Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Using Multivariate Base Rates to Interpret Low Scores on an Abbreviated Battery of the Delis–Kaplan Executive Function System

Objective Executive function consists of multiple cognitive processes that operate as an interactive system to produce volitional goal-oriented behavior, governed in large part by frontal microstructural and physiological networks. Identification of deficits in executive function in those with neurological or psychiatric conditions can be difficult because the normal variation in executive function test scores, in healthy adults when multiple tests are used, is largely unknown. This study addresses that gap in the literature by examining the prevalence of low scores on a brief battery of executive function tests. Method The sample consisted of 1,050 healthy individuals (ages 16-89) from the standardization sample for the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS). Seven individual test scores from the Trail Making Test, Color-Word Interference Test, and Verbal Fluency Test were analyzed. Results Low test scores, as defined by commonly used clinical cut-offs (i.e., ≤25th, 16th, 9th, 5th, and 2nd percentiles), occurred commonly among the adult portion of the D-KEFS normative sample (e.g., 62.8% of the sample had one or more scores ≤16th percentile, 36.1% had one or more scores ≤5th percentile), and the prevalence of low scores increased with lower intelligence and fewer years of education. Conclusions The multivariate base rates (BR) in this article allow clinicians to understand the normal frequency of low scores in the general population. By use of these BRs, clinicians and researchers can improve the accuracy with which they identify executive dysfunction in clinical groups, such as those with traumatic brain injury or neurodegenerative diseases.
The effect of selection history on extinction risk during severe environmental change

Environments rarely remain the same over time, and populations are therefore frequently at risk of going extinct when changes are significant enough to reduce fitness. Although many studies have investigated what attributes of the new environments and of the populations experiencing these changes will affect their probability of going extinct, limited work has been directed towards determining the role of population history on the probability of going extinct during severe environmental change. Here, we compare the extinction risk of populations with a history of selection in a benign environment, to populations with a history of selection in one or two stressful environments. We exposed spores and lines of the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii from these three different histories to a range of severe environmental changes. We found that the extinction risk was higher for populations with a history of selection in stressful environments compared to populations with a history of selection in a benign environment. This effect was not due to differences in initial population sizes. Finally, the rates of extinction were highly repeatable within histories, indicating strong historical contingency of extinction risk. Hence, information on the selection history of a population can be used to predict their probability of going extinct during environmental change.
Fatigue of Cord—Rubber Composites: II. Strain-Based Failure Criteria

Abstract Fatigue failure mechanisms under low-frequency loading and their dependence on the strain properties were assessed for the rubber matrix composite of bias aircraft tire carcass reinforced by nylon cords as well as two model rubber composites reinforced by steel wire cables. Under cyclic tension at constant stress amplitude, these angle-plied, cord—rubber composite laminates exhibited localized damage in the form of cord—matrix debonding, matrix cracking, and delamination. The process of fatigue damage accumulation in the cord—rubber composite laminate was accompanied by a steady increase of cyclic strain (dynamic creep) and moderate temperature changes. The fatigue life was found to be linearly proportional to the inverse of the dynamic creep rate, i.e., the time required to increase cyclic strain by a unit amount. Regardless of the associated level of stress amplitude or fatigue life, the gross failure under low-frequency loading occurred when the total strain accumulation, i.e., cumulative cree.
The ovarian response in fragile X patients and premutation carriers undergoing IVF–PGD: reappraisal

STUDY QUESTION What is the association between the ovarian response and the number of CGG repeats among full mutation and premutation carriers of fragile X (FMR1), undergoing controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) for PGD? SUMMARY ANSWER Ovarian response was normal in full mutation patients but decreased in premutation carriers, although the number of repeats was not statistically significantly associated with the number of oocytes retrieved. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY There is inconsistent data in the literature regarding ovarian response in FMR1 carriers. Studies exploring the ovarian response of full mutation patients are lacking. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION Retrospective study, a university affiliated tertiary hospital, IVF unit, PGD referral center. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS We examined the medical records of all women undergoing fresh IVF-PGD cycles due to fragile X. Data recorded included demography, duration of stimulation, amount of gonadotropins administered, number of dominant follicles, maximal E2 levels and number of oocytes retrieved. Data were analyzed using univariate and multivariate mixed models. P-values <0.05 were considered significant. Data were collected from the medical records of 21 patients with a full mutation on the FMR1 gene and 51 premutation carriers. Overall 309 fresh cycles were analyzed. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE Premutation carriers displayed reduced ovarian response, as demonstrated by fewer oocytes retrieved. In contrast, full mutation patients had a normal response. Comparison of premutation carriers and full mutation patients showed: mean oocytes retrieved per cycle (8.4 ± 1.1 versus 14.1 ± 1.7, P = 0.005), lower levels of estradiol (E2; 1756 ± 177, versus 2928 ± 263, P = 0.0004), respectively. There was no significant difference between premutation carriers and full mutation patients in regard to fertilization rate, cleavage rate or biopsy rate. No correlation was found between the number of repeats in the premutation carriers and the number of oocytes retrieved or E2 levels. Age and the type of protocol were the only factors found to be in correlation with the number of the oocyte retrieved (P = 0.037, and P = 0.003, respectively) among the premutation carriers. Similarly, no association was found between the number of repeats and the fertilization rate, cleavage rate or biopsy rate among premutation carriers. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION We had a relatively low number of premutation carriers with >100 repeats, which made it challenging to draw a firm conclusions from this group. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS Physicians must address the increased risk for reduced ovarian response and primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) among carriers and consider surveillance of ovarian reserve markers. The last, might expedite family plans completion or fertility preservation. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) None.
Care gap: a comprehensive measure to quantify unmet needs in mental health

