Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Association of Beta-Blocker Use and Bone Mineral Density Level in Hemodialysis Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background and Objectives: Osteoporosis results in increasing morbidity and mortality in hemodialysis patients. The medication for treatment has been limited. There is evidence that beta-blockers could increase bone mineral density (BMD) and reduce the risk of fracture in non-dialysis patients, however, a study in hemodialysis patients has not been conducted. This study aims to determine the association between beta-blocker use and bone mineral density level in hemodialysis patients. Materials and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in hemodialysis patients at Thammasat University Hospital from January 2018 to December 2020. A patient receiving a beta-blocker ≥ 20 weeks was defined as a beta-blocker user. The association between beta-blocker use and BMD levels was determined by univariate and multivariate linear regression analysis. Results: Of the 128 patients receiving hemodialysis, 71 were beta-blocker users and 57 were non-beta-blocker users (control group). The incidence of osteoporosis in hemodialysis patients was 50%. There was no significant difference in the median BMD between the control and the beta-blocker groups of the lumbar spine (0.93 vs. 0.91, p = 0.88), femoral neck (0.59 vs. 0.57, p = 0.21), total hip (0.73 vs. 0.70, p = 0.38), and 1/3 radius (0.68 vs. 0.64, p = 0.40). The univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses showed that the beta-blocker used was not associated with BMD. In the subgroup analysis, the beta-1 selective blocker used was associated with lower BMD of the femoral neck but not within the total spine, total hip, and 1/3 radius. The multivariate logistic regression showed that the factors of age ≥ 65 years (aOR 3.31 (1.25–8.80), p = 0.02), female sex (aOR 4.13 (1.68–10.14), p = 0.002), lower BMI (aOR 0.89 (0.81–0.98), p = 0.02), and ALP > 120 U/L (aOR 3.88 (1.33–11.32), p = 0.01) were independently associated with osteoporosis in hemodialysis patients. Conclusions: In hemodialysis patients, beta-blocker use was not associated with BMD levels, however a beta-1 selective blocker used was associated with lower BMD in the femoral neck.
Perinatal Outcome in Premature Rupture of Membranes (PROM) and Pre-Prom (PPROM)

OBJECTIVES This study aimed to evaluate the maternal and fetal outcomes in PROM and PRE-PROM at tertiary care hospitals. METHODOLOGY This Cross-sectional study was carried out in the department of obstetrics and gynaecology at Khyber Teaching Hospital Peshawar after ethical approval of the institutional ethical board. Patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were selected. On arrival, detailed history was taken, physical and obstetrical examination and per speculum examination were done, patients were managed conservatively, and steroid cover was given for fetal lung maturity. RESULTS A total of 150 pregnant women who met the inclusion criteria and were complicated by PROM or PRE-PROM were followed. Out of the total patients, 104 presented with PROM, while 46 presented with PPROM. PROM and PPROM patients were identical regarding placental abruption. 104(69.3%) patients presented with PROM and PPROM 46(30.7%). Patients who delivered were 72(52%) normal vaginal delivery (NVD), 57(38%) C-Section, 15(10%) NVD with episiotomy. In NVD 54(63%) spontaneous, 18(12%) induced, while in C-Section 6(4%) elective and 51(34%) emergency C-Section. In PROM, 18(12%) were complicated by chorioamnionitis, fetal distress meconium stained liquor 18(12%), whereas 100 were uneventful, while in PPROM, 122(81.3%) had no complications, 10(6.7%) chorioamnionitis and 40.7% of the neonates had NICU admission. The personal effects of NVD on the duration of PROM/ PRE-PROM in days with p-value 0.027. The p-value of Complications of PRE-PROM was 0.037. CONCLUSION PROM and PPROM presented with increased maternal and fetal morbidity, vaginal infection, and urinary tract infection should be promptly screened and treated on time to prevent maternal morbidities and improve fetal outcomes.
QM-cluster model study of CO2 hydration mechanisms in metal-substituted human carbonic anhydrase II

Human carbonic anhydrase (CA) metalloenzymes utilize a Zn2+-containing active site to catalyze the interconversion of carbon dioxide to bicarbonate. The Zn2+ ion may be replaced with other divalent transition metals, though the catalytic efficiency of the enzyme will be reduced. In this work, quantum mechanical cluster models of the active site are used to map the reaction profile for the hydration mechanism of carbon dioxide. The Lipscomb proton transfer and Lindskog rotation mechanisms were examined for the native Zn2+-enzyme along with variants where the metal was substituted with Cd2+, Ni2+, Fe2+, and Fe3+. The findings highlight the impact the metal coordination geometry has on the reaction profile. The results also suggest Fe2+, which is the functional metal for a prototypical CA of an anaerobic bacterium, might also be functional for human CA if cultured within an anaerobic environment.
Lagrangian Dynamics and Models of the Velocity Gradient Tensor in Turbulent Flows

