Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of Sociodemographic Patient Characteristics on the Efficacy of Decision Aids: A Patient-Level Meta-Analysis of 7 Randomized Trials

Background—Decision aids (DAs) increase patient knowledge, reduce decisional conflict, and promote shared decision making (SDM). The extent to which they do so across diverse sociodemographic patient groups is unknown. Methods and Results—We conducted a patient-level meta-analysis of 7 randomized trials of DA versus usual care comprising 771 encounters between patients and clinicians discussing treatment options for chest pain, myocardial infarction, diabetes mellitus, and osteoporosis. Using a random effects model, we examined the impact of sociodemographic patient characteristics (age, sex, education, income, and insurance status) on the outcomes of knowledge transfer, decisional conflict, and patient involvement in SDM. Because of small numbers of people of color in the study population, we were not powered to investigate the role of race. Most patients were aged ≥65 years (61%), white (94%), and women (59%); two thirds had greater than a high school education. Compared with usual care, DA patients gained knowledge, were more likely to know their risk, and had less decisional conflict along with greater involvement in SDM. These gains were largely consistent across sociodemographic patient groups, with DAs demonstrating similar efficacy when used with vulnerable patients such as the elderly and those with less income and less formal education. Differences in efficacy were found only in knowledge of risk in 1 subgroup, with greater efficacy among those with higher education (35% versus 18%; P=0.02). Conclusions—In this patient-level meta-analysis of 7 randomized trials, DAs were efficacious across diverse sociodemographic groups as measured by knowledge transfer, decisional conflict, and patient involvement in SDM. To the extent that DAs increase patient knowledge and participation in SDM, they have potential to impact health disparities related to these factors.
Learning coupling terms for obstacle avoidance

Autonomous manipulation in dynamic environments is important for robots to perform everyday tasks. For this, a manipulator should be capable of interpreting the environment and planning an appropriate movement. At least, two possible approaches exist for this in literature. Usually, a planning system is used to generate a complex movement plan that satisfies all constraints. Alternatively, a simple plan could be chosen and modified with sensory feedback to accommodate additional constraints by equipping the controller with features that remain dormant most of the time, except when specific situations arise. Dynamic Movement Primitives (DMPs) form a robust and versatile starting point for such a controller that can be modified online using a non-linear term, called the coupling term. This can prove to be a fast and reactive way of obstacle avoidance in a human-like fashion. We propose a method to learn this coupling term from human demonstrations starting with simple features and making it more robust to avoid a larger range of obstacles. We test the ability of our coupling term to model different kinds of obstacle avoidance behaviours in humans and use this learnt coupling term to avoid obstacles in a reactive manner. This line of research aims at pushing the boundary of reactive control strategies to more complex scenarios, such that complex and usually computationally more expensive planning methods can be avoided as much as possible.
Hemodynamic Observations One and Two Years after Cardiac Transplantation in Man

Cardiac catheterization studies were performed in eight patients 1 year after cardiac transplantation and in two of these again at 2 years. Intracardiac pressures at rest were normal in all patients, both 1 and 2 years postoperatively. Average cardiac index at rest at 1 year was 2.3 liters/min/m2 and average heart rate was 90 beats/min. Responses to amyl nitrite, atropine, and tyramine failed to demonstrate efferent autonomic reinnervation of the donor hearts. Findings associated with a 10-min period of submaximal supine bicycle exercise 1 year after transplantation included: (1) a gradual rise in heart rate throughout most of the exercise period; (2) prompt elevation of left ventricular end-diastolic pressure by an average increment of 10 mm Hg, followed by a decrease during late exercise in some patients; (3) a progressive increase in LV systolic pressure throughout the first half of the exercise period; (4) a continuously positive change in LV rate of pressure change (dp/dt) throughout exercise; (5) an average 44% increase in stroke volume; and (6) an average 92% increase in cardiac output. The slope of the regression of cardiac output on oxygen uptake during exercise was within the range of normal. Cardiac output, however, was lower than normal both at rest and during exercise, and the arteriovenous oxygen diflerence was accordingly widened.In one patient studied 1 and 2 years after transplantation, hemodynamic findings were comparable on both occasions. In the other, however, the cardiac output response to exercise was distinctly diminished at 2 years as compared to 1 year, due almost entirely to failure of the stroke volume to increase. Coronary arteriography in this recipient revealed evidence of occlusive coronary disease compatible with graft atherosclerosis.These studies demonstrate the sustained capacity of the transplanted human heart to support normal physical activity late in the postoperative period. Although utilizing atypical adaptive mechanisms characteristic of the denervated heart, the transplanted heart responds in a directionally appropriate manner to the metabolic demands of exercise.
El bosque estatal del nuevo milenio antes y después del huracán Georges

