Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effectiveness of new legislation on partial sickness benefit on work participation: a quasi-experiment in Finland

Objectives To examine the effect of the new legislation on partial sickness benefit on subsequent work participation of Finns with long-term sickness absence. Additionally, we investigated whether the effect differed by sex, age or diagnostic category. Design A register-based quasi-experimental study compared the intervention (partial sick leave) group with the comparison (full sick leave) group regarding their pre-post differences in the outcome. The preintervention and postintervention period each consisted of 365 days. Setting Nationwide, individual-level data on the beneficiaries of partial or full sickness benefit in 2008 were obtained from national sickness insurance, pension and earnings registers. Participants 1738 persons in the intervention and 56 754 persons in the comparison group. Outcome Work participation, measured as the proportion (%) of time within 365 days when participants were gainfully employed and did not receive either partial or full ill-health-related or unemployment benefits. Results Although work participation declined in both groups, the decline was 5% (absolute difference-in-differences) smaller in the intervention than in the comparison group, with a minor sex difference. The beneficial effect of partial sick leave was seen especially among those aged 45–54 (5%) and 55–65 (6%) and in mental disorders (13%). When the groups were rendered more exchangeable (propensity score matching on age, sex, diagnostic category, income, occupation, insurance district, work participation, sickness absence, rehabilitation periods and unemployment, prior to intervention and their interaction terms), the effects on work participation were doubled and seen in all age groups and in other diagnostic categories than traumas. Conclusions The results suggest that the new legislation has potential to increase work participation of the population with long-term sickness absence in Finland. If applied in a larger scale, partial sick leave may turn out to be a useful tool in reducing withdrawal of workers from the labour market due to health reasons.
1.9-kV AlGaN/GaN Lateral Schottky Barrier Diodes on Silicon

In this letter, we present AlGaN/GaN lateral Schottky barrier diodes on silicon with recessed anodes and dual field plates. A low specific ON-resistance R<sub>ON,SP</sub> (5.12 mQ · cm<sup>2</sup>), a low turn-ON voltage (<; 0.7 V), and a high reverse breakdown voltage (BV) (>1.9 kV) were simultaneously achieved in devices with a 25-μm anode/cathode distance, resulting in a power figure-of-merit BV<sup>2</sup>/R<sub>ON,SP</sub> of 727 MW · cm<sup>-2</sup>. The record high BV of 1.9 kV is attributed to the dual field-plate structure.
Alginate Reinforced Chitosan and Starch Beads in Slow Release Formulation of Imazaquin Herbicide—Preparation and Characterization

In a bid to make slow release formulations of imazaquin, the herbicide was encapsulated in starch and chitosan beads reinforced with alginate. The beads were characterized using SEM, DSC and FTIR. Two types of formulations were made by extrusion into 0.25 M calcium chloride solution: chitosan/alginate (LNCI) and starch/alginate (LNSI) beads, and the third was by gelatinization of starch at 75? C (LNSI2). Findings showed highly porous spherical beads, the starch/alginate beads bigger and less porous than the chitosan/alginate beads with diameters of 2.53 ± 0.01 and 2.31 ± 0.01 mm; porosity of 57.58% ± 0.2% and 81.28% ± 0.2% and swelling of 34.91% ± 0.2% and 80.35% ± 0.2%, respectively. FTIR revealed a reduction in intensity of the carboxylate peaks of alginate and the peak at 1058 cm? 1, present in the FTIR of the matrices, is shifted to lower wave-numbers in the formulations, signifying interactions between the formulation components that make for good slow release. The DSC thermograms of all formulations showed evidence of interaction of imazaquin carboxylate group with the N-atoms of the macromolecules, which is indicative of reduced crystallinity of imazaquin.
Retiming for soft error minimization under error-latching window constraints

