Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessing physical functioning on pain management programmes: the unique contribution of directly assessed physical performance measures and their relationship to self-reports

Physical functioning is a recommended outcome domain for pain management programmes. It can be assessed by self-report and by direct assessment of performance. Although physical performance measures may provide unique and useful information about patient functioning over and above self-report measures, it is not entirely clear which of the many possible performances to assess. This study investigated a battery of three directly assessed physical performance measures and their relationship to three currently used self-report measures of general health and functioning. The three performance measures were sensitive to treatment; patients performed significantly better on all three measures following completion of the pain management programme. The three performance measures were shown to represent a single underlying dimension, and there was a significant degree of overlap between them. The performance measures were shown to be relevant in explaining variation in the self-report measures, as well as to offer a clinically relevant different dimension of assessment to self-report. Future research could focus on developing performance-based measures that capture quality of movement and that are sensitive to relevant processes of therapeutic change.
Low Awareness of Cardiovascular Disease Risk among Low-Income African-American Women

Focus groups were conducted with low-income African-American women in six different community settings in Northern California to assess their awareness of and concern for cardiovascular disease (CVD). These women had low awareness of the prevalence of CVD, attributed CVD to stress and low socioeconomic status, saw the media as an important source of health-related knowledge, and saw a need for more community awareness on CVD among African-American people.
Development of Rigid Biocomposite Polyurethane Foam for Load Bearing Application

Polyurethane (PU) foams are widely used today in automotive and as insulation system. Due to environmental issues, efforts have been made to replace petrochemical polyol with natural-based polyol in PU foam production, without sacrificing any properties. This study aims as to produce palm oil-based polyurethane composite foam for load bearing purposes. Palm oil-based polyol (POP) was reacted with polymeric 4,4-diphenylmethane diisocyanate ( p -MDI) with water as blowing agent and silicone surfactant to produce rigid PU foams. The foams obtained were varied by NCO:OH ratios and water content and characterized for their morphology and compressive strength. Scanning electron micrographs (SEM) indicated the cells within the obtained foams are closed cells. Compressive strength of obtained foams shows considerable improvement but only up to NCO:OH ratio of 1:1.35.
Testing the Electronic Personal Health Record Acceptance Model by Nurses for Managing Their Own Health

Summary Background: To our knowledge, no evidence is available on health care professionals’ use of electronic personal health records (ePHRs) for their health management. We therefore focused on nurses’ personal use of ePHRs using a modified technology acceptance model. Objectives: To examine (1) the psychometric properties of the ePHR acceptance model, (2) the associations of perceived usefulness, ease of use, data privacy and security protection, and perception of self as health-promoting role models to nurses’ own ePHR use, and (3) the moderating influences of age, chronic illness and medication use, and providers’ use of electronic health record (EHRs) on the associations between the ePHR acceptance constructs and ePHR use. Methods: A convenience sample of registered nurses, those working in one of 12 hospitals in the Maryland and Washington, DC areas and members of the nursing informatics community (AMIA and HIMSS), were invited to respond to an anonymous online survey; 847 responded. Multiple logistic regression identified associations between the model constructs and ePHR use, and the moderating effect. Results: Overall, ePHRs were used by 47%. Sufficient reliability for all scales was found. Three constructs were significantly related to nurses’ own ePHR use after adjusting for covariates: usefulness, data privacy and security protection, and health-promoting role model. Nurses with providers that used EHRs who perceived a higher level of data privacy and security protection had greater odds of ePHR use than those whose providers did not use EHRs. Older nurses with a higher self-perception as health-promoting role models had greater odds of ePHR use than younger nurses. Conclusions: Nurses who use ePHRs for their personal health might promote adoption by the general public by serving as health-promoting role models. They can contribute to improvements in patient education and ePHR design, and serve as crucial resources when working with their individual patients. Citation: Gartrell K, Trinkoff AM, Storr CL, Wilson ML, Gurses AP. Testing the electronic personal health record acceptance model by nurses for managing their own health: A cross-sectional survey. Appl Clin Inf 2015; 6: 224–247 http://dx.doi. org/10.4338/ACI-2014-11-RA-0107
Some problems with non-inferiority tests in psychotherapy research: psychodynamic therapies as an example