We studied changes that occurred between 1997 and 2005 on a secondary wet subtropical urban forest in the University of Puerto Rico’s Botanical Garden (Bosque Estatal del Nuevo Milenio). Hurricane Georges passed south of the forest on November 21, 1998 with 127 km/h winds. The study consisted of identifying species in 40 plots of 254 m2 each, measuring the diameter at breast height (dbh) and height of the trees and estimating the structural indexes (basal area and tree density, species Importance Value [IV], growth and death rates of trees, and recruitment to the > 4cm dbh class). The analysis included the topographic position of the plot (draw, ridge, slope, and river valley) and the position of the canopy relative to the sun (dominant, co-dominant, intermediate, and suppressed). The forest had between 53 (2005) and 56 (1997) species per ha and the species with the highest IV in the forest, and in almost all the topographic positions, was Spathodea campanulata, an introduced species. This species recruited successfully after the hurricane, which suggests that the recurrence of disturbances will maintain this species in the forest. The rate of recruitment for young trees was similar to mortality in almost all of the topographic positions, suggesting that at 68 years, the forest is balanced with respect to its structural indices. In spite of little floristic variation with the topography, the species and tree density, hurricane effects, and growth rate exhibited significant change (p < .05) in different topographic positions. Stands in divergent topographic positions and slopes experienced greater mortality and more snapped trees than those in convergent positions and river valley. The largest trees and the most developed structure were observed in convergent positions and river valleys. Hurricane winds affected the larger trees with dominant and co-dominant canopies more in spite of the fact that mortality for suppressed trees was greater. However, this mortality occurred after the hurricane. The hurricane’s main structural effect was reduction in the height of trees. Trees of every height class, with the exception of classes between 4 to 8m, were of less height in 2005 than in 1997. The mortality rate was significantly higher in the divergent topographic position where it exceeded the rate of recruitment. The rates of diameter, basal area, and height growth were low, negative, or zero for most of the trees and topographic positions. However, a significant proportion of the trees grew at rates comparable with the higher rates observed in native forests and plantations in Puerto Rico. Acta Científica 19(1-3), 83-105, 2005
Joint Subcarrier and Power Allocation for Cooperative Communications in LTE-Advanced Networks

This paper considers an LTE-Advanced cooperative cellular network where a Type II relay station (RS) is deployed to enhance the cell-edge throughput and to extend the coverage area. To better exploit the existing resources, the RS and the eNodeB (eNB) transmit in the same channel (In-Band) with decode-and-forward relaying strategy. For such a network, this paper proposes joint Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) subcarrier and power allocation schemes to optimize the downlink multi-user transmission efficiency. Firstly, an optimal power dividing method between eNB and RS is proposed to maximize the achievable rate on each subcarrier. Based on this result, we show that the optimal joint resource allocation scheme for maximizing the overall throughput is to allocate each subcarrier to the user with the best channel quality and to distribute power in a water-filling manner. Since QoS provision is one of the major design objectives in cellular networks, we further formulate a lexicographical optimization problem to maximize the minimum rate of all users while improving the overall throughput. A sufficient condition for optimality is derived. Due to the complexity of searching for the optimal solution, we propose an efficient, low-complexity suboptimal joint resource allocation algorithm, which outperforms the existing suboptimal algorithms that simplify the joint design into separate allocation. Both theoretical and numerical analyses demonstrate that our proposed scheme can drastically improve the fairness as well as the overall throughput.
Targeted Polymeric Nanoparticles for Brain Delivery of High Molecular Weight Molecules in Lysosomal Storage Disorders

Lysosomal Storage Disorders (LSDs) are a group of metabolic syndromes, each one due to the deficit of one lysosomal enzyme. Many LSDs affect most of the organ systems and overall about 75% of the patients present neurological impairment. Enzyme Replacement Therapy, although determining some systemic clinical improvements, is ineffective on the CNS disease, due to enzymes' inability to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB). With the aim to deliver the therapeutic enzymes across the BBB, we here assayed biodegradable and biocompatible PLGA-nanoparticles (NPs) in two murine models for LSDs, Mucopolysaccharidosis type I and II (MPS I and MPS II). PLGA-NPs were modified with a 7-aminoacid glycopeptide (g7), yet demonstrated to be able to deliver low molecular weight (MW) molecules across the BBB in rodents. We specifically investigated, for the first time, the g7-NPs ability to transfer a model drug (FITC-albumin) with a high MW, comparable to the enzymes to be delivered for LSDs brain therapy. In vivo experiments, conducted on wild-type mice and knockout mouse models for MPS I and II, also included a whole series of control injections to obtain a broad preliminary view of the procedure efficiency. Results clearly showed efficient BBB crossing of albumin in all injected mice, underlying the ability of NPs to deliver high MW molecules to the brain. These results encourage successful experiments with enzyme-loaded g7-NPs to deliver sufficient amounts of the drug to the brain district on LSDs, where exerting a corrective effect on the pathological phenotype.
Alternative Complement Pathway Deregulation Is Correlated with Dengue Severity

