Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Randomized Controlled Trial on The Beneficial Effects of Training Letter-Speech Sound Integration on Reading Fluency in Children with Dyslexia

A recent account of dyslexia assumes that a failure to develop automated letter-speech sound integration might be responsible for the observed lack of reading fluency. This study uses a pre-test-training-post-test design to evaluate the effects of a training program based on letter-speech sound associations with a special focus on gains in reading fluency. A sample of 44 children with dyslexia and 23 typical readers, aged 8 to 9, was recruited. Children with dyslexia were randomly allocated to either the training program group (n = 23) or a waiting-list control group (n = 21). The training intensively focused on letter-speech sound mapping and consisted of 34 individual sessions of 45 minutes over a five month period. The children with dyslexia showed substantial reading gains for the main word reading and spelling measures after training, improving at a faster rate than typical readers and waiting-list controls. The results are interpreted within the conceptual framework assuming a multisensory integration deficit as the most proximal cause of dysfluent reading in dyslexia. Trial Registration: ISRCTN register ISRCTN12783279
A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of the Swedish Universal Parenting Program All Children in Focus

Objective There are few health economic evaluations of parenting programs with quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) as the outcome measure. The objective of this study was, therefore, to conduct a cost-effectiveness analysis of the universal parenting program All Children in Focus (ABC). The goals were to estimate the costs of program implementation, investigate the health effects of the program, and examine its cost-effectiveness. Methods A cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted. Costs included setup costs and operating costs. A parent proxy Visual Analog Scale was used to measure QALYs in children, whereas the General Health Questionnaire-12 was used for parents. A societal perspective was adopted, and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was calculated. To account for uncertainty in the estimate, the probability of cost-effectiveness was investigated, and sensitivity analyses were used to account for the uncertainty in cost data. Results The cost was €326.3 per parent, of which €53.7 represented setup costs under the assumption that group leaders on average run 10 groups, and €272.6 was the operating costs. For health effects, the QALY gain was 0.0042 per child and 0.0027 per parent. These gains resulted in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for the base case of €47 290 per gained QALY. The sensitivity analyses resulted in ratios from €41 739 to €55 072. With the common Swedish threshold value of €55 000 per QALY, the probability of the ABC program being cost-effective was 50.8 percent. Conclusion Our analysis of the ABC program demonstrates cost-effectiveness ratios below or just above the QALY threshold in Sweden. However, due to great uncertainty about the data, the health economic rationale for implementation should be further studied considering a longer time perspective, effects on siblings, and validated measuring techniques, before full scale implementation.
Quantifying Integrated Proteomic Responses to Iron Stress in the Globally Important Marine Diazotroph Trichodesmium

Trichodesmium is a biogeochemically important marine cyanobacterium, responsible for a significant proportion of the annual ‘new’ nitrogen introduced into the global ocean. These non-heterocystous filamentous diazotrophs employ a potentially unique strategy of near-concurrent nitrogen fixation and oxygenic photosynthesis, potentially burdening Trichodesmium with a particularly high iron requirement due to the iron-binding proteins involved in these processes. Iron availability may therefore have a significant influence on the biogeography of Trichodesmium. Previous investigations of molecular responses to iron stress in this keystone marine microbe have largely been targeted. Here a holistic approach was taken using a label-free quantitative proteomics technique (MSE) to reveal a sophisticated multi-faceted proteomic response of Trichodesmium erythraeum IMS101 to iron stress. Increased abundances of proteins known to be involved in acclimation to iron stress and proteins known or predicted to be involved in iron uptake were observed, alongside decreases in the abundances of iron-binding proteins involved in photosynthesis and nitrogen fixation. Preferential loss of proteins with a high iron content contributed to overall reductions of 55–60% in estimated proteomic iron requirements. Changes in the abundances of iron-binding proteins also suggested the potential importance of alternate photosynthetic pathways as Trichodesmium reallocates the limiting resource under iron stress. Trichodesmium therefore displays a significant and integrated proteomic response to iron availability that likely contributes to the ecological success of this species in the ocean.
Psychiatric comorbidity is associated with disability progression in multiple sclerosis