Aim. Treatment gap refers to the percentage of individuals who require treatment in a country or a defined community but do not receive it due to various reasons. There is widespread acceptance of ‘treatment gap’ as a measure of unmet needs in mental health. However, the term ‘treatment’ carries a medical connotation and implies biomedical treatment (or lack of it) of mental illness and is often interpreted by policymakers, planners and researchers, as well as by non-professional stakeholders as exclusively referring to curative clinical psychiatric interventions. This common interpretation results in the exclusion of a range of effective psychosocial interventions available today. Treatment gap also does not include physical health services for persons with mental illness, a major concern due to the relative frequent yet highly unattended physical comorbidity and early mortality of persons with severe mental illness. Methods & Results. We, therefore, propose a more comprehensive measure of unmet needs.
A fast, robust, and simple implicit method for adaptive time-stepping on adaptive mesh-refinement grids

Context. Implicit solvers present strong limitations when used on supercomputing facilities and in particular for adaptive mesh-refinement codes. Aims: We present a new method for implicit adaptive time-stepping on adaptive mesh-refinement grids. We implement it in the radiation-hydrodynamics solver we designed for the RAMSES code for astrophysical purposes and, more particularly, for protostellar collapse. Methods: We briefly recall the radiation-hydrodynamics equations and the adaptive time-stepping methodology used for hydrodynamical solvers. We then introduce the different types of boundary conditions (Dirichlet, Neumann, and Robin) that are used at the interface between levels and present our implementation of the new method in the RAMSES code. The method is tested against classical diffusion and radiation-hydrodynamics tests, after which we present an application for protostellar collapse. Results: We show that using Dirichlet boundary conditions at level interfaces is a good compromise between robustness and accuracy and that it can be used in structure formation calculations. The gain in computational time over our former unique time step method ranges from factors of 5 to 50 depending on the level of adaptive time-stepping and on the problem. We successfully compare the old and new methods for protostellar collapse calculations that involve highly non linear physics. Conclusions: We have developed a simple but robust method for adaptive time-stepping of implicit scheme on adaptive mesh-refinement grids. It can be applied to a wide variety of physical problems that involve diffusion processes.
Serum soluble urokinase‐type plasminogen activator receptor as a serum marker of inflammatory response that leads to tissue damage and surgical complication

Unrestrained activation of the proteolytic systems in anastomotic tissue during repair has been implicated in the pathogenesis of anastomotic leakage. We hypothesized that this mechanism may promote an up‐regulation of the urokinase‐type plasminogen activator system and a spillover of soluble urokinase‐type plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) into blood. In this retrospective analysis patients with anastomotic leakage were compared with a group of matched uncomplicated patients. Anastomotic leakage complicated patients had significantly higher suPAR (p = 0.04) levels until day 3 after surgery. The area under the receiver‐operating characteristic (ROC) for suPAR was higher than that CRP (0.874 vs. 0.836). Their analysis suggests the possible use of suPAR as serum marker to characterize the persistent inflammatory response that lead to tissue damage and surgical complication.
Chemical Analysis and Simulated Pyrolysis of Tobacco Heating System 2.2 Compared to Conventional Cigarettes

