Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Perioperative Outcomes of Peroral Endoscopic Myotomy (POEM) and Laparoscopic Heller Myotomy (LHM) for Achalasia

Aims and Objectives: Laparoscopic Heller myotomy (LHM) is the preferred surgical method for treating achalasia. However, peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) is providing good short-term results. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to compare the safety and efficacy of LHM and POEM. Materials and Methods: A search of PubMed, Cochrane database, Medline, Embase, Science Citation Index, and current contents for English-language articles comparing LHM and POEM between 2007 and 2016 was performed. Variables analyzed included prior endoscopic treatment, prior medical treatment, prior Heller myotomy, operative time, overall complications rate, postoperative gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), length of hospital stay, postoperative pain score, and long-term GERD. Results: Seven trials consisting of 483 (LHM=250, POEM=233) patients were analyzed. Preoperative variables, for example, prior endoscopic treatment [odds ratio (OR), 1.32; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.23-4.61; P=0.96], prior medical treatment [weighted mean difference (WMD), 1.22; 95% CI, 0.52-2.88; P=0.65], and prior Heller myotomy (WMD, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.13-1.67; P=0.25) were comparable. Operative time was 26.28 minutes, nonsignificantly longer for LHM (WMD, 26.28; 95% CI, −11.20 to 63.70; P=0.17). There was a comparable overall complication rate (OR, 1.25; 95% CI, 0.56-2.77; P=0.59), postoperative GERD rate (OR, 1.27; 95% CI, 0.70-2.30; P=0.44), length of hospital stay (WMD, 0.30; 95% CI, −0.24 to 0.85; P=0.28), postoperative pain score (WMD, −0.26; 95% CI, −1.58 to 1.06; P=0.70), and long-term GERD (WMD, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.27-4.1; P=0.08) for both procedures. There was a significantly higher short-term clinical treatment failure rate for LHM (OR, 9.82; 95% CI, 2.06-46.80; P<0.01). Conclusions: POEM compares favorably to LHM for achalasia treatment in short-term perioperative outcomes. However, there was a significantly higher clinical treatment failure rate for LHM on short-term postoperative follow-up. Presently long-term postoperative follow-up data for POEM beyond 1 year are unavailable and eagerly awaited.
Ambiguity Aversion: Implications for the Uncovered Interest Rate Parity Puzzle

High-interest-rate currencies tend to appreciate in the future relative to low-interest-rate currencies instead of depreciating as uncovered-interest-parity (UIP) predicts. I construct a model of exchange-rate determination in which ambiguity-averse agents face a dynamic filtering problem featuring signals of uncertain precision. Solving a max-min problem, agents act upon a worst-case signal precision and systematically underestimate the hidden state that controls payoffs. Thus, on average, agents next periods perceive positive innovations, which generates an upward re-evaluation of the strategy's profitability and implies ex-post departures from UIP. The model also produces predictable expectational errors, ex-post profitability and negative skewness of currency speculation payoffs.
How Work Characteristics Are Related to European Workers’ Psychological Well-Being. A Comparison of Two Age Groups

This study aimed to analyze the mechanisms through which work characteristics are related to psychological well-being, exploring the mediational role of work meaningfulness and job satisfaction, and investigating differences in the patterns of relationships between two age groups. The sample was composed of 36,896 workers from the 5th European Working Conditions Survey. Structural equation modeling analyses and multiple group analyses were performed. The results revealed a parallel mediational model, in which work meaningfulness and general job satisfaction mediate the relationships between work characteristics and well-being. Additionally, job satisfaction partially mediates the relationship between meaningfulness and well-being. These results were confirmed in both age groups (under 55 years old and older workers), but age moderates the relationships between social support and the mediating variables and the relationships between the mediating variables and general well-being. The present study uncovers significant pathways through which time pressure, decision latitude, and social support are related to psychological well-being, depicting an important step in better understanding how and when work characteristics are related to positive outcomes. It provides important clues for promoting psychosocial health at work at the European level.
Tree phenology responses to winter chilling, spring warming, at north and south range limits