Objective Emerging evidence suggests that comorbidity may influence disability outcomes in multiple sclerosis (MS); we investigated the association between psychiatric comorbidity and MS disability progression in a large multiclinic population. Methods This retrospective cohort study accessed prospectively collected information from linked clinical and population-based health administrative databases in the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Nova Scotia. Persons with MS who had depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder were identified using validated algorithms using physician and hospital visits. Multivariable linear regression models fitted using an identity link with generalized estimating equations were used to determine the association between psychiatric comorbidity and disability using all available Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores. Results A total of 2,312 incident cases of adult-onset MS were followed for a mean of 10.5 years, during which time 35.8% met criteria for a mood or anxiety disorder. The presence of a mood or anxiety disorder was associated with a higher EDSS score (β coefficient = 0.28, p = 0.0002, adjusted for disease duration and course, age, sex, socioeconomic status, physical comorbidity count, and disease-modifying therapy exposure). Findings were statistically significant among women (β coefficient = 0.31, p = 0.0004), but not men (β coefficient 0.22, p = 0.17). Conclusion Presence of psychiatric comorbidities, which were common in our incident MS cohort, increased the severity of subsequent neurologic disability. Optimizing management of psychiatric comorbidities should be explored as a means of potentially mitigating disability progression in MS.
Experience Report: Social BPM Lab enhanced with participation of professionals

This article describes the experiences of conducting an enhanced Social BPM Lab. The basic idea of a Social BPM Lab is a case study centered around a fictitious company, where student groups from different locations all over the world are taking part. Thus, computersupported collaboration and modern communication tools are essential for its success. In addition to earlier conducted Labs, in this Lab not only university students participated, but also professionals, to give students an even more realistic learning atmosphere. So the background of the participants was quite heterogeneous. This paper gives an outline of the enhanced Lab setting, the challenges we faced during the Lab and lessons learned.
Impact of Water Chemistry, Pipe Material and Stagnation on the Building Plumbing Microbiome

A unique microbiome establishes in the portion of the potable water distribution system within homes and other buildings (i.e., building plumbing). To examine its composition and the factors that shape it, standardized cold water plumbing rigs were deployed at the treatment plant and in the distribution system of five water utilities across the U.S. Three pipe materials (copper with lead solder, CPVC with brass fittings or copper/lead combined pipe) were compared, with 8 hour flush cycles of 10 minutes to simulate typical daily use patterns. High throughput Illumina sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons was employed to profile and compare the resident bulk water bacteria and archaea. The utility, location of the pipe rig, pipe material and stagnation all had a significant influence on the plumbing microbiome composition, but the utility source water and treatment practices were dominant factors. Examination of 21 water chemistry parameters suggested that the total chlorine concentration, pH, P, SO4 2- and Mg were associated with the most of the variation in bulk water microbiome composition. Disinfectant type exerted a notably low-magnitude impact on microbiome composition. At two utilities using the same source water, slight differences in treatment approaches were associated with differences in rare taxa in samples. For genera containing opportunistic pathogens, Utility C samples (highest pH of 9–10) had the highest frequency of detection for Legionella spp. and lowest relative abundance of Mycobacterium spp. Data were examined across utilities to identify a true universal core, special core, and peripheral organisms to deepen insight into the physical and chemical factors that shape the building plumbing microbiome.
Autoantibodies to thrombopoietin and the thrombopoietin receptor in patients with immune thrombocytopenia

