Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Seeking help for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD): a qualitative study of the enablers and barriers conducted by a researcher with personal experience of OCD

OBJECTIVES Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) can be hugely disabling. Although very effective psychological treatments exist, many people delay years before seeking help or never seek treatment. There have been clinical observation and short questionnaire studies on why people delay, but little qualitative research exists on this complex subject. The present qualitative study aimed to identify the barriers to seeking treatment and the factors that encourage or push people to seek help for their OCD (positive and negative enablers). DESIGN A qualitative, exploratory study using in-depth, individual, semi-structured interviews was conducted by a researcher with personal experience of OCD. METHODS Seventeen people with OCD, contacted through the charity OCD-UK, were interviewed about the factors that impacted on their decision to seek help or not. The interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS Barriers identified were stigma, 'internal / cognitive' factors, not knowing what their problem was, factors relating to their GP or treatment, and fear of criminalisation. Positive enablers identified were being supported to seek help, information and personal accounts of OCD in the media, and confidence in their GP. Negative enablers were reaching a crisis point and for some participants (whose intrusive thoughts were about harming children) feeling driven to seek treatment because of the nature of the thoughts, that is, seeking help to prevent the 'harm' they feared they were capable of doing. CONCLUSIONS Participants identified a range of barriers and enablers that impacted on their decision to seek help or not. These give important indicators about the likely causes for delayed help seeking in OCD and ways in which people might be encouraged to seek help earlier. PRACTITIONER POINTS People with OCD may face a wide range of barriers to seeking help, including concern about the reaction of health professionals. The level of awareness, kindness, and understanding shown by first-line practitioners can be very important to those seeking help. Acknowledging a person's journey prior to seeking help is likely to foster trust between therapist and patient. Some barriers to seeking help, for example, fear of criminalisation, may continue to have an important effect afterwards unless sensitively explored and understood.
T-Helper Type 1-T-Helper Type 2 Shift and Nasal Remodeling after Fine Particulate Matter Exposure in a Rat Model of Allergic Rhinitis

Background Exposure to fine particulate matter (particulate matter ≤2.5 μm [PM2.5]) increases the risk of allergic rhinitis (AR), but the underlying mechanisms remains unclear. Thus, we investigated the roles of T-helper (Th)1–Th2 cytokines and nasal remodeling after ambient PM2.5 exposure in a rat model of AR. Methods Female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into six groups: a negative control group, a group of healthy rats exposed to 3000 μg/m3 PM2.5, an ovalbumin (OVA) induced AR model, and three PM2.5-exacerbated AR groups exposed to three different concentrations (200, 1000, and 3000 μg/m3) of PM2.5 for 30 days via inhalation. Nasal symptoms, levels of Th1–Th2 cytokines, the degree of eosinophilia in nasal lavage fluid (NLF), and the messenger RNA (mRNA) expressions of transcription factors GATA-3 and T-bet in the nasal mucosa were measured in each individual rat. Hyperplasia of globet cells and collagen deposition were examined by histology. Results PM2.5 significantly increased the number of sneezes and nasal rubs in rats with AR. PM2.5 also significantly decreased interferon gamma and increased interleukin (IL) 4 and IL-13 expressions as well as the number of eosinophils in NLF. The mRNA expression of GATA-3 in the nasal mucosa of rats with AR was upregulated by PM2.5, whereas T-bet was significantly downregulated. Statistically significant differences in OVA-specific serum immunoglobulin E, goblet cell hyperplasia, collagen deposition, and transforming growth factor beta 1 levels were observed between the PM2.5-exacerbated AR groups and the AR model group. Conclusion Analysis of our data indicated that an increase in the immune response with Th2 polarization and the development of nasal remodeling may be the immunotoxic mechanisms behind the exacerbation of AR after exposure to PM2.5.
Does research with statistics have more impact? The citation rank advantage of structural equation modeling

Statistics are essential to many areas of research and individual statistical techniques may change the ways in which problems are addressed as well as the types of problems that can be tackled. Hence, specific techniques may tend to generate high‐impact findings within science. This article estimates the citation advantage of a technique by calculating the average citation rank of articles using it in the issue of the journal in which they were published. Applied to structural equation modeling (SEM) and four related techniques in 3 broad fields, the results show citation advantages that vary by technique and broad field. For example, SEM seems to be more influential in all broad fields than the 4 simpler methods, with one exception, and hence seems to be particularly worth adding to statistical curricula. In contrast, Pearson correlation apparently has the highest average impact in medicine but the least in psychology. In conclusion, the results suggest that the importance of a statistical technique may vary by discipline and that even simple techniques can help to generate high‐impact research in some contexts.
The Universal Form of Treatment Options (UFTO) as an Alternative to Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) Orders: A Mixed Methods Evaluation of the Effects on Clinical Practice and Patient Care