Background The complement system, a key component that links the innate and adaptive immune responses, has three pathways: the classical, lectin, and alternative pathways. In the present study, we have analyzed the levels of various complement components in blood samples from dengue fever (DF) and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) patients and found that the level of complement activation is associated with disease severity. Methods and Results Patients with DHF had lower levels of complement factor 3 (C3; p = 0.002) and increased levels of C3a, C4a and C5a (p<0.0001) when compared to those with the less severe form, DF. There were no significant differences between DF and DHF patients in the levels of C1q, immunocomplexes (CIC-CIq) and CRP. However, small but statistically significant differences were detected in the levels of MBL. In contrast, the levels of two regulatory proteins of the alternative pathway varied widely between DF and DHF patients: DHF patients had higher levels of factor D (p = 0.01), which cleaves factor B to yield the active (C3bBb) C3 convertase, and lower levels of factor H (p = 0.03), which inactivates the (C3bBb) C3 convertase, than did DF patients. When we considered the levels of factors D and H together as an indicator of (C3bBb) C3 convertase regulation, we found that the plasma levels of these regulatory proteins in DHF patients favored the formation of the (C3bBb) C3 convertase, whereas its formation was inhibited in DF patients (p<0.0001). Conclusion The data suggest that an imbalance in the levels of regulatory factors D and H is associated with an abnormal regulation of complement activity in DHF patients.
Orbital and Superorbital Periods of 1E 1740.7–2942 and GRS 1758–258

Five years of Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) observations of the Galactic black hole candidates 1E 1740.7-2942 and GRS 1758-258 show a periodic modulation with an amplitude of 3%-4% in each source at 12.73 ± 0.05 and 18.45 ± 0.10 days, respectively. We interpret the modulations as orbital, suggesting that the objects have red giant companions. Combining the RXTE data with earlier data (Zhang, Harmon, & Liang) from the Burst and Transient Source Experiment on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, we find a long period or quasi-period of about 600 days in 1E 1740.7-2942 and a suggestion of a similar 600 day period in GRS 1758-258. These timescales are longer than any yet found for either precessing systems like Hercules X-1 and SS 433 or binaries like LMC X-3 and Cygnus X-1 with more irregular long periods.
Risk of Pulmonary Embolism After Cerebral Venous Thrombosis

Background and Purpose— Cerebral vein thrombosis (CVT) is a type of venous thromboembolism. Whether the risk of pulmonary embolism (PE) after CVT is similar to the risk after deep venous thrombosis (DVT) is unknown. Methods— We performed a retrospective cohort study using administrative data from all emergency department visits and hospitalizations in California, New York, and Florida from 2005 to 2013. We identified patients with CVT or DVT and the outcome of PE using previously validated International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes. Kaplan–Meier survival statistics and Cox proportional hazards models were used to compare the risk of PE after CVT versus PE after DVT. Results— We identified 4754 patients with CVT and 241 276 with DVT. During a mean follow-up of 3.4 (±2.4) years, 138 patients with CVT and 23 063 with DVT developed PE. CVT patients were younger, more often female, and had fewer risk factors for thromboembolism than patients with DVT. During the index hospitalization, the rate of PE was 1.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1%–1.8%) in patients with CVT and 6.6% (95% CI, 6.5%–6.7%) in patients with DVT. By 5 years, the cumulative rate of PE after CVT was 3.4% (95% CI, 2.9%–4.0%) compared with 10.9% (95% CI, 10.8%–11.0%; P<0.001) after DVT. CVT was associated with a lower adjusted hazard of PE than DVT (hazard ratio, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.22–0.31). Conclusion— The risk of PE after CVT was significantly lower than the risk after DVT. Among patients with CVT, the greatest risk for PE was during the index hospitalization.
Effect of exercise intensity on lipid profile in sedentary obese adults.

BACKGROUND Exercise is a lifestyle change that has been recommended for lowering atherogenic index in adults. The intensity and duration of exercise to bring about a change in the lipid parameters are yet to be determined. Previous studies examining the effects of exercise intensity on lipid and lipoprotein levels have reported conflicting findings. Thus we aimed at determining the changes in lipid profile in sedentary obese adults influenced by different intensity of exercise. METHODOLOGY Study included 51 obese adults with sedentary lifestyle. Participants performed exercise of moderate intensity (n=22) and high intermittent intensity (n=29) for a duration of 40min/day for 5 days/week and 20 min/day for 3 days/week respectively on bicycle ergometer for a period of 15 weeks. OUTCOME MEASURES Pretesting and post testing included measurement of height, weight, blood pressure and lipid profile. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS RESULTS were analysed using the Paired and Unpaired samples t-test. RESULTS Postexercise revealed significant reduction in the LDL-C and diastolic blood pressure (p<0.05) with the high intensity exercise group.There was a significant difference in BMI, lipid profile and blood pressure in both the moderate and high intensity exercise group. CONCLUSION This study suggests that exercise is "elixir" for a healthy life. High intermittent intensity can be considered for individuals who have time constraints and lead a sedentary life style and moderate intensity exercise advised for individuals who are willing to create time for their health benefits. A programmed protocol of exercise will help in reduction of lipid parameters.
Chromatin signatures at Notch‐regulated enhancers reveal large‐scale changes in H3K56ac upon activation