Soft error has become a critical reliability issue in nanoscale integrated circuits, especially in sequential circuits where a latched error will be propagated for many cycles and affect many outputs at different time. Retiming is a structural operation that relocates registers in a circuit without changing its functionality. In this paper, the effect of retiming on soft error rate (SER) of a sequential circuit is investigated considering both logic masking and timing masking. A minimum observability retiming problem under error-latching window constraints is formulated to reduce the SER of the circuit. And an efficient algorithm is proposed to solve the problem optimally. Experimental results show on average a 32.7% reduction on SER from the original circuits and a 15% improvement over the existing method.
Nitration of the Birch Pollen Allergen Bet v 1.0101: Efficiency and Site-Selectivity of Liquid and Gaseous Nitrating Agents

Nitration of the major birch pollen allergen Bet v 1 alters the immune responses toward this protein, but the underlying chemical mechanisms are not yet understood. Here we address the efficiency and site-selectivity of the nitration reaction of recombinant protein samples of Bet v 1.0101 with different nitrating agents relevant for laboratory investigations (tetranitromethane, TNM), for physiological processes (peroxynitrite, ONOO–), and for the health effects of environmental pollutants (nitrogen dioxide and ozone, O3/NO2). We determined the total tyrosine nitration degrees (ND) and the NDs of individual tyrosine residues (NDY). High-performance liquid chromatography coupled to diode array detection and HPLC coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry analysis of intact proteins, HPLC coupled to tandem mass spectrometry analysis of tryptic peptides, and amino acid analysis of hydrolyzed samples were performed. The preferred reaction sites were tyrosine residues at the following positions in the polypeptide chain: Y83 and Y81 for TNM, Y150 for ONOO–, and Y83 and Y158 for O3/NO2. The tyrosine residues Y83 and Y81 are located in a hydrophobic cavity, while Y150 and Y158 are located in solvent-accessible and flexible structures of the C-terminal region. The heterogeneous reaction with O3/NO2 was found to be strongly dependent on the phase state of the protein. Nitration rates were about one order of magnitude higher for aqueous protein solutions (∼20% per day) than for protein filter samples (∼2% per day). Overall, our findings show that the kinetics and site-selectivity of nitration strongly depend on the nitrating agent and reaction conditions, which may also affect the biological function and adverse health effects of the nitrated protein.
Human Endogenous Retrovirus Protein Activates Innate Immunity and Promotes Experimental Allergic Encephalomyelitis in Mice

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex multifactorial disease of the central nervous system (CNS) for which animal models have mainly addressed downstream immunopathology but not potential inducers of autoimmunity. In the absence of a pathogen known to cause neuroinflammation in MS, Mycobacterial lysate is commonly used in the form of complete Freund's adjuvant to induce autoimmunity to myelin proteins in Experimental Allergic Encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model for MS. The present study demonstrates that a protein from the human endogenous retrovirus HERV-W family (MSRV-Env) can be used instead of mycobacterial lysate to induce autoimmunity and EAE in mice injected with MOG, with typical anti-myelin response and CNS lesions normally seen in this model. MSRV-Env was shown to induce proinflammatory response in human macrophage cells through TLR4 activation pathway. The present results demonstrate a similar activation of murine dendritic cells and show the ability of MSRV-Env to trigger EAE in mice. In previous studies, MSRV-Env protein was reproducibly detected in MS brain lesions within microglia and perivascular macrophages. The present results are therefore likely to provide a model for MS, in which the upstream adjuvant triggering neuroinflammation is the one detected in MS active lesions. This model now allows pre-clinical studies with therapeutic agents targeting this endogenous retroviral protein in MS.
Fatty Acid Composition of Red Blood Cell Membranes and Risk of Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Skin