Summary Increases in primary production may occur if plants respond to climate warming with prolonged growing seasons, but not if local adaptation, cued by photoperiod, limits phenological advance. It has been hypothesized that trees with diffuse-porous xylem anatomy and early successional species may respond most to warming. Within species, northern populations may respond most due to the fact that growing seasons are relatively short. Species most sensitive to spring temperature may show little overall response to warming if reduced chilling in fall/winter offsets accelerated winter/spring development. Because current thermal models consider only highly aggregated variables, for example degree-days or chilling units (temperature sums for a season or year), they may not accurately represent warming effects. We show that assumptions contained in current thermal (degree-day) models are unrealistic for climate change analysis. Critical threshold parameters are not identifiable, and they do not actually have much to do with thresholds for development. Traditional models further overlook the discrete nature of observations, observation error and the continuous response of phenological development to temperature variation. An alternative continuous development model (CDM) that addresses these problems is applied to a large experimental warming study near northern and southern boundaries of 15 species in the eastern deciduous forest of the USA, in North Carolina and Massachusetts. Results provide a detailed time course of phenological development, including vernalization during winter and warming in spring, and challenge the basic assumptions of thermal models. Where traditional models find little evidence of a chilling effect (most are insignificant or have the wrong sign), the continuous development model finds evidence of chilling effects in most species. Contrary to the hypothesis that northern populations respond most, we find southern populations are most responsive. Because northern populations already have a compressed period for spring development, they may lack flexibility to further advance development. A stronger response in the southern range could allow residents to resist northward migration of immigrants as climate warms. If potential invaders fail to exploit a prolonged growing season to the same degree as residents, then there is a resident advantage. Hypothesized effects of warming for xylem anatomy and successional status are not supported by the 15 species in this study.
Learning and investment under demand uncertainty in container shipping

This paper investigates how firms invest under demand uncertainty focusing on the role of information in container shipping. I develop and estimate a dynamic oligopoly model that allows uncertainty about the demand process in addition to uncertainty about demand realizations: agents do not know the true parameters in the demand process, but form and revise their expectations based on information available at each decision-making moment. I find that the uncertainty about the demand process amplifies investment cycles through (i) leading firms to update beliefs more often and drastically as they experience demand volatility, and (ii) intensifying strategic incentives among firms.
Experimental study of atrial fibrillation cycle length during rapid atrial septal pacing

Computer model-based simulations have shown that rapid stimulation at 60–100% of atrial fibrillation cycle length (AFCL) from a ring of electrodes located around the septum may induce local capture in both atria for most AF dynamics. The present study aims to investigate whether model-based results on AF septal pacing can be translated to experimental simulations. Acute experiments on swine hearts were performed in vivo. The septal ring of electrodes was experimentally implemented using a decapolar lasso catheter placed against the septal wall. Rapid septal pacing was applied in sequences of 10-sec simultaneously on four electrodes on the septal ring. The extent of local AF capture, defined as the ability of the rapid pacing sequence to take control over certain areas of the atria, was assessed via two decapolar mapping catheters in the right and left atrium. AFCL was measured on bipolar electrograms using a nonlinear filtering technique that uses short- and long-term electrogram energies for a robust CL extraction. AFCL was significantly higher in the right atrium compared to the AFCL in left atrium which indicates the existence of different AF dynamics in the two atria. Local capture was observed in both atria when pacing from four electrodes on the septum.
2 Murine L 1210 and P 388 Leukemias

Mouse leukemia models were a central component of the initial drug discovery programs employed by the Division of Cancer Treatment (DCT) of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) during the early 1960s and 1970s. The L1210 and P388 leukemias, developed in 1948 (1) and 1955 (2), respectively, played a major role in both screening and detailed evaluations of candidate anticancer agents. Today, 40 yr later, these models are still used to evaluate anticancer activity, although at a greatly reduced level, and to study mechanisms of drug resistance. This chapter reviews their past contributions, updates their present role in the evaluation of anticancer drugs, and summarizes data for the drug sensitivity of these two leukemias and various drug-resistant P388 sublines to clinically useful drugs.
An In-Vitro Optical Sensor Designed to Estimate Glycated Hemoglobin Levels

The purpose of this research was to design an optical sensor for evaluating glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) percentages in hemoglobin. The A1c sensors available in the market use invasive methods, while our device offers the possibility of non-invasive monitoring of HbA1c levels in diabetic patients. A prototype is assembled using two light emitting diodes with peak emission wavelengths of 535 nm and 593 nm, a photodiode, and a microcontroller. The proposed sensor measures the transmitted intensity in the form of an output voltage. We devise an approach to estimate the percentage of HbA1c in hemoglobin for a given solution. This estimation is based on the relative change in absorbance due to change in path length and molar absorption coefficients of hemoglobin and HbA1c, at the two wavelengths. We calculate the molar absorption coefficient of HbA1c at 535 nm and 593 nm wavelengths using the sensor, which is performed by a multiple variable regression analysis algorithm fed through the microcontroller. Specifically, the sensor output voltage with respect to the sample concentration is fitted to an exponentially decaying equation model. We used a commercial chemical assay called Control FD Glycohemoglobin A1c with known percentage HbA1c levels to verify our device measurements.
Review Nutritional comparison of fresh, frozen, and canned fruits and vegetables II. Vitamin A and carotenoids, vitamin E, minerals and fiber