Autoantibodies to thrombopoietin (TPO, also termed THPO) or the TPO receptor (cMpl, also termed MPL) could play a pathological role in immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). In this study, we tested for autoantibodies against TPO, cMpl, or the TPO/cMpl complex in ITP and other thrombocytopenic disorders. Using an inhibition step with excess TPO in fluid‐phase to improve binding specificity, the prevalence of anti‐TPO autoantibodies was: active ITP: 9/32 (28%); remission ITP: 0/14 (0%); non‐immune thrombocytopenias: 1/10 (10%); and healthy controls: 1/11 (9%). Similarly, using an inhibition step with excess cMpl, the prevalence of specific anti‐cMpl autoantibodies was: active ITP: 7/32 (22%); remission ITP: 1/14 (7%); non‐immune thrombocytopenias: 3/10 (30%); and healthy controls: 0/11 (0%). Two active ITP patients had autoantibodies against the TPO/cMpl complex, but not against TPO or cMpl alone. Anti‐TPO or anti‐cMpl autoantibodies were found in 44% of ITP patients, and in 40% of patients with other thrombocytopenic disorders. These autoantibodies did not correlate with ITP disease severity or number of ITP treatments received; however, in this cohort, 3 patients failed to respond to TPO receptor agonist medications, and of those, 2 had anti‐TPO autoantibodies. This suggests that anti‐TPO and anti‐cMpl autoantibodies are associated with thrombocytopenia, and may be clinically relevant in a subset of ITP patients.
Continuous Modeling of Arterial Platelet Thrombus Formation Using a Spatial Adsorption Equation

In this study, we considered a continuous model of platelet thrombus growth in an arteriole. A special model describing the adhesion of platelets in terms of their concentration was derived. The applications of the derived model are not restricted to only describing arterial platelet thrombus formation; the model can also be applied to other similar adhesion processes. The model reproduces an auto-wave solution in the one-dimensional case; in the two-dimensional case, in which the surrounding flow is taken into account, the typical torch-like thrombus is reproduced. The thrombus shape and the growth velocity are determined by the model parameters. We demonstrate that the model captures the main properties of the thrombus growth behavior and provides us a better understanding of which mechanisms are important in the mechanical nature of the arterial thrombus growth.
Influence of the viscosity of UF resins on the radial and tangential penetration into poplar wood and on the shear strength of adhesive joints

Abstract This paper is the final part of a series reporting on the penetration (P) and bonding behaviour of urea-formaldehyde (UF) resins of different viscosities based on different degrees of condensation (DCs). The various resins were applied onto radial and tangential wood surfaces, and solid wood assemblies were prepared by hot pressing. Pt and Pr were observed by evaluation of photomicrographs of the bond lines. The mean and maximum depth of penetration was inversely proportional to the DC. The average depth of Pt was found to be slightly higher than Pr because of the abundance of pits on the radial walls. However, the maximum P was higher in radial direction, due to the elliptic shape of vessels in poplar as well as due to rays improving the resin flow. The lap shear strength (σm) of the same bonded assemblies was determined. Despite the fact that the wood failure always was very high, the σm increased with the better penetration of the resins with low viscosity. The higher strength values measured has been interpreted as a fortification effect of the interphase by bulk resin penetration, as cell wall penetration cannot be expected due to the large size of such resin molecules.
Age-Related Shifts in Bacterial Diversity in a Reef Coral

This study investigated the relationship between microbial communities in differently sized colonies of the massive coral Coelastrea aspera at Phuket, Thailand where colony size could be used as a proxy for age. Results indicated significant differences between the bacterial diversity (ANOSIM, R = 0.76, p = 0.001) of differently sized colonies from the same intertidal reef habitat. Juvenile and small colonies (<6cm mean diam) harboured a lower bacterial richness than medium (~10cm mean diam) and large colonies (>28 cm mean diam). Bacterial diversity increased in a step-wise pattern from juveniles<small<medium colonies, which was then followed by a slight decrease in the two largest size classes. These changes appear to resemble a successional process which occurs over time, similar to that observed in the ageing human gut. Furthermore, the dominant bacterial ribotypes present in the tissues of medium and large sized colonies of C. aspera, (such as Halomicronema, an Oscillospira and an unidentified cyanobacterium) were also the dominant ribotypes found within the endolithic algal band of the coral skeleton; a result providing some support for the hypothesis that the endolithic algae of corals may directly influence the bacterial community present in coral tissues.
Seasonal Shifts in Diet and Gut Microbiota of the American Bison (Bison bison)