Differential effects of fatty acids on carcinogenesis suggest that fatty acid composition is important in tumor development. Arachidonic acid and its metabolites elicit inflammation and promote tumor formation in mouse skin. Inhibitors of the arachidonic cascade inhibit tumor incidence. A population-based case control study in Southeastern Arizona tested the hypothesis that lower levels of arachidonic acid in RBC membranes were associated with decreased risk of skin squamous cell carcinoma (SCC; n = 335 SCC cases and 321 controls). Extracted and esterified RBC fatty acids were analyzed using capillary gas chromatography. Individual peaks for 14 fatty acids were measured as a percentage of total fatty acids. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (OR), adjusting for SCC risk factors (age, gender, actinic keratosis history, freckling, and tanning ability). Increased levels of arachidonic acid in RBC membranes were associated with increased risk of SCC [odds ratio (OR), 1.08 per mg/100 mL change; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.02-1.15] and this association remained when controls with actinic keratosis precursor lesions were excluded. SCC risk was highest among the upper quartile of arachidonic acid (OR, 2.38; 95% CI, 1.37-4.12). In contrast, increasing proportions of palmitic acid (OR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.89-1.00) and palmitoleicacid (OR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.30-0.81) were associated with reduced SCC risk. More studies are needed to elucidate the function of RBC fatty acids so that recommendations can be made to alter the human diet for cancer prevention.
Left Ventricular Response to Exercise in Aortic Stenosis: An Exercise Echocardiographic Study

Background: While normal at rest, left ventricular (LV) systolic function may become abnormal during exercise in patients with aortic stenosis. Once contraindicated in patients with aortic stenosis, exercise testing is now recommended in asymptomatic patients with aortic stenosis to elicit symptoms and thereby ascertain the need for aortic valve replacement. However, the clinical significance of an abnormal LV response to exercise in asymptomatic patients with aortic stenosis remains unknown. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical implications of an abnormal LV response during exercise in the setting of aortic stenosis. Methods: We monitored the LV response to exercise by 2D‐Doppler echocardiography during a symptom limited semirecumbent bicycle exercise in 50 patients with tight aortic stenosis (aortic valve area ≤ 1.0 cm2) and a normal LV systolic function (LV ejection fraction, EF ≥ 50%) and followed them for an average of 11 months. Results: Twenty patients had an abnormal LV response to exercise with a mean decrease in LV EF from 64 ± 10 to 53 ± 12% while 30 patients had a normal LV response to exercise with a mean increase in LV EF from 62 ± 7 to 70 ± 8%. Patients with an abnormal LV response during exercise were more likely to develop symptoms during exercise than patients with a normal LV response: 80% versus 27% (P < 0.0001). The survival free of cardiac events was significantly lower in patients with abnormal LV response to exercise than in patients with a normal response (P = 0.03). Conclusion: Exercise echocardiography provides objective data that facilitate interpretation of exercise elicited symptoms in asymptomatic patients with severe aortic stenosis. In addition, an abnormal LV response to exercise may predict a poor outcome.
A fast exact least mean square adaptive algorithm

A general block-formulation is presented for the LMS (least-mean-square) algorithm for adaptive filtering. This formulation has an exact equivalence with the initial LMS, hence retaining the same convergence properties while allowing a reduction in the arithmetic complexity, even for very small block lengths. Furthermore, tradeoffs between number of operations and convergence rate are obtainable by applying certain approximations to a matrix involved in the algorithm. The usual block LMS (BLMS) hence appears as one of the possible approximations, which explains some of its properties. <<ETX>>
A.S.P.E.N. clinical guidelines: nutrition support therapy during adult anticancer treatment and in hematopoietic cell transplantation.

Nutrition status has an important effect on quality of life and sense of well-being in cancer patients. Malnutrition and weight loss are often contributors to the cause of death in cancer patients. 1 Cancer cachexia is a syndrome characterized by progressive, involuntary weight loss. Clinical features include host tissue wasting, anorexia, skeletal muscle atrophy, anergy, fatigue, anemia, and hypoalbuminemia. Causes of cancer cachexia include anorexia, mechanical factors affecting the gastrointestinal tract related to tumor, side effects of surgery, chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy, alterations in intermediary and energy metabolism, and changes in the host cytokine and hormonal milieu. The cancer cachexia syndrome (CCS), which is observed in approximately 50% of cancer patients, involves heterogeneous physiologic and metabolic derangements resulting in potentially life-threatening malnutrition. 2 Although often seen in patients with advanced malignancies, CCS may be present in the early stages of tumor growth. Weight loss in cancer patients is of prognostic significance. For any given tumor type, survival is shorter in patients who experience pretreatment weight loss. 3-5
A Test of the Equal Environment Assumption (EEA) in Multivariate Twin Studies