Aims To determine whether the introduction of the Universal Form of Treatment Options (the UFTO), as an alternative approach to Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) orders, reduces harms in patients in whom a decision not to attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was made, and to understand the mechanism for any observed change. Methods A mixed-methods before-and-after study with contemporaneous case controls was conducted in an acute hospital. We examined DNACPR (103 patients with DNACPR orders in 530 admissions) and UFTO (118 decisions not to attempt resuscitation in 560 admissions) practice. The Global Trigger Tool was used to quantify harms. Qualitative interviews and observations were used to understand mechanisms and effects. Results Rate of harms in patients for whom there was a documented decision not to attempt CPR was reduced: Rate difference per 1000 patient-days was 12.9 (95% CI: 2.6–23.2, p-value = 0.01). There was a difference in the proportion of harms contributing to patient death in the two periods (23/71 in the DNACPR period to 4/44 in the UFTO period (95% CI 7.8–36.1, p-value = 0.006). Significant differences were maintained after adjustment for known confounders. No significant change was seen on contemporaneous case control wards. Interviews with clinicians and observation of ward practice revealed the UFTO helped provide clarity of goals of care and reduced negative associations with resuscitation decisions. Conclusions Introducing the UFTO was associated with a significant reduction in harmful events in patients in whom a decision not to attempt CPR had been made. Coupled with supportive qualitative evidence, this indicates the UFTO improved care for this vulnerable group. Trial Registration Controlled-Trials.com ISRCTN85474986 UK Comprehensive Research Network Portfolio 7932
Trichinella spiralis reinfection: changes in cellular and humoral immune response in BALB/c mice

SummaryTrichinella spiralis infection induces a host cell-mediated and humoral response. The role of T and B lymphocytes in the immune response of mice reinfected with 2 × 400 T. spiralis larvae was studied in relation to the parasite burden. BALB/c mice were infected on days 0 and 60 and immunological parameters were examined within a period of 180 days. In comparison with a single T. spiralis infection, T- and B-lymphocytes in reinfected mice responded by a significant increase in the proliferative activity during 10 days after reinfection. At the same time, the percentages of CD4+ T-cells of reinfected mice were also increased. In contrast, the CD8+ T-cell numbers were significantly reduced almost 30 days after reinfection. High concentration of serum IFN-γ lasted till the end of the experiment. The IL-5 level was increased only for 2 weeks after reinfection, followed by its decrease. Kinetics of specific anti-Trichinella immunoglobulins IgG2a was not affected with reinfection, but specific antibodies IgG1 significantly increased after reinfection and persisted elevated till the end of the experiment. Lower numbers of adults (69.2 % reduction) in the small intestine and 72.3 % reduction in muscle larvae were found after reinfection. Stimulation of the host immune response — the increased activity of CD4+ T lymphocytes and high levels of IFN-γ and specific IgG1 after reinfection, contributed to the reduction of the parasite burden.
Linear and cyclic oligomers in polybutylene terephthalate for food contact materials

ABSTRACT Polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) is a polyester (PES) gaining more importance on the food contact material (FCM) market. However, little is known about the potential migration of PBT oligomers which are formed during polymer production. In this work, PBT pellets and a slotted spoon manufactured from this material by injection moulding were analysed on extractable oligomers and their migration potential into hydrophilic foods. Overall 27 oligomers (cycles and linears) could be identified in different extracts by HPLC-DAD/ESI-MS data, but without confirmation by reference substances. The oligomers were quantified by HPLC-DAD using bis(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (BHET) as external standard and the total amount of oligomers isolated by reprecipitation from the pellets and the spoon were 0.69 and 0.71%, respectively. While cyclic oligomers made up for approximately 90% of the extractable oligomers, linear oligomers proved to be more relevant for migration into aqueous foodstuffs. Furthermore, it was shown that hydrolysis of oligomers can take place in water at elevated temperatures. Consequently, the qualitative and quantitative composition of PBT oligomers in aqueous foods from FCMs does not only depend on migration but also on hydrolysis. Migration testing of the PBT spoon under repeat use conditions with water at 100°C for 2 h resulted in 0.29 mg item−1 of linear oligomers and 0.05 mg item−1 of the cyclic PBT dimer in the third migrate.
Generating Differentially Private Datasets Using GANs

