternative for the control of scabies in rabbits.
635nm diode laser biostimulation on cutaneous wounds

Biostimulation is still a controversial subject in wound healing studies. The effect of laser depends of not only laser parameters applied but also the physiological state of the target tissue. The aim of this project is to investigate the biostimulation effects of 635nm laser irradiation on the healing processes of cutaneous wounds by means of morphological and histological examinations. 3-4 months old male Wistar Albino rats weighing 330 to 350 gr were used throughout this study. Low-level laser therapy was applied through local irradiation of red light on open skin excision wounds of 5mm in diameter prepared via punch biopsy. Each animal had three identical wounds on their right dorsal part, at which two of them were irradiated with continuous diode laser of 635nm in wavelength, 30mW of power output and two different energy densities of 1 J/cm2 and 3 J/cm2. The third wound was kept as control group and had no irradiation. In order to find out the biostimulation consequences during each step of wound healing, which are inflammation, proliferation and remodeling, wound tissues removed at days 3, 7, 10 and 14 following the laser irradiation are morphologically examined and than prepared for histological examination. Fragments of skin including the margin and neighboring healthy tissue were embedded in paraffin and 6 to 9 um thick sections cut are stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Histological examinations show that 635nm laser irradiation accelerated the healing process of cutaneous wounds while considering the changes of tissue morphology, inflammatory reaction, proliferation of newly formed fibroblasts and formation and deposition of collagen fibers. The data obtained gives rise to examine the effects of two distinct power densities of low-level laser irradiation and compare both with the non-treatment groups at different stages of healing process.
The Hall effect and Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in a plasma

It is shown that a new unstable mode due to the Hall effect appears in the Kelvin–Helmholtz problem in an ideal plasma. The instability appears whether or not the Kelvin–Helmholtz discontinuity is stable or unstable in the absence of a Hall current. An upper bound on the growth rate of the Hall instability is found to be of the order of the ion cyclotron frequency.
Probabilistic cloud mask from visible and infrared sensors on‐board geostationary platform

We present a novel technique for developing a probabilistic cloud mask using sensors on a geostationary platform. The clear‐sky probability of a pixel is estimated using the past 45 days' observations by making use of the Gaussian mixture model, spectral clustering, and Bayes' theorem. The proposed cloud‐masking algorithm is applied on INSAT‐3D imager observations for the whole years 2017 and 2018. The INSAT‐3D imager cloud mask generated using the proposed method is compared against the Moderate‐resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) MYD35 cloud‐mask product. The skill of the algorithm, against the MODIS cloud‐mask product, is evaluated for day and night as well as for land and ocean separately. Overall, the Kuipers skill score (KSS) is found to be 0.82. The best performance of the algorithm is obtained during daytime over the land with KSS=0.84$$ \mathrm{KSS}=0.84 $$ .
The Effects of Forest Therapy on the Blood Pressure and Salivary Cortisol Levels of Urban Residents: A Meta-Analysis

Urban residents have a higher risk of hypertension and psychological stress than rural residents. Aside from medical interventions, understanding how to control hypertension and alleviate the stress of urban populations has become a public concern. As an alternative medical measure, forest therapy has shown the effects of normalizing blood pressure (BP) and reducing stress increasingly in recent literature, but this is still inconclusive. In order to systematically verify forest therapy’s effects on the BP and mental stress of urban residents, we conducted meta-analyses to assess the changes in systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and salivary cortisol concentration (SCC; a stress biomarker) between the forest therapy group and urban control group. We searched 4 online databases, and 21 studies on BP involving 2270 participants and 13 studies on SCC involving 1786 participants were included. Through the meta-analysis, the mean difference and confidence interval (CI) estimates indicated that forest therapy significantly reduced participants’ SBP −3.44 (95% CI −5.74, −1.14), DBP −3.07 (95% CI −5.59, −0.54), and SCC −0.07 (95% CI −0.10, −0.04), as compared with urban control. Yet, there was substantial heterogeneity (I2 = 72.87–88.59%) among these studies. We also found that each prediction interval (PI) for SBP (95% PI −13.30, 6.42), DBP (95% PI −15.54, 9.41), and SCC (95% PI −0.18, 0.05) were all much wider than the CIs and contained values above 0. This means that forest therapy may reduce SBP, DBP, and SCC on average, but may not exclude adverse results. Meta-regression analyses showed that participants’ age and baseline SBP levels determined the heterogeneity among SBP studies. After forest therapy, older participants and those with higher baseline SBP levels had greater SBP-lowering effects. Among DBP studies, the primary source of heterogeneity was participants’ baseline DBP levels; participants with higher baseline DBP levels had greater DBP reduction. In subgroup analyses, we discovered that longer-term forest therapy programs (≥20 min) resulted in a greater reduction in BP and SCC than shorter-term forest therapy programs (<20 min). Additionally, seated viewing, walking, or multi-session programs in forests were observed to have similar effects on reducing BP and SCC. Despite extensive analyses, the study did not identify any sources of heterogeneity among forest therapy programs for lowering SCC levels. Overall, we conclude that forest therapy programs have beneficial therapeutic effects on urban residents’ physio-psychological health through lowering BP and relieving stress (reducing SCC). This finding provides solid evidence of the contribution of forest therapy to urban residents’ health and wellbeing.
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Postpartum Maternal Mental Health