Abstract In the classic twin design, estimation of genetic and environmental effects is based on the assumption that environmental influences are shared to the same extent by monozygotic and dizygotic twins (equal environment assumption, EEA). We explore the conditions in which the EEA can be tested based on multivariate phenotypic data. We focus on the test whether the correlation between shared environmental factors in dizygotic twins (rC) is less than 1. First, model identification was investigated analytically in Maple and Mx. Second, statistical power was examined in Mx. Third, the amount of bias caused by violation of the EEA was evaluated. Finally, applications to empirical data concern spatial ability in adolescents and aggression in children. Bivariate and trivariate models include several instances in which the EEA can be tested. The number of twin pairs that is needed to detect violation of the EEA with a statistical power of . 80 (α = .05) varied between 508 and 3576 pairs for the situations considered. The bias in parameter estimates, given misspecification, ranged from 5% to 34% for additive genetic effects, and from 4% to 34% for shared environmental effects. Estimates of the nonshared environmental effects were not biased. The EEA was not violated for spatial ability or aggression. Multivariate data provide sufficient information to test the validity of the EEA. The number of twin pairs that is needed is no greater than the number typically available in most twin registries. The analysis of spatial ability and aggression indicated no detectable violation of the EEA.
Reexamination of Tropical Cyclone Wind–Pressure Relationships

Abstract Tropical cyclone wind–pressure relationships are reexamined using 15 yr of minimum sea level pressure estimates, numerical analysis fields, and best-track intensities. Minimum sea level pressure is estimated from aircraft reconnaissance or measured from dropwindsondes, and maximum wind speeds are interpolated from best-track maximum 1-min wind speed estimates. The aircraft data were collected primarily in the Atlantic but also include eastern and central North Pacific cases. Global numerical analyses were used to estimate tropical cyclone size and environmental pressure associated with each observation. Using this dataset (3801 points), the influences of latitude, tropical cyclone size, environmental pressure, and intensification trend on the tropical cyclone wind–pressure relationships were examined. Findings suggest that latitude, size, and environmental pressure, which all can be quantified in an operational and postanalysis setting, are related to predictable changes in the wind–pressure rela.
Electron backscattering pattern identification of surface morphology of fatigue cracks in TA6V

Fatigue crack growth in an tl + titanium alloy (TA6V) with three microstructural conditions is studied in high vacuum at 300°C. The faster growth rates are observed in the material with a low content of primary c( phase and a fine equiaxed microstructure. Near the threshold regime, a slow crystallographic Stage I-like propagation is observed in the three microstructural types where slip occurs along a single-plane system which develops within the CL grains. These crystallographic facets are identified using an electron backscattering pattern (EBSP) technique and were found to lie on basal planes.
Gross Total Resection of Glioma with the Intraoperative Fluorescence-guidance of Fluorescein Sodium

Objective. High dose fluorescein sodium has been utilized for fluorescence-guided tumor resection with conflicting reports on the efficacy of this procedure. The aim of this study was to reevaluate the utility and clinical limitations of using fluorescein sodium for the treatment and resection of glioma brain tumors. Methods. Patients diagnosed with glioma were divided into two groups with a total of 22 patients enrolled in the study: 1) the study group (n=10), patients that received intravenous injection of fluorescein sodium and 2) the control group (n=12), patients that did not receive injections during surgical resection. Quality of life was evaluated according to Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) score and neurological status. Fluorescein sodium was intravenously injected at a dose of 15-20mg/kg of body weight. Glioma resection was evaluated preoperative and postoperatively with enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Results. Significant differences in the gross total resection (GTR) rates were observed between the two patient groups (Fisher's Exact Test p=0.047). Progressive free survival was significantly longer in the study group (Student's T-Test p=0.033) as well as in the GTR group (Student's T-Test p=0.0001) compared to the control and non-GTR groups, respectively. Three patients in the study group and four patients in the control group had transient neurological deterioration. One patient in the control group had permanent hemiplegia. Conclusion. The intraoperative utility of using fluorescein sodium can significantly increase the GTR rate without obvious deterioration. In addition, we find that it is better to apply the fluorescein sodium in the cases with BBB (blood-brain barrier) disruption, which had been enhanced in preoperative MRI.
A Composite Risk Model for Predicting Technical Failure in Pancreas Transplantation