In this paper, we present a technique for generating artificial datasets that retain statistical properties of the real data while providing differential privacy guarantees with respect to this data. We include a Gaussian noise layer in the discriminator of a generative adversarial network to make the output and the gradients differentially private with respect to the training data, and then use the generator component to synthesise privacy-preserving artificial dataset. Our experiments show that under a reasonably small privacy budget we are able to generate data of high quality and successfully train machine learning models on this artificial data.
Impairment in Proverb Interpretation as an Executive Function Deficit in Patients with Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment and Early Alzheimer's Disease

Background/Aims: Proverb interpretation is assumed to reflect executive functions. We hypothesized that proverb interpretation is impaired in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) diagnosed as single-domain impairment by common neuropsychological testing. Methods: We compared performance in a proverb interpretation test in single-domain aMCI patients and patients with early Alzheimer’s disease (EAD). Results: The groups with aMCI and EAD performed significantly worse than healthy controls. Both patient groups gave concrete answers with a similar frequency. However, patients with EAD tended to give senseless answers more frequently. Conclusions: Our data suggest that in patients diagnosed as single-domain aMCI, deterioration of executive functions is detectable with subtle and appropriate neuropsychological testing. Implementation of these procedures may improve the early prediction of AD.
Typical and Atypical Granular Cell Tumors of Soft Tissue: A Clinicopathologic Study of 50 Patients

Objectives Granular cell tumors are rare neoplasms of neural origin. Despite the mesenchymal nature of these tumors, they rarely occur in the soft tissue, and as a result, this subset is not well characterized. We present the largest case series to date comprising 50 patients with benign and atypical soft tissue granular cell tumors in an effort to better define the pathologic features in this subset of lesions. Methods All cases of soft tissue granular cell tumors from the Ohio State Medical Center and the Medical College of Wisconsin over a 10-year period were reviewed for histologic and clinical findings. Results The most common location was the upper extremity. The mean age was 38.6 years, and the mean size of the tumor was 2.1 cm. An infiltrative growth pattern was seen in 58.8% of cases, and positive margins were found in 68.2%. Eleven (21.6%) cases showed evidence of cytologic atypia and fulfilled the criteria for a diagnosis of atypical giant cell tumor. Two of 11 patients with long-term follow-up experienced local recurrence. Conclusions Compared with granular cell tumors overall, the soft tissue subset shows a larger average size and higher propensity for incomplete resections, with atypical features being relatively common. Our findings suggest that soft tissue granular cell tumors may be slightly more aggressive than their dermal or organ-confined counterparts.
Activin/Nodal Inhibition Alone Accelerates Highly Efficient Neural Conversion from Human Embryonic Stem Cells and Imposes a Caudal Positional Identity

Background Neural conversion from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) has been demonstrated in a variety of systems including chemically defined suspension culture, not requiring extrinsic signals, as well as in an adherent culture method that involves dual SMAD inhibition using Noggin and SB431542 (an inhibitor of activin/nodal signaling). Previous studies have also determined a role for activin/nodal signaling in development of the neural plate and anterior fate specification. We therefore sought to investigate the independent influence of SB431542 both on neural commitment of hESCs and positional identity of derived neural progenitors in chemically defined substrate-free conditions. Methodology/Principal Findings We show that in non-adherent culture conditions, treatment with SB431542 alone for 8 days is sufficient for highly efficient and accelerated neural conversion from hESCs with negligible mesendodermal, epidermal or trophectodermal contamination. In addition the resulting neural progenitor population has a predominantly caudal identity compared to the more anterior positional fate of non-SB431542 treated cultures. Finally we demonstrate that resulting neurons are electro-physiologically competent. Conclusions This study provides a platform for the efficient generation of caudal neural progenitors under defined conditions for experimental study.
Push-Based Wireless Converged Networks for Massive Multimedia Content Delivery

The fast growing wireless data traffics have brought a significant burden on the mobile cellular network and would soon cause severe congestion in the near future. In this paper, we contribute to the design and theoretical understanding of push-based content delivery in a converged broadcasting and cellular network to relieve the burden. Specifically, we are interested in analyzing the scheme in which the most popular contents are pushed through broadcasting to alleviate the cellular data bottleneck. This strategy not only offloads the multimedia traffics from the cellular network, but also improves the user experience by eliminating download waiting time. To evaluate the performance gains of the converged network, we first develop a mathematic framework to model the converged network, the multimedia content characteristics and the mobile user behaviors. The improvement of the network capacity is then derived and quantified theoretically. Furthermore, we obtain valuable insights on the impact of the network resource and parameters on the system performance. Numerical results are provided to confirm the accuracy of the developed analytical results and to show the significant performance advantages of the converged network over the cellular-only network in terms of the system power consumption and users' quality of service (QoS).
Effectiveness of a Web-Based Health Education Program to Promote Oral Hygiene Care Among Stroke Survivors: Randomized Controlled Trial