North American bison (Bison bison) are becoming increasingly important to both grassland management and commercial ranching. However, a lack of quantitative data on their diet constrains conservation efforts and the ability to predict bison effects on grasslands. In particular, we know little about the seasonality of the bison diet, the degree to which bison supplement their diet with eudicots, and how changes in diet influence gut microbial communities, all of which play important roles in ungulate performance. To address these knowledge gaps, we quantified seasonal patterns in bison diet and gut microbial community composition for a bison herd in Kansas using DNA sequencing-based analyses of both chloroplast and microbial DNA contained in fecal matter. Across the 11 sampling dates that spanned 166 days, we found that diet shifted continuously over the growing season, allowing bison to take advantage of the seasonal availability of high-protein plant species. Bison consumed more woody shrubs in spring and fall than in summer, when forb and grass intake predominated. In examining gut microbiota, the bacterial phylum Tenericutes shifted significantly in relative abundance over the growing season. This work suggests that North American bison can continuously adjust their diet with a high reliance on non-grasses throughout the year. In addition, we find evidence for seasonal patterns in gut community composition that are likely driven by the observed dietary changes.
Genome-reconstruction for eukaryotes from complex natural microbial communities

Microbial eukaryotes are integral components of natural microbial communities and their inclusion is critical for many ecosystem studies yet the majority of published metagenome analyses ignore eukaryotes. In order to include eukaryotes in environmental studies we propose a method to recover eukaryotic genomes from complex metagenomic samples. A key step for genome recovery is separation of eukaryotic and prokaryotic fragments. We developed a kmer-based strategy, EukRep, for eukaryotic sequence identification and applied it to environmental samples to show that it enables genome recovery, genome completeness evaluation and prediction of metabolic potential. We used this approach to test the effect of addition of organic carbon on a geyser-associated microbial community and detected a substantial change of the community metabolism, with selection against almost all candidate phyla bacteria and archaea and for eukaryotes. Near complete genomes were reconstructed for three fungi placed within the eurotiomycetes and an arthropod. While carbon fixation and sulfur oxidation were important functions in the geyser community prior to carbon addition, the organic carbon impacted community showed enrichment for secreted proteases, secreted lipases, cellulose targeting CAZymes, and methanol oxidation. We demonstrate the broader utility of EukRep by reconstructing and evaluating relatively high quality fungal, protist, and rotifer genomes from complex environmental samples. This approach opens the way for cultivation-independent analyses of whole microbial communities.
The Impact of Comorbid Depression on Educational Inequality in Survival after Acute Coronary Syndrome in a Cohort of 83 062 Patients and a Matched Reference Population

Background Patients with low socioeconomic position have higher rates of mortality after diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), but little is known about the mechanisms behind this social inequality. The aim of the present study was to examine whether any educational inequality in survival after ACS was influenced by comorbid conditions including depression. Methods From 2001 to 2009 all first-time ACS patients were identified in the Danish National Patient Registry. This cohort of 83 062 ACS patients and a matched reference population were followed for incident depression and mortality until December 2012 by linkage to person, patients and prescription registries. Educational status was defined at study entry and the impact of potential confounders and mediators (age, gender, cohabitation status, somatic comorbidity and depression) on the relation between education and mortality were identified by drawing a directed acyclic graph and analysed using multiple Cox regression analyses. Findings During follow-up, 29 583(35.6%) of ACS patients and 19 105(22.9%) of the reference population died. Cox regression analyses showed an increased mortality in the lowest educated compared to those with high education in both ACS patients and the reference population. Adjustment for previous and incident depression or other covariables only attenuated the relations slightly. This pattern of associations was seen for mortality after 30 days, 1 year and during total follow-up. Conclusion In this study the relative excess mortality rate in lower educated ACS patients was comparable with the excess risk associated with low education in the background population. This educational inequality in survival remained after adjustment for somatic comorbidity and depression.
Matrix Metalloproteinase-2 Knockout and Heterozygote Mice Are Protected from Hydronephrosis and Kidney Fibrosis after Unilateral Ureteral Obstruction