Objectives: There are reports of mental health worsening during the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to assess whether this occurred in women who were pregnant at baseline (late 2019) and unaware of the pandemic, and who delivered after the implementation of COVID-19 restrictions and threat (March–April 2020). To compare the pandemic period with the pre-pandemic, we capitalized on a retrospective 2014–2015 perinatal sample which had had affective symptoms assessed. Methods: The COVID sample were administered the Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Hypomania Checklist-32 (HCL-32), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) at T0 (pregnancy) and T1 (post-delivery). The Non-COVID sample had completed EPDS and HCL-32 at the same timepoints. Results: The COVID sample included 72 women, aged 21–46 years (mean = 33.25 years ± 4.69), and the Non-COVID sample included 68 perinatal women, aged 21–46 years (mean = 34.01 years ± 4.68). Our study showed greater levels of mild depression in T1 among the COVID sample compared to the Non-COVID sample. No significant differences in terms of major depression and suicidal ideation were found. The levels of hypomania were significantly different between the two groups at T1, with the COVID sample scoring higher than the Non-COVID sample. This may be related to the high levels of perceived stress we found during the postpartum evaluation in the COVID sample. Limitations: There was a relatively small sample size. Conclusions: New mothers responded to the pandemic with less mental health impairment than expected, differently from the general population. Women delivering amidst the pandemic did not differ in depressive and anxiety symptoms from their pre-pandemic scores and from pre-pandemic women. Because stress responses have high energy costs, it is optimal for maternal animals to minimize such high metabolic costs during motherhood. Evidence suggests that reproductive experience alters the female brain in adaptive ways. This maternal brain plasticity facilitates a higher purpose, the continuation of the species. This may point to the recruitment of motherhood-related resources, for potentially overcoming the effects of the pandemic on mental health.
Face-based recognition techniques: proposals for the metrological characterization of global and feature-based approaches

Security systems based on face recognition through video surveillance systems deserve great interest. Their use is important in several areas including airport security, identification of individuals and access control to critical areas. These systems are based either on the measurement of details of a human face or on a global approach whereby faces are considered as a whole. The recognition is then performed by comparing the measured parameters with reference values stored in a database. The result of this comparison is not deterministic because measurement results are affected by uncertainty due to random variations and/or to systematic effects. In these circumstances the recognition of a face is subject to the risk of a faulty decision. Therefore, a proper metrological characterization is needed to improve the performance of such systems. Suitable methods are proposed for a quantitative metrological characterization of face measurement systems, on which recognition procedures are based. The proposed methods are applied to three different algorithms based either on linear discrimination, on eigenface analysis, or on feature detection.
Laser speckle decorrelation for fingerprint acquisition

Biometry is gaining popularity as a physical security approach in situations where a high level of security is necessary. Currently, biometric solutions are embedded in a very large and heterogeneous group of applications. One of the most sensible is for airport security access to boarding gates. More airports are introducing biometric solutions based on face, fingerprint or iris recognition for passenger identification. In particular, fingerprints are the most widely used biometric, and they are mandatorily included in electronic identification documents. One important issue, which is difficult to address in traditional fingerprint acquisition systems, is preventing contact between subsequent users; sebum, which can be a potential vector for contagious diseases. Currently, non-contact devices are used to overcome this problem. In this paper, a new contact device based on laser speckle decorrelation is presented. Our system has the advantage of being compact and low-cost compared with an actual contactless system, allowing enhancement of the sebum pattern imaging contrast in a simple and low-cost way. Furthermore, it avoids the spreading of contagious diseases.
Antibacterial and Proliferative Effects of NaOH-Coated Titanium, Zirconia, and Ceramic-Reinforced PEEK Dental Composites on Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Several metallic and polymer-based implants have been fabricated for orthopedic applications. For instance, titanium (Ti), zirconia (Zr), and polyetheretherketone (PEEK) are employed due to their excellent biocompatibility properties. Hence, the present study aimed to compare the functional and biological properties of these three biomaterials with surface modification. For this purpose, Ti, Zr, and ceramic-reinforced PEEK (CrPEEK) were coated with NaOH and tested for the biological response. Our results showed that the surface modification of these biomaterials significantly improved the water contact, protein adhesion, and bioactivity compared with uncoated samples. Among the NaOH-coated biomaterials, Ti and CrPEEK showed higher protein absorption than Zr. However, the mineral binding ability was higher in CrPEEK than in the other two biomaterials. Although the coating improved the functional properties, NaOH coating did not influence the antibacterial effect against E. coli and S. aureus in these biomaterials. Similar to the antibacterial effects, the NaOH coating did not contribute any significant changes in cell proliferation and cell loading, and CrPEEK showed better biocompatibility among the biomaterials. Therefore, this study concluded that the surface modification of biomaterials could potentially improve the functional properties but not the antibacterial and biocompatibility, and CrPEEK could be an alternative material to Ti and Zr with desirable qualities in orthopedic applications.
Effective mass filtering: Giant quantum amplification of the photocurrent in a semiconductor superlattice

