A new operational matrix based on Bernoulli polynomials

In this research, the Bernoulli polynomials are introduced. The properties of these polynomials are employed to construct the operational matrices of integration together with the derivative and product. These properties are then utilized to transform the differential equation to a matrix equation which corresponds to a system of algebraic equations with unknown Bernoulli coefficients. This method can be used for many problems such as differential equations, integral equations and so on. Numerical examples show the method is computationally simple and also illustrate the efficiency and accuracy of the method

Anti-inflammatory potential of Agaricus in carrageenan-induced model of local inflammation in rats

Background: The concept of effects of Agaricus on inflammatory responses is still controversial. This study, therefore, was designed to assess the potential of the anti-inflammatory effect of Agaricus 100% extract on acute inflammation using the model of carrageenan-induced paw edema in rats.Methods: Four groups among five (six rats each) have been injected with carrageenan (0.1 mL of 3% solution), intra-plantar in the right hind paw; the first group was injected with saline instead in the same manner and kept as control. An hour earlier, rats received different treatments, either saline (inflamed control), or diclofenac (inflamed, standard-treated), or Agaricus extract (5 mL/kg as small dose or 10 mL/kg as a large dose). The volume of the developed paw edema has been measured at an hour interval fashion (1~6 hrs) and at 24 hrs.Results: Agaricus extract showed inhibitory effects on the carrageenan-induced edema in time- and dose-dependent manner, at the late phase (2~ hrs) of the inflammatory response (small dose) and at both early (~2 hrs) and late phases (large dose). The effects were comparable to those of diclofenac being 11.74, 08.46, 08.99, 09.72 and 09.89% at 2-6 hrs (small dose); 14.04, 23.91, 21.92, 17.99, 15.63 and 16.96% at 1-6 hrs (large dose); 16.85, 31.30, 35.38, 35.97, 34.72 and 34.63% (diclofenac). The anti-inflammatory effect of Agaricus could be attributed to its phytochemical content which may inhibit the inducible inflammatory mediators (as prostaglandins and nitric oxide) in the late phase (small dose) and/or inhibiting both early (histamine and oxygen free radicals) and late mediators (large dose).Conclusions: These data may indicate that Agaricus extract has the potential of anti-inflammatory activity that could be applied in acute inflammatory disorders

EFFECT OF SEED-SOAKING IN POLY ETHYLENE GLYCOL AND HUMIC ACID ON THE PRODUCTIVITY AND QUALITY OF FODDER BEET UNDER SOIL SALINITY CONDITIONS.

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The effects of ownership change on bank performance and risk exposure: Evidence from Indonesia

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.This study investigates the effects of ownership change on the performance and exposure to risk of 60 Indonesian commercial banks over the period 2005–2012. We find that state-owned banks tend to be less profitable and more exposed to risk than private and foreign banks. Domestic investors tend to select the best performers for acquisition. Domestic acquisition is generally associated with a decrease in the efficiency of the acquired banks. Non-regional foreign acquisition is associated with a reduction in risk exposure. Acquisition by regional foreign investors is associated with performance gains

Fine-tuned Sentiment Analysis of COVID-19 Vaccine-Related Social Media Data: Comparative Study

This study investigated and compared public sentiment related to COVID-19 vaccines expressed on two popular social media platforms, Reddit and Twitter, harvested from January 1, 2020, to March 1, 2022. To accomplish this task, we created a fine-tuned DistilRoBERTa model to predict sentiments of approximately 9.5 million Tweets and 70 thousand Reddit comments. To fine-tune our model, our team manually labeled the sentiment of 3600 Tweets and then augmented our dataset by the method of back-translation. Text sentiment for each social media platform was then classified with our fine-tuned model using Python and the Huggingface sentiment analysis pipeline. Our results determined that the average sentiment expressed on Twitter was more negative (52% positive) than positive and the sentiment expressed on Reddit was more positive than negative (53% positive). Though average sentiment was found to vary between these social media platforms, both displayed similar behavior related to sentiment shared at key vaccine-related developments during the pandemic. Considering this similar trend in shared sentiment demonstrated across social media platforms, Twitter and Reddit continue to be valuable data sources that public health officials can utilize to strengthen vaccine confidence and combat misinformation. As the spread of misinformation poses a range of psychological and psychosocial risks (anxiety, fear, etc.), there is an urgency in understanding the public perspective and attitude toward shared falsities. Comprehensive educational delivery systems tailored to the population's expressed sentiments that facilitate digital literacy, health information-seeking behavior, and precision health promotion could aid in clarifying such misinformation.Comment: 11 Pages, 5 Figures, and 1 Tabl

Alcohol intake and mortality risk of COVID-19, pneumonia, and other infectious diseases: An analysis of 437191 UK biobank participants

This study aims to investigate the association between alcohol consumption and COVID-19, infectious diseases, and pneumonia mortality. This is a prospective analysis of 437,191 UK Biobank participants (age 56.3 years, 54% female). The main exposure was self-reported alcohol consumption. In addition to never and previous drinkers, we applied quartiles-based and UK guidelines-based criteria to divide current drinkers by weekly consumption into four groups. Outcomes included COVID-19, infectious diseases, and pneumonia mortality, obtained from the national death registries until May 2020. After an 11-year follow-up, compared to never drinkers, previous drinkers had higher mortality risks of infectious diseases and pneumonia (adjusted HR: 1.29 [95% CI 1.06–1.57] and 1.35 [1.07–1.70], respectively), but not COVID-19. There was a curvilinear association of alcohol consumption with infectious diseases and pneumonia mortality. Drinking within-guidelines (<14 UK units/wk) and amounts up to double the recommendation (14 to < 28 UK units/wk) was associated with the lowest mortality risks of infectious diseases (0.70 [0.59–0.83] and 0.70 [0.59–0.83], respectively) and pneumonia (0.71 [0.58–0.87] and 0.72 [0.58–0.88], respectively). Alcohol consumption was associated with lower risks of COVID-19 mortality (e.g., drinking within-guidelines: 0.53 [0.33–0.86]). Drinkers reporting multiples of the recommended alcohol drinking amounts did not have higher mortality risks of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases than never drinkers. Despite the well-established unfavorable effects on general health, we found no deleterious associations between alcohol consumption and the risk of infectious diseases, including COVID-19. Future research with other study designs is needed to confirm the causality