Technical failure (TF) continues to have a significant impact on the success of pancreas transplantation. We assessed risk factors for TF in 1115 pancreas transplants performed at a single center between 1998 and 2011. The overall TF rate was 10.2%. In a multivariable model, donor BMI ≥30 (HR 1.87, p = 0.005), donor Cr ≥2.5 (HR 3.16, p = 0.007), donor age >50 (HR 1.73, p = 0.082) and preservation time >20 h (HR 2.17, p < 0.001) were associated with TF. Bladder drainage of exocrine secretions was protective (HR 0.54, p = 0.002). We incorporated these factors in a Composite Risk Model. In this model the presence of one risk factor did not significantly increase risk of TF (HR 1.35, p = 0.346). Two risk factors in combination increased risk greater than threefold (HR 3.65, p < 0.001) and three risk factors increased risk greater than sevenfold (HR 7.66, p = <0.001). The analysis also identified many factors that were not predictive of TF, including previous transplants, immunosuppressive agent selection, and almost all recipient demographic parameters. While the model suggests that two or more risk factors predict TF, strategies to reduce preservation time may mitigate some of this risk.
Characterization of SRAM sense amplifier input offset for yield prediction in 28nm CMOS

Random variations play a critical role in determining SRAM yield, by affecting both the bitcell and the read sense amplifiers (SA). In this work, a process control monitor for SRAM SA offset is proposed and implemented in 28nm LP CMOS technology. The monitor provides accurate measurement of SA offset from a large sample size and accounts for all proximity effects that may affect the SA offset. The all-digital design of the monitor makes it adequate for low voltage testing, high speed data collection, and ease of migration to newer technologies. Detailed measurement results are provided for two of the most commonly used sense amplifiers at different supply and temperature conditions. Statistical yield estimation using the measured sense amplifier offset shows good correlation with measured yield for a 512Kb SRAM. The monitor is a critical part of SRAM silicon yield validation, which is becoming of increasing importance with technology scaling, and the significant increase in random variations.
SPECTROPOLARIMETRIC EVIDENCE FOR A BIPOLAR FLOW IN BETA LYRAE

We present ultraviolet and visible spectropolarimetry of the interacting binary star β Lyrae, obtained with the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter Experiment (WUPPE) and the HPOL spectropolarimeter at Pine Bluff Observatory (PBO). Our observations span three years and cover the wavelength range from 1400 to 10,500 Å, with a resolution of 7.5 to 16 Å. Detailed broadand narrow-band spectropolarimetric analysis allows us to begin to decompose the complex spectrum of β Lyrae: by examining the polarization behavior of a line or continuum, we can determine which component scatters the light, and, ultimately, from which component that light originates. After removing interstellar polarization from our data and rotating the results to the apparent intrinsic position angle of the system, we find that the polarization of the hydrogen Balmer and vacuum ultraviolet “UV bump” emission lines, as well as that of the near-ultraviolet continuum, remains mostly constant with phase and is oriented at 90° to the visible polarization, indicating that the scattering plane of the light in these three spectral components is perpendicular to the scattering plane of the visible light. We propose that the UV-bump, Balmer-emission, and near-UV-continuum polarization is produced by electron scattering off a bipolar outflow in the β Lyrae system. The intrinsic visible polarization of β Lyrae shows eclipses which associate it with material near the accretion disk. We find conflicting evidence regarding both the origin of this visible light and the scattering surface which polarizes it: continuum evidence points toward the secondary object as the illuminator and the accretion disk edge as the scatterer, while line analysis suggests light from the loser scatters off material between it and the disk. The presence of material away from the orbital plane may help resolve this contradiction.