Introduction Tobacco Heating System 2.2 (THS 2.2, marketed as iQOS) is a heat-not-burn (HNB) tobacco product that has been successfully introduced to global markets. Despite its expanding market, few independent and systematic researches into THS 2.2 have been carried out to date. Methods We tested a comprehensive list of total particulate matter (TPM), water, tar, nicotine, propylene glycol, glycerin, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, aromatic amines, hydrogen cyanide, ammonia, N-nitrosamines, phenol, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon under both ISO and HCI regimes. We also simulated pyrolysis of THS 2.2 heating sticks and made comparisons with conventional cigarette tobacco fillers using comprehensive gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC × GC-MS) to determine whether the specially designed ingredients help reduce harmful constituents. Results Other than some carbonyls, ammonia, and N-nitrosoanabasine (NAB), the delivered releases from THS 2.2 were at least 80% lower than those from 3R4F. Tar and nicotine remained almost the same as 3R4F. Interestingly, the normalized yield of THS 2.2 to 3R4F under the HCI regime was lower than that under the ISO regime. Conclusions THS 2.2 delivered fewer harmful constituents than the conventional cigarette 3R4F. Simulated pyrolysis results showed that the lower temperature instead of specially designed ingredients contributed to the distinct shift. In particular, if smoking machines are involved to evaluate the HNB products, smoking regimes of heat-not-burn tobacco products should be carefully chosen. Implications To our knowledge, few independent studies of HNB products have been published. In this paper, a comprehensive list of chemical releases was tested systematically and compared to those from 3R4F. Although THS 2.2 generates lower levels of harmful constituents, the nicotine and tar levels were almost identical to 3R4F.The results should be discussed carefully in the future when assessing the dual-use with other conventional cigarettes, nicotine dependence of HNB products, etc. This study also suggests that regulatory agencies should pay attention to the smoking regimes that are adopted to evaluate HNB tobacco products.
Design and Usability of a Heart Failure mHealth System: A Pilot Study

Background Despite the advances in mobile health (mHealth) systems, little is known about patients’ and providers’ experiences using a new mHealth system design. Objective This study aimed to understand challenges and provide design considerations for a personalized mHealth system that could effectively support heart failure (HF) patients after they transition into the home environment. Methods Following exploratory interviews with nurses and preventive care physicians, an mHealth system was developed. Patients were asked to measure their weight, blood pressure, and blood glucose (if they had diabetes). They were also instructed to enter symptoms, view notifications, and read messages on a mobile app that we developed. A Bluetooth-enabled weight scale, blood pressure monitor, glucometer, and mobile phone was provided after an introductory orientation and training session. HF nurses used a dashboard to view daily measurements for each patient and received text and email alerts when risk was indicated. Observations of usage, cases of deterioration, readmissions, and metrics related to system usability and quality of life outcomes were used to determine overall effectiveness of the system, whereas focus group sessions with patients were conducted to elicit participants’ feedback on the system’s design. Results A total of 8 patients with HF participated over a 6-month period. Overall, the mean users’ satisfaction with the system ranked 73%, which was above average. Quality of life improvement was 3.6. Patients and nurses used the system on a regular basis and were able to successfully identify and manage 8 health deteriorations, of which 5 were completely managed remotely. Focus groups revealed that, on one hand, the system was beneficial and helped patients with: recording and tracking readings; receiving encouragement and reassurance from nurses; spotting and solving problems; learning from past experiences; and communication. On the other hand, findings also highlighted design issues and recommendations for future systems such as the need to communicate via other media, personalize symptom questions and messages, integrate other health tracking technologies, and provide additional methods to analyze and visualize their data. Conclusions Understanding users’ experiences provides important design considerations that could complement existing design recommendations from the literature, and, when combined with physician and nurse requirements, have the potential to yield a feasible telehealth system that is effective in supporting HF self-care. Future studies will include these guidelines and use a larger sample size to validate the outcomes.
Financial Heterogeneity and Monetary Union

We analyze the economic consequences of forming a monetary union among countries with varying degrees of financial distortions, which interact with the firms' pricing decisions because of customer-market considerations. In response to a financial shock, firms in financially weak countries (the periphery) maintain{{p}}cashflows by raising markups--in both domestic and export markets--while firms in financially strong countries (the core) reduce markups, undercutting their financially constrained competitors to gain market share. When the two regions are experiencing different shocks, common monetary policy results in a substantially higher macroeconomic volatility in the periphery, compared with a flexible exchange rate regime; this translates into a welfare loss for the union as a whole, with the loss borne entirely by the periphery. By helping firms from the core internalize the pecuniary externality engendered by the interaction of financial frictions and customer markets, a unilateral fiscal devaluation by the periphery can improve the union's overall welfare.
Lignocellulosic residues valorization using a combined approach of sub-supercritical fluids and biotechnology

xiii List of Figures. xxi List of Tables. xxvii Abbreviations, symbols and constants. xxix CHAPTER1: Introduction. 1 1.1. Biorefinary conceptThe role of Bioengineering Systems. 3 1.2. Lignocellulosic materials: Structure and characterization. 5 1.2. 1. Cellulose. 5 1.2. 2. Hemicellulose. 7 1.2. 3. Lignin. 11 1.3. Biomass valorization: Added value by-products . 14 1.3. 1. Carbohydrate applications. 14 1.3. 2. Phenolic compounds. 15 1.4. Lignocellulosic residues . 18 1.4. 1. Paper industry: Recycled paper mill sludge. 19 1.4. 2. Wine making industry: Red grape pomace. 24 1.4. 3. Cider industry: Apple pomace. 28 1.5. Biomass conversion conventional methods . 31 1.6. Hot compressed water. 33 1.7. Biomass hydrolysis using hot compressed water. 38
Preliminary analysis of the risk factors for radiation pneumonitis in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer treated with concurrent erlotinib and thoracic radiotherapy

Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate radiation pneumonitis and its associated risk factors in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer treated with concurrent erlotinib and thoracic radiotherapy. Materials and methods We conducted an analysis of patients with nonoperable stage IIIA–IV non-small-cell lung cancer who were treated with concurrent thoracic radiotherapy and erlotinib (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00973310). The Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 3.0 grading system was applied to evaluate the incidence of radiation pneumonitis. The lung dosimetric parameters were recorded in accordance with the treatment plan, and the study endpoint was radiation pneumonitis at grade 2 or more. Results Among the 24 selected clinical cases, nine were identified with radiation pneumonitis of grade 2 or above (37.5%). This included four cases with grade 2 (16.7%), two cases with grade 3 (8.3%), and three cases with grade 5 (12.5%). The results showed that the planning target volume was a significant factor affecting the incidence of radiation pneumonitis. All lung dosimetric parameters exhibited statistically significant differences between patients with pneumonitis and patients without pneumonitis. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that all lung dosimetric parameters were useful in predicting the incidence of radiation pneumonitis. In addition, the threshold values of V5, V10, V15, V20, V30, and mean lung dose were >44%, >29%, >27%, >22%, >17% and >1,027 cGy, respectively. Conclusion Special attention should be paid to the adverse effects of radiation pneumonitis in concurrent thoracic radiotherapy and erlotinib treatment. Lung dosimetric parameters are important predictive factors in radiation pneumonitis.
Fiber to Fabric Processability of Silver/Zinc-loaded Nanocomposite Yarns

In this research, investigating the possibility of producing, fiber to fabric processing and also characterization of antibacterial organic/inorganic polypropylene (PP) filament yarns for permanent antimicrobial efficiency has been presented. The development of bacteriostatic filament yarn has been realized from mixing of virgin PP granule and various blending contents of silver/zinc-concentrated masterbatch. After producing as-spun filament yarns by a pilot plant melt spinning machine at the take-up speed of 2,000 m/ min, samples were drawn, textured and finally weft knitted. Physical and structural properties of as-spun and drawn yarns with constant and variable draw ratios were investigated and also tensile and crimp properties of textured yarns were evaluated. Tenacity and modulus of modified as-spun and drawn yarns were significantly higher than the pure PP. The investigation of antimicrobial activity showed a high percentage of biostatic efficiency on the modified samples.
Prediction of pathological response to neoadjuvant treatment in rectal cancer with a two-protein immunohistochemical score derived from stromal gene-profiling

Background Preoperative chemoradiotherapy followed by surgical mesorectal resection is the standard of care for locally advanced rectal carcinomas. Yet, predicting that patients will respond to treatment remains an unmet clinical challenge. Experimental design Using laser-capture microdissection we isolated RNA from stroma and tumour glands from prospective pre-treatment samples (n = 15). Transcriptomic profiles were obtained hybridising PrimeView Affymetrix arrays. We modelled a carcinoma-associated fibroblast-specific genes filtering data using GSE39396. Results The analysis of differentially expressed genes of stroma/tumour glands from responder and non-responder patients shows that most changes were associated with the stromal compartment; codifying mainly for extracellular matrix and ribosomal components. We built a carcinoma-associated fibroblast (CAF) specific classifier with genes showing changes in expression according to the tumour regression grade (FN1, COL3A1, COL1A1, MMP2 and IGFBP5). We assessed these five genes at the protein level by means of immunohistochemical staining in a patient's cohort (n = 38). For predictive purposes we used a leave-one-out cross-validated model with a positive predictive value (PPV) of 83.3%. Random Forest identified FN1 and COL3A1 as the best predictors. Rebuilding the leave-one-out cross-validated regression model improved the classification performance with a PPV of 93.3%. An independent cohort was used for classifier validation (n = 36), achieving a PPV of 88.2%. In a multivariate analysis, the two-protein classifier proved to be the only independent predictor of response. Conclusion We developed a two-protein immunohistochemical classifier that performs well at predicting the non-response to neoadjuvant treatment in rectal cancer.