Background Oral hygiene care is of key importance among stroke patients to prevent complications that may compromise rehabilitation or potentially give rise to life-threatening infections such as aspiration pneumonia. Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a Web-based continuing professional development (CPD) program on “general intention” of the health carers to perform daily mouth cleaning for stroke patients using the theory of planned behavior (TPB). Methods A double-blind cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted among 547 stroke care providers across 10 hospitals in Malaysia. The centers were block randomized to receive either (1) test intervention (a Web-based CPD program on providing oral hygiene care to stroke patients using TPB) or (2) control intervention (a Web-based CPD program not specific to oral hygiene). Domains of TPB: “attitude,” “subjective norm” (SN), “perceived behavior control” (PBC), “general intention” (GI), and “knowledge” related to providing oral hygiene care were assessed preintervention and at 1 month and 6 months postintervention. Results The overall response rate was 68.2% (373/547). At 1 month, between the test and control groups, there was a significant difference in changes in scores of attitude (P=.004) and subjective norm (P=.01), but not in other TPB domains (GI, P=.11; PBC, P=.51; or knowledge, P=.08). At 6 months, there were significant differences in changes in scores of GI (P=.003), attitude (P=.009), SN (P<.001) and knowledge (P=.001) between the test and control groups. Regression analyses identified that the key factors associated with a change in GI at 6 months were changes in SN (beta=.36, P<.001) and changes in PBC (beta=.23, P<.001). Conclusions The Web-based CPD program based on TPB increased general intention, attitudes, subjective norms, and knowledge to provide oral hygiene care among stroke carers for their patients. Changing subjective norms and perceived behavioral control are key factors associated with changes in general intention to provide oral hygiene care. Trial Registration National Medical Research Register, Malaysia NMRR-13-1540-18833 (IIR); https://www.nmrr. gov.my/ fwbLoginPage.jsp
Recovery of rescuers from a 24-h shift and its association with aerobic fitness.

OBJECTIVES Rescuers work in 24-h shifts and the demanding nature of the occupation requires adequate recovery between work shifts. The purpose of this study has been to find out what kind of changes in autonomic control may be seen during work shift and its recovery period in the case of rescuers. An additional interest has been to see if aerobic fitness is associated with recovery from work shifts. MATERIAL AND METHODS Fourteen male rescuers (aged 34±9 years old) volunteered to participate in the study. Heart rate variability (HRV) was recorded for 96 h to study stress and recovery, from the beginning of a 24-h work shift to the beginning of the next shift. Aerobic fitness assessment included maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) estimation with a submaximal bicycle ergometer test. Salivary cortisol samples were collected 0 min, 15 min, and 30 min after awakening on the 3 resting days. RESULTS Some HRV parameters showed enhanced autonomic control after the work shift. Stress percentage decreased from the working day to the 2nd rest day (p < 0.05). However, maximal oxygen uptake was not associated with enhanced parasympathetic cardiac control (p > 0.05). Cortisol awakening response was attenuated right after the work shift. CONCLUSIONS The HRV findings show that recovery after a long work shift takes several days. Thus, rescuers should pay attention to sufficient recovery before the next work shift, and an integrated model of perceived and physiological measurements could be beneficial to assess cardiovascular strain among rescuers with long work shifts. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2017;30(3):433-444.
Analysis of Revenue Management Performance in the Hotel Industry

Revenue Management (RM) is an important tool for matc hing supply and demand by segmenting customers into different segments based on their willingness-to-pa y and allocating scarce capacity to the different s egments in a way that maximizes firm revenues. The benefits of RM are well accepted in the hospitality industry, and the technical aspects of RM form a rich analytical research stream. Howev er, the research is missing a holistic examination of important elements of effective RM. The literature shows that market segmentation, pricing, forecasting, capacity allocation, IT use, organizational focus, aligned incentives, orga nizational structure, and education and training co ntribute to effective RM. The researcher groups these elements i nto two concepts: RM technical capability and RM so cial support capability and propose that these nine elements pos itively impact RM performance, and develops scales t
Analytical Calculation of Spectrum Requirements for LTE-A Using the Probability Distribution on the Scheduled Resource Blocks

Recently, analytical calculations of spectrum requirements for 4G/5G systems have gained much attention from mobile industry and radio authority worldwide. Resource block (RB) scheduling based on devices’ channel conditions is important to guarantee quality of service in such systems. However, despite these attention and importance, there have been scarce works on stochastic modeling for the number of scheduled RBs in calculating spectrum requirements. Thus, in this letter, we derive a probability distribution of the number of scheduled RBs using 2-D Markov chain model, and present a calculation method and examples for LTE-A spectrum requirements based on the derived distribution.