Many fundamental and intrinsic properties of small-scale motions in turbulence can be described using the velocity gradient tensor. This tensor encodes interesting geometric and statistical information such as the alignment of vorticity with respect to the strain-rate eigenvectors, rate of deformation and shapes of fluid material volumes, non-Gaussian statistics, and intermittency. In the inertial range of turbulence, similar properties can be described using the coarse-grained or filtered velocity gradient tensor. In this article we review various models that aim at understanding these phenomena using a small number of ordinary differential equations, written either as a low-dimensional dynamical system or as a set of stochastic differential equations. Typically these describe the Lagrangian evolution of the velocity gradient tensor elements following fluid particles and require models for the pressure Hessian and viscous effects. Sample results from various models are shown, and open challenges are high.
Doping-induced strain in N-doped 4H-SiC crystals

Stress in epitaxial layers due to crystal lattice mismatch directly influences the growth, structure, and basic electrophysical parameters of epitaxial films and also to a large extent the degradation processes in semiconductor devices. In this letter, we present a theoretical model for calculating the induced lattice compression due to N doping and the critical thickness concerning formation of misfit dislocations in homoepitaxial 4H–SiC layers with different N-doping levels. For example: The model predicts that substrates with a N concentration of 3×1019 cm−3 induce misfit dislocations when the epilayer thickness reaches ∼10 μm. Also, the N-doping concentration in the 1×1018–1×1019 cm−3 range yields a strain that not will cause misfit dislocactions at the substrate and epilayer interface until an epilayer thickness of 200–300 μm is reached. Supporting evidence of the induced lattice compression due to N doping have been done by synchrotron white-beam x-ray topography on samples with different N-doping l.
Black Hole Remnants of the First Stars

The first stars in the universe, forming at redshifts z≳15 in minihalos with masses of order 105–6 M⊙, may leave behind black holes as their remnants. We discuss how these black holes can grow through accretion and what their radiative feedback effects are on the surrounding medium. They may also serve as “seeds” for the much larger black holes observed at redshifts z≲7. To investigate their fate, we have used the adaptive mesh refinement code Enzo to carry out simulations of the formation, radiative feedback, and evolution of the relic HII region of a 100 M⊙ population III star. We explicitly track the position of the black hole it leaves behind, which allows us to estimate the accretion rate and associated radiative feedback effects. We find that although the black hole's mass does not change substantially for the first few hundred million years due to radiative feedback from its progenitor, photoionization heating from accretion is likely to have a strongly self‐regulating effect. This will likely limi.
Cortical responses to degraded speech are modulated by linguistic predictions

Our perceptual experience is formed by combining incoming sensory information with prior knowledge and expectation. When speech is not fully intelligible, non-acoustic information may be particularly important. Predictions about a degraded acoustic signal can be provided extrinsically (for example, by presenting a written cue) or intrinsically (if the speech is still partially intelligible). Here I review two studies in which the neural response to speech was measured using magnetoencephalography (MEG), with speech clarity parametrically manipulated using noise vocoding. In a study of isolated word processing, accurate predictions provided by written text enhanced subjective clarity and changed the response in early auditory processing regions of temporal cortex. In a separate study looking at connected speech, the phase of ongoing cortical oscillations was matched to that of the acoustic speech envelope in the range of the syllable rate (4-8 Hz). Critically, this phase-locking was enhanced in left tempor.
Convectively Coupled Waves in a Sheared Environment

Abstract A linear stability analysis, about a radiative–convective equilibrium in a sheared environment, on an equatorial beta plane, for a simple multicloud model for organized tropical convection is presented here. Both vertical/baroclinic and meridional/barotropic zonal wind shears are considered separately in a parameter regime for which the shear-free multicloud model exhibits synoptic-scale instability of Kelvin and n = 0 eastward inertio-gravity [eastward mixed Rossby–gravity (MRG)] waves only, with moderate growth rates. The maximum growth rates appear to increase significantly with the strength of the background wind shear, and new wave instabilities appear and/or disappear depending on the strength and type of the wind shear. It is found here that both high- and low-level vertical shears have a strong impact on the stability of convectively coupled waves (CCWs), consistent with the fact that the multicloud instability mechanism is controlled by both stratiform heating and low-level moisture and .
A Fusion of Molecular Imprinting Technology and Siloxane Chemistry: A Way to Advanced Hybrid Nanomaterials