The conserved Notch pathway functions in diverse developmental and disease‐related processes, requiring mechanisms to ensure appropriate target selection and gene activation in each context. To investigate the influence of chromatin organisation and dynamics on the response to Notch signalling, we partitioned Drosophila chromatin using histone modifications and established the preferred chromatin conditions for binding of Su(H), the Notch pathway transcription factor. By manipulating activity of a co‐operating factor, Lozenge/Runx, we showed that it can help facilitate these conditions. While many histone modifications were unchanged by Su(H) binding or Notch activation, we detected rapid changes in acetylation of H3K56 at Notch‐regulated enhancers. This modification extended over large regions, required the histone acetyl‐transferase CBP and was independent of transcription. Such rapid changes in H3K56 acetylation appear to be a conserved indicator of enhancer activation as they also occurred at the mammalian Notch‐regulated Hey1 gene and at Drosophila ecdysone‐regulated genes. This intriguing example of a core histone modification increasing over short timescales may therefore underpin changes in chromatin accessibility needed to promote transcription following signalling activation.
The confidence in our k-tails

k-Tails is a popular algorithm for extracting a candidate behavioral model from a log of execution traces. The usefulness of k-Tails depends on the quality of its input log, which may include too few traces to build a representative model, or too many traces, whose analysis is a waste of resources. Given a set of traces, how can one be confident that it includes enough, but not too many, traces? While many have used the k-Tails algorithm, no previous work has yet investigated this question. In this paper we address this question by proposing a novel notion of log completeness. Roughly, a log of traces, extracted from a given system, is k-complete, iff adding any new trace to the log will not change the resulting model k-Tails would build for it. Since the system and its full set of traces is unknown, we cannot know whether a given log is k-complete. However, we can estimate its k-completeness. We call this estimation k-confidence. We formalize the notion of k-confidence and implement its computation. Preliminary experiments show that k-confidence can be efficiently computed and is a highly reliable estimator for k-completeness.
Recurrent Sustained Ventricular Tachycardia: 2. Endocardial Mapping

SUMMARYEndocardial ventricular mapping of 21 ventricular tachyardias (VT) in 17 patients was performed using electrode catheters. Activation at multiple left and right ventricular sites was utilized to determine the site of origin of the VT. Eleven VT had a left bundle branch block pattern (VT-LBBB) and 10 VT had right bundle branch block pattern (VT-RBBB). In all VT-RBBB the earliest site of activation was in the LV or septum. In VT-LBBB the earliest site was RV (4/11), LV (5/11) and septum (2/11). All ventricular tachycardias with QRS < 140 msec arose in the septum. In patients with an aneurysm, the site of origin of ventricular tachycardia was always in the aneurysm. All VT-LBBB arising from the left ventricle originated in an aneurysm involving the septum. QRS changes during ventricular tachycardia were associated with alterations in the pattern of ventricular activation without alteration of the site of origin. In three patients the site of origin predicted by endocardial ventricular mapping was confirmed intraoperatively by epi- and/or endocardial mapping.We conclude that endocardial ventricular mapping demonstrates the limitations of the surface electrocardiogram in localizing the site of origin of ventricular tachycardia. The method may provide important data upon which the surgical therapy of ventricular t-achycardia is based.
Riders on the Storm: Hurricane Risk and Coastal Insurance and Mitigation Decisions

This paper utilizes cross-sectional, household-level, survey data combined with data on subjective risk perceptions and experimentally derived risk preferences to analyze the decision to insure against hurricane losses. Our sample encompasses 670 individuals in five states of the United States Gulf Coast Region (Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida). This study represents one of the few papers to examine wind insurance empirically and the only study to examine flood insurance, wind insurance, and mitigation behavior contemporaneously. Because these decisions are closely related, we employ a mixed-process regression, which allows for correlated error terms across a random-effects bivariate probit model (flood/wind insurance) and a Poisson Log-Normal count model (mitigation). Results indicate positive and statistically significant correlations between the error terms of the insurance and mitigation models but no significant correlation between the error terms of the two insurance models, conditioned on the covariates. We find evidence that risk perceptions and other household factors have some influence on storm risk management, but the strongest effects tend to be related to mandatory insurance requirements associated with location in high-hazard areas.