We report the first observation of an extremely large photocurrent amplification phenomenon at very low voltages in a superlattice of Al0.48In0. 52As (35 A)/Ga0.47In0. 53As (35 A), grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Responsivities at λ=1.3 μm are as high as 4×103 A/W at 1.4 V corresponding to a current gain of 2×104. Significant gains (≂50) were obtained at voltages as low as 20 mV. The detectivity D* at λ=1.3 μm and 1‐kHz modulation frequency is 1011 (cm Hz1/2/W) at 0.2‐V bias. This effect, which represents a new quantum type photoconductivity, is caused by the large difference in the tunneling rates of electrons and holes through the superlattice barriers, associated with their large effective mass difference (effective mass filtering). Superlattice effective mass filters represent a new class of low voltage, high gain photodetectors. A unique feature, which makes them potentially extremely versatile, is the ability to tune the gain and gain‐bandwidth product over a wide range by varying the superlattice pe.
Special prosecutor: Panacea or facade to institutionalised corruption in Ghana?

Abstract Motivated by the systematic nature of corruption and effect on the nation’s potential, this study sought to assess how the establishment of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) aids in its fight. Further, it comparatively analyses this agency vis-à-vis other agencies with a similar mandate to determine whether the role of the special prosecutor makes any impact in fighting this cancer. Data was collected through interviews from professionals in the law fraternity and analysed using content analysis. Findings are that the OSP is indeed an independent prosecutor who could be regarded as free from the influence of the executive with no conflict of interest in carrying out its mandate. Further, the study found that there was dissatisfaction with the performance of the OSP due to its inability to prosecute enough high-profile cases. However, due to the commitment and track record of the OSP, many expressed confidence in his person to help wrestle corruption. Many, however, were of the view that there were overlapping and conflicting functions between the OSP and other state anti-corruption agencies. Unfortunately, the office is saddled with many challenges inhibiting the performance of its mandate, thereby questioning whether it is a panacea or facade to institutionalised corruption in Ghana.
Gender gap in life expectancy at birth and the role of socioeconomic indicators in South and East Europe, 1991 – 2020: Evidence from a dynamic panel model

The purpose of this paper is to explain the role of socioeconomic development, economic, employment, and demographic factors on gender gap in life expectancy at birth (LEAB) in 24 South and East European countries. Aggregated yearly time series mainly from the UN and World Bank database for the period 1991 – 2020 were used. The generalized method of moments/dynamic panel data (GMM/DPD) model, a dynamic panel model, was used to explore the role of socioeconomic development, economic, employment, and demographic factors on sex differences in LEAB. The study shows that in these countries, a narrowed gender gap in LEAB is associated with a higher percentage of urban population in total population. There was found a significant impact of GDP per capita with a 2-year lag and Gini index with a 2-year lag as well as to LEAB on the gender gap in LEAB. There was not found a significant relationship between employment and education variables on gender gap in LEAB. However, the findings are important for policy discussions in terms of population health, labor policy, etc. The results are supported by the number of studies which show the relationship between socioeconomic development, economic, and demographic indicators and employment issues with gender gap in LEAB.
SKE/BKE task-based methodology for calculating Hotelling observer SNR in mammography

A common method for evaluating projection mammography is Contrast-Detail (CD) curves derived from the CD phantom for Mammography (CDMAM). The CD curves are derived either by human observers, or by automated readings. Both methods have drawbacks which limit their reliability. The human based reading is significantly affected by reader variability, reduced precision and bias. On the other hand, the automated methods suffer from limited statistics. The purpose of this paper is to develop a simple and reliable methodology for the evaluation of mammographic imaging systems using the Signal Known Exactly/Background Known Exactly (SKE/BKE) detection task for signals relevant to mammography. In this paper, we used the spatial definition of the ideal, linear (Hotelling) observer to calculate the task-specific SNR for mammography and discussed the results. The noise covariance matrix as well as the detector response H matrix of the imaging system were estimated and used to calculate the SNRSKEBKE for the simulated discs of the CDMAM. The SNR as a function of exposure, disc diameter and thickness were calculated.