Molecular imprinting technology is a well-known strategy to synthesize materials with a predetermined specificity. For fifty years, the “classical” approach assumed the creation of “memory sites” in the organic polymer matrix by a template molecule that interacts with the functional monomer prior to the polymerization and template removal. However, the phenomenon of a material’s “memory” provided by the “footprint” of the chemical entity was first observed on silica-based materials nearly a century ago. Through the years, molecular imprinting technology has attracted the attention of many scientists. Different forms of molecularly imprinted materials, even on the nanoscale, were elaborated, predominantly using organic polymers to induce the “memory”. This field has expanded quickly in recent years, providing versatile tools for the separation or detection of numerous chemical compounds or even macromolecules. In this review, we would like to emphasize the role of the molecular imprinting process in the formation of highly specific siloxane-based nanomaterials. The distinct chemistry of siloxanes provides an opportunity for the facile functionalization of the surfaces of nanomaterials, enabling us to introduce additional properties and providing a way for vast applications such as detectors or separators. It also allows for catalyzing chemical reactions providing microreactors to facilitate organic synthesis. Finally, it determines the properties of siloxanes such as biocompatibility, which opens the way to applications in drug delivery and nanomedicine. Thus, a brief outlook on the chemistry of siloxanes prior to the discussion of the current state of the art of siloxane-based imprinted nanomaterials will be provided. Those aspects will be presented in the context of practical applications in various areas of chemistry and medicine. Finally, a brief outlook of future perspectives for the field will be pointed out.
Finding the LQR Weights to Ensure the Associated Riccati Equations Admit a Common Solution

This article addresses the problem of finding the linear quadratic regulator (LQR) weights such that the associated discrete-time algebraic Riccati equations admit a common optimal stabilizing solution. Solving such a problem is key to designing LQR controllers to stabilize discrete-time switched linear systems under arbitrary switching, or stabilize polytopic systems (e.g., Takagi–Sugeno fuzzy systems and linear parameter varying systems) in the entire operating region. To ensure problem tractability and reduce the searching space, this article proposes an efficient framework of finding only the state weights based on the given input weights. Linear matrix inequality conditions are derived to conveniently check feasibility of the problem. An iterative algorithm with quadratic convergence and low computational complexity is developed to solve the problem. Efficacy of the proposed method is illustrated through numerical simulations of systems with various sizes.
Mechanical Behavior of Al-Si10-Mg P-TPMS Structure Fabricated by Selective Laser Melting and a Unified Mathematical Model with Geometrical Parameter

Compared with the traditional lattice structure, the triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) structure can avoid stress concentration effectively. Here, it is promising in the fields of lightweight and energy absorption. However, the number of structural parameters and mechanical properties of the TPMS structure is plentiful, and the relationship between them is unclassified. In this paper, for the first time, a unified mathematical model was proposed to establish the relationship between TPMS structural design parameters and mechanical properties. Fifteen primitive models were designed by changing the structural parameters (level-set value C and thickness T) and manufacturing by selective laser melting. The geometric defects and surface quality of the structures were explored by optical microscope and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The mechanical properties were investigated by quasi-static compression test and finite element simulation. The influence of building direction on structural mechanical behavior (failure mode, stress-strain curve) was studied. The real mechanical properties (Young’s modulus and plateau stress) of the structure could be predicted according to different C and T combinations. Finally, the energy absorption characteristics were explored. The results showed that when the C value is 0.6 in the range of 0–0.6, the energy absorption performance of the structure is at the maximum level.
Design and comparative analysis of grid-connected BIPV system with monocrystalline silicon and polycrystalline silicon in Kandahar climate

Building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) system is a new and modern technique for solar energy production in Kandahar. Due to its location, Kandahar has abundant sources of solar energy. People use both monocrystalline and polycrystalline silicon solar PV modules for the grid-connected solar PV system, and they don’t know that which technology performs better for BIPV system. This paper analysis the parameters, described by IEC61724 “Photovoltaic System Performance Monitoring Guidelines for Measurement, Data Exchange and Analysis” to evaluate which technology shows better performance for the BIPV system. The monocrystalline silicon BIPV system has a 3.1% higher array yield than the polycrystalline silicon BIPV system. The final yield is 0.2% somewhat higher for monocrystalline silicon than polycrystalline silicon. Monocrystalline silicon has 0.2% and 4.5% greater yearly yield factor and capacity factors than polycrystalline silicon respectively. Monocrystalline silicon shows 0.3% better performance than polycrystalline silicon. With 1.7% reduction and 0.4% addition in collection losses and useful energy produced respectively, monocrystalline silicon solar PV system shows good performance than polycrystalline silicon solar PV system. But system losses are the same for both technologies. The monocrystalline silicon BIPV system injects 0.2% more energy to the grid than the polycrystalline silicon BIPV system.
Functional data: local linear estimation of the conditional density and its application