Matrix Metalloproteinase-2 (Mmp2) is a collagenase known to be important in the development of renal fibrosis. In unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) the obstructed kidney (OK) develops fibrosis, while the contralateral (CL) does not. In this study we investigated the effect of UUO on gene expression, fibrosis and pelvic remodeling in the kidneys of Mmp2 deficient mice (Mmp2-/-), heterozygous animals (Mmp2+/-) and wild-type mice (Mmp2+/+). Sham operated animals served as controls (Cntrl). UUO was prepared under isoflurane anaesthesia, and the animals were sacrificed after one week. UUO caused hydronephrosis, dilation of renal tubules, loss of parenchymal thickness, and fibrosis. Damage was most severe in Mmp2+/+ mice, while both Mmp2-/- and Mmp2+/- groups showed considerably milder hydronephrosis, no tubular necrosis, and less tubular dilation. Picrosirius red quantification of fibrous collagen showed 1.63±0.25% positivity in OK and 0.29±0.11% in CL (p<0.05) of Mmp2+/+, Mmp2-/- OK and Mmp2-/- CL exhibited only 0.49±0.09% and 0.23±0.04% (p<0.05) positivity, respectively. Mmp2+/- OK and Mmp2+/- CL showed 0.43±0.09% and 0.22±0.06% (p<0.05) positivity, respectively. Transcriptomic analysis showed that 26 genes (out of 48 examined) were differentially expressed by ANOVA (p<0.05). 25 genes were upregulated in Mmp2+/+ OK compared to Mmp2+/+ CL: Adamts1, -2, Col1a1, -2, -3a1, -4a1, -5a1, -5a2, Dcn, Fbln1, -5, Fmod, Fn1, Itga2, Loxl1, Mgp, Mmp2, -3, Nid1, Pdgfb, Spp1, Tgfb1, Timp2, Trf, Vim. In Mmp2-/- and Mmp2+/- 18 and 12 genes were expressed differentially between OK and CL, respectively. Only Mmp2 was differentially regulated when comparing Mmp2-/- OK and Mmp2+/- OK. Under stress, it appears that Mmp2+/- OK responds with less Mmp2 upregulation than Mmp2+/+ OK, suggesting that there is a threshold level of Mmp2 necessary for damage and fibrosis to occur. In conclusion, reduced Mmp2 expression during UUO protects mice against hydronephrosis and renal fibrosis.
Energy-Efficient Resource Sharing for Mobile Device-to-Device Multimedia Communications

Device-to-device (D2D) communications bring significant benefits to mobile multimedia services in local areas. However, these potential advantages hinge on intelligent resource sharing between potential D2D pairs and cellular users. In this paper, we study the problem of energy-efficient uplink resource sharing over mobile D2D multimedia communications underlaying cellular networks with multiple potential D2D pairs and cellular users. We first construct a novel analytical model of energy efficiency for different sharing modes, which takes into account quality-of-service (QoS) requirements and the spectrum utilization of each user. Then, we formulate the energy-efficient resource sharing problem as a nontransferable coalition formation game, with the characteristic function that accounts for the gains in terms of energy efficiency and the costs in terms of mutual interference. Moreover, we develop a distributed coalition formation algorithm based on the merge-and-split rule and the Pareto order. The distributed solution is characterized through novel stability notions and can be adapted to user mobility. From it, we obtain the energy-efficient sharing strategy on joint mode selection, uplink reusing allocation, and power management. Extensive simulation results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed game model and algorithm.