In this second part of our review, we examine the literature for changes in carotenoids, vitamin E, minerals, and fiber due to processing, storage, and cooking of fresh, frozen, and canned fruits and vegetables. While inconsistencies in methodology and reporting methods complicate interpretation of the data, the results show that these nutrients are generally similar in comparable fresh and processed products. The higher levels of carotenoids typically found in canned as compared to fresh products may be attributed to either reporting results on a wet rather than dry weight basis, greater extractability, or differences in cultivars. There are relatively few studies on processing, storage, and cooking effects on vitamin E in fruits and vegetables. Further research is needed to understand nutritional changes in those few fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin E, such as tomatoes. Minerals and fiber are generally stable to processing, storage, and cooking, but may be lost in peeling and other removal steps during processing. Mineral uptake (e.g., calcium) or addition (e.g., sodium) during processing can change the natural mineral composition of a product. Sodium concerns in canned food can be addressed by choosing products with no salt added. Since nutrient content varies considerably by commodity, cultivar, and postharvest treatments, inclusion of a wide variety of fruits and vegetables in the diet is encouraged.  2007 Society of Chemical Industry
Capacity Value of Wind Power, Calculation, and Data Requirements: the Irish Power System Case

The capacity value of wind power indicates the extent to which wind power contributes to the generation system adequacy of a power system. The related data requirements may be subject to difficulties due to the temporal variability and spatial distribution of wind power in connection with the limited databases currently available. This paper presents a methodology to identify the minimal amount of data required for reliable studies. Based on wind power data of 74 stations in Ireland, covering up to ten years, the effects of different numbers of stations and different time periods of data on the capacity value are analyzed. The calculations are performed by means of a fast calculation code. The results show that at least four to five years of data in an hourly resolution are necessary for reliable studies and that 40 to 50 evenly distributed stations give an acceptable representation of the total wind power generation in Ireland.
Iron Impregnated Activated Carbon as an Efficient Adsorbent for the Removal of Methylene Blue: Regeneration and Kinetics Studies

In this study, iron impregnated activated carbon (FeAC) was synthesized following an oxidation and iron impregnation of activated carbon (AC). Both the AC and FeAC were characterized by pHZPC and FTIR spectroscopy. The removal of Methylene Blue (MB) by AC and FeAC was examined under various experimental conditions. The FeAC showed up to 95% (higher than AC) MB removal in the pH range of 7–10. Although the reaction kinetics was pseudo–second order, the overall rate was controlled by a number of processes such as film diffusion, pore diffusion and intraparticle diffusion. The activation energy values for the MB uptake by AC and FeAC (21.79 and 14.82 kJ/mol, respectively) revealed a physisorption process. In the regeneration study, FeAC has shown consistently ≥ 90% MB removal even up to 10 repeated cycles. The reusable characteristic of the spent FeAC improved the practical use of activated carbon and can be a breakthrough for continuous flow system applications where it can work effectively without any significant reduction in its performance.
Impacts of human recreation on carnivores in protected areas

Mammalian carnivores can be particularly sensitive to human disturbance, even within protected areas (PAs). Our objective was to understand how human disturbance affects carnivore communities in southern Arizona, USA by studying habitat occupancy based on data collected using non-invasive methods in three PAs with different levels of human disturbance. Carnivore occupancy varied based on human disturbance variables (i.e., roads, trails, etc.). Common carnivore species (coyotes, gray foxes, and bobcats) had high occupancy probability in highly disturbed sites, while all other carnivore species had a higher probability of occupancy in low disturbance protected areas. Additionally, overall carnivore diversity was higher in PAs with low human disturbance. Edges of PAs appeared to negatively impact occupancy of nearly all carnivore species. We also found the presence of roads and trails, and not necessarily how much they are used, had a significant negative impact on the occupancy of most carnivore species. Furthermore, the overall level of disturbance within a PA influenced how sensitive carnivores were to human disturbance variables. Carnivores were more sensitive in PAs with higher levels of disturbance and were relatively unaffected by disturbance variables in a PA with low base levels of disturbance. Increased visitation to PAs, expected with the region’s high level of population growth, is likely to cause shifts in the carnivore communities favoring species that are less sensitive to disturbance.
Numerical Responses of Saproxylic Beetles to Rapid Increases in Dead Wood Availability following Geometrid Moth Outbreaks in Sub-Arctic Mountain Birch Forest