In this paper, we introduce a new nonparametric estimation procedure of the conditional density of a scalar response variable given a random variable taking values in a semi-metric space. Under some general conditions, we establish both the pointwise and the uniform almost-complete consistencies with convergence rates of the conditional density estimator related to this estimation procedure. Moreover, we give some particular cases of our results which can also be considered as novel in the finite-dimensional setting. Notice also that the results of this paper are used to derive some asymptotic properties of the local linear estimator of the conditional mode.
Interplanetary magnetic field control of magnetotail magnetic field geometry: IMP 8 observations

Four years of IMP 8 magnetic field measurements, 1978-1982, when ISEE 3 took upstream interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) measurements, have been analyzed to produce full cross-section magnetic maps of the magnetotail at about 33RE downwind from Earth. This paper describes how the field geometry in the cross-sectional plane responds to different IMF orientations: dominant By, dominant +Bz, and dominant −Bz. The dominant By case exhibits marked departures from bilateral symmetry that have the sense of superimposing a fraction of the IMF on the symmetrical tail field. However, the “superimposed” perturbation field, measured as a fraction of the IMF, is highly nonuniform: It is maximum in the flanks of the plasma sheet and minimum in the lobes. There is also a rotation of the current sheet which varies with IMF strength and with distance. The two dominant Bz cases show no systematic departures from bilateral symmetry. However, the shapes and the relative sizes of the dipolar and flaring field regions of their cross sections are markedly different. The difference field, obtained by subtracting the positive Bz case from the negative Bz case, shows that the strongest perturbations run the north-south extent of the flanks, instead of residing in the lobes, as might be expected from the dayside reconnection model.
The Role of the Observer

HE distinction between psychology, logic, and [t epistemology is a commonplace. The first treats of experience as an act, experience in its relation to the individual observer. The second concerns itself with the internal marks by which truth may be distinguished from error, and in so far as it deals with experience, has to do with some sort of validity of the experience as evidence of a truth. The third discusses in a general way all the elements-observer, object, immediate presentation-which enter into the experience. There is clearly a rough practical distinction between these three ways of regarding experience. The interests of an investigator of colour vision are certainly different from those of an investigator of mathematical technique, and both are different from those of a speculator in the theory of knowledge. However, the assertion that psychology and logic are two different sciences may mean something much deeper. There are those who make the distinction absolute, and who assert dogmatically that the logical value of a proposition is entirely unconnected with the relation of this proposition to any observer. The Platonist believes in a world of essence, of cleanly defined Ideas and cleanly defined propositions concerning these Ideas, into which we may enter as spectators, but never as participants. They are out of time, and time is irrelevant to them. This is pure dogma, and does not check with what we should naively expect. Of course, our experiences must have some ref-
Geometric ergodicity of nonlinear first order autoregressive models

We consider the ergodic Markov chain satisfying where is a sequence of i.i. d. random variables, considered by Bhattacharya and Lee. After modifications of their sufficient conditions for ergodicity, we give slightly different sufficient conditions for geometric ergodicity on finiteness of an exponential moment of |∊n|. Our conditions are weaker than theirs concerning the main part h(Xn) of the Markov chain.
Evaluation of Ultrasound-based Surveillance for Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Patients at Risk: Results From a German Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Study

Background and Aims Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) surveillance in patients at risk is strongly recommended and usually performed by ultrasound (US) semiannually with or without alfa-fetoprotein (AFP) measurements. Quality parameters except for surveillance intervals have not been strictly defined. We aimed to evaluate surveillance success and risk factors for surveillance failure. Methods Patients with ≥1 US prior to HCC diagnosis performed at four tertiary referral hospitals in Germany between 2008 and 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Surveillance success was defined as HCC detection within Milan criteria. Results Only 47% of 156 patients, median age 63 (interquartile range: 57–70) years, 56% male, and 96% with cirrhosis, received recommended surveillance modality and interval. Surveillance failure occurred in 29% and was significantly associated with lower median model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score odds ratio (OR) 1.154, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.027–1.297, p=0.025) and HCC localization within right liver lobe (OR: 6.083, 95% CI: 1.303–28.407, p=0.022), but not with AFP ≥200 µg/L. Patients with surveillance failure had significantly more intermediate/advanced tumor stages (93% vs. 6%, p<0.001), fewer curative treatment options (15% vs. 75%, p<0.001) and lower survival at 1 year (54% vs. 75%, p=0.041), 2 years (32% vs. 57%, p=0.019) and 5 years (0% vs. 16%, p=0.009). Alcoholic and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (OR: 6.1, 95% CI: 1.7–21.3, p=0.005) and ascites (OR: 3.9, 95% CI: 1.2–12.6, p=0.021) were independently associated with severe visual limitations on US. Conclusions US-based HCC surveillance in patients at risk frequently fails and its failure is associated with unfavorable patient-related outcomes. Lower MELD score and HCC localization within right liver lobe were significantly associated with surveillance failure.