Saproxylic insects play an important part in decomposing dead wood in healthy forest ecosystems, but little is known about their role in the aftermath of large-scale forest mortality caused by pest insect outbreaks. We used window traps to study short-term changes in the abundance and community structure of saproxylic beetles following extensive mortality of mountain birch in sub-arctic northern Norway caused by an outbreak of geometrid moths. Three to five years after the outbreak, the proportion of obligate saproxylic individuals in the beetle community was roughly 10% higher in forest damaged by the outbreak than in undamaged forest. This was mainly due to two early-successional saproxylic beetle species. Facultative saproxylic beetles showed no consistent differences between damaged and undamaged forest. These findings would suggest a weak numerical response of the saproxylic beetle community to the dead wood left by the outbreak. We suggest that species-specific preferences for certain wood decay stages may limit the number of saproxylic species that respond numerically to an outbreak at a particular time, and that increases in responding species may be constrained by limitations to the amount of dead wood that can be exploited within a given timeframe (i.e. satiation effects). Low diversity of beetle species or slow development of larvae in our cold sub-arctic study region may also limit numerical responses. Our study suggests that saproxylic beetles, owing to weak numerical responses, may so far have played a minor role in decomposing the vast quantities of dead wood left by the moth outbreak.
Increasing Levels of Condensed Distillers Solublesand Finishing Performance

Effects of adding 0, 9, 18, 27, or 36% condensed corn distillers solubles (CDS) to finishing diets containing a blend of dry-rolled and high-moisture corn and no other byproducts, were evaluated. As CDS replaced corn, DMI decreased linearly, while ADG and F:G increased quadratically. Feeding up to 36% CDS may effectively reduce dietary inclusion of corn, while improving ADG and F:G in finishing diets, with calculated maximal ADG at 20.8 and best F:G at 32.5% inclusion of CDS (DM).
18F-Flortaucipir Binding in Choroid Plexus: Related to Race and Hippocampus Signal.

BACKGROUND On target 18F-Flortaucipir (FTP) binding of Alzheimer's disease tau aggregates and off-target binding of melanocytes have been demonstrated with autoradiography. OBJECTIVE We aimed to investigate the hypothesis that if binding in choroid plexus (CP) is due to melanocytes, the signal would be elevated in Black/African American (B/AA) compared to White (W) participants. In addition, we examined whether CP signal affects measurements in adjacent regions, and whether correcting for spill-in effects has an influence on associations between hippocampus (HC) FTP and amyloid or cognition. METHODS FTP race differences in 147 Harvard Aging Brain Study participants (23 B/AA, 124W) were examined in CP, HC, HC covaried for CP, amygdala, inferior temporal gyrus, entorhinal cortex, and fusiform regions. Associations between CP FTP and other regions-of-interest (ROIs) were probed to assess spill-in effects. A statistical regression approach to attenuate CP spill-in was tested by relating adjusted HC SUVR residuals and unadjusted HC SUVR to race, cognition and amyloid. All analyses were covaried for age, sex, education and amyloid deposition, and Bonferroni-corrected for multiple comparisons. RESULTS B/AA individuals had elevated CP and HC SUVR (p < 0.007), whereas other ROI SUVR and HC SUVR covaried for CP SUVR did not show race differences (p > 0.05). CP SUVR was associated with HC SUVR (p < 10-14), but with no other ROI SUVR (p > 0.05). When adjusting HC SUVR for CP SUVR, no race differences in residual HC SUVR were detected, and relationships with amyloid and memory became apparent. CONCLUSION Melanocyte FTP binding may account partially for high CP signal. This off-target binding affects mainly HC FTP measurements, which should be interpreted with caution.
The effect of platelet-rich plasma on osteoblast and periodontal ligament cell migration, proliferation and differentiation.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Platelet-rich plasma is used to deliver growth factors, in a safe and convenient manner, for enhancing bone and periodontal regeneration. However, conflicting reports regarding its effectiveness suggest that further study of the relevant cellular mechanisms is required. The aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro effect of platelet-rich plasma on osteoblasts and periodontal ligament cell function. MATERIAL AND METHODS Various concentrations of platelet-rich plasma (100, 50, 20 and 10%) and platelet-poor plasma, obtained from human donors, were applied to primary cultures of human osteoblasts and periodontal ligament cells. [(3)H]-Thymidine incorporation, crystal violet staining and MTT assays were utilized to assess DNA synthesis and proliferation. Migration was determined by assessing the cell response to a concentration gradient, while differentiation was assessed using Alazarin Red staining. RESULTS Platelet-rich plasma and platelet-poor plasma had stimulatory effects on the migration of both human osteoblasts and periodontal ligament cells. At 24 h, DNA synthesis was suppressed by the application of the various concentrations of platelet-rich plasma, but over a 5-d period, a beneficial effect on proliferation was observed, especially in response to 50% platelet-rich plasma. Platelet-poor plasma resulted in the greatest enhancement of cellular proliferation for both cell types. At a concentration of 50%, platelet-rich plasma and platelet-poor plasma facilitated differentiation of both cell types. CONCLUSION Platelet-rich plasma can exert a positive effect on osteoblast and periodontal ligament cell function, but this effect is concentration specific with maximal concentrations not necessarily resulting in optimal outcomes. Platelet-poor plasma also appears to have the ability to promote wound healing-associated cell function.