Abstract In virtually every field of medicine, non-inferiority trials and meta-analyses with non-inferiority conclusions are increasingly common. This non-inferiority approach has been frequently used by a group of authors favoring psychodynamic therapies (PDTs), concluding that PDTs are just as effective as cognitive-behavioral therapies (CBT). We focus on these examples to exemplify some problems associated with non-inferiority tests of psychological treatments, although the problems also apply to psychopharmacotherapy research, CBT research, and others. We conclude that non-inferiority trials have specific risks of different types of validity problems, usually favoring an (erroneous) non-inferiority conclusion. Non-inferiority trials require the definition of non-inferiority margins, and currently used thresholds have a tendency to be inflationary, not protecting sufficiently against degradation. The use of non-inferiority approaches can lead to the astonishing result that one single analysis can suggest both, superiority of the comparator (here: CBT) and non-inferiority of the other treatment (here PDT) at the same time. We provide recommendations how to improve the quality of non-inferiority trials, and we recommend to consider them among other criteria when evaluating manuscripts examining non-inferiority trials. If psychotherapeutic families (such as PDT and CBT) differ on the number of investigating trials, and in the fields of clinical applications, and in other validity aspects mentioned above, conclusions about their general non-inferiority are no more than a best guess, typically expressing the favored approach of the lead author.
Red Cell Distribution Width and Mean Platelet Volume in Amyloidosis

We aimed to determine whether red cell distribution width (RDW) and mean platelet volume (MPV) values differ between patients with reactive amyloid A (AA) amyloidosis due to chronic inflammatory disease and in healthy participants. In this study, 33 patients with AA amyloidosis and 40 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were enrolled. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), RDW, platelet count (PLT), and MPV levels were retrospectively obtained from our computerized patient database. We found RDW, ESR, and PLT levels to be significantly higher in patients with AA amyloidosis compared with the controls (P < .0001). Mean platelet volume was significantly lower in patients with amyloidosis (P < .0001). Inflammatory diseases such as AA amyloidosis may demonstrate low MPV and high RDW levels.
A novel biomagnetic nanoparticle based on hydroxyapatite

In the present study, magnetic HAP was synthesized at different ratios of Fe:Ca (XFe/Ca) by the co-precipitation method. We have evaluated the present essential properties including the crystal structure and cell parameters by XRD, lattice arrangement by HR-TEM, composition analysis by ICP-MS, and functional groups by FTIR. The morphology and magnetization were investigated by SEM and AFM and SQUID, respectively. The in vitro biocompatibility was also investigated with a lactate dehydrogenase assay. The results showed that the crystal and molecular structure of the synthesized magnetic-HAP nanoparticle remained unaltered without collapse with the addition of iron ions. The lattice constants of m-HAP were similar to reference JCPDS card no. 9-432. The magnetization of m-HAP nanoparticles increased with increasing XFe/Ca and possessed the superparamagnetic property with size distribution around 20 nm. The hydroxyapatite-based magnetic nanoparticles were also examined with good biocompatibility. With the appropriate physico-chemical and biological properties, the magnetic-HAP nanoparticles would have great potential to be applied in biomedical applications.
In situ histone landscape of nephrogenesis

In the developing kidney, self-renewing progenitors respond to inductive signaling from the adjacent branching ureteric bud by undergoing mesenchyme-to-epithelium transition. Nascent nephrons subsequently undergo elongation, segmentation, and differentiation into a mature renal epithelium with diverse functions. Epigenetic mechanisms have been implicated in impacting cell fate decisions during nephrogenesis; however, the chromatin landscape of nephron progenitors and daughter differentiating cells are largely unknown. Here, we examined the spatiotemporal expression patterns of histone H3 methylation and histone methyltransferases in E15.5 mouse kidneys. Kidney sections were probed with antibodies against histone modifications, enzymes, and markers of progenitors and differentiation. The results revealed that: (1) nephron progenitor cells exhibit a broad histone methylation signature that comprises both “active” and “repressive” marks (H3K4me3/K9me3/K27me3/R2me2/R17me2); (2) nascent nephrons retain high H3K4me3 but show downregulation of H3K9/K27me3 and; (3) maturing epithelial tubules acquire high levels of H3K79me2/3. Consistent with respective histone marks, the H3K4 methyltransferase, Ash2l, is expressed in progenitors and nascent nephrons, whereas the H3K9/K27 methyltransferases, G9a/Ezh2, are more enriched in progenitors than nascent nephrons. We conclude that combinatorial histone signatures correlate with cell fate decisions during nephrogenesis.
Selective Shielding of Bone Marrow: An Approach to Protecting Humans from External Gamma Radiation

Abstract The current feasibility of protecting emergency responders through bone marrow selective shielding is highlighted in the recent OECD/NEA report on severe accident management. Until recently, there was no effective personal protection from externally penetrating gamma radiation. In Chernobyl, first-responders wore makeshift lead sheeting, whereas in Fukushima protective equipment from gamma radiation was not available. Older protective solutions that use thin layers of shielding over large body surfaces are ineffective for energetic gamma radiation. Acute exposures may result in Acute Radiation Syndrome where the survival-limiting factor up to 10 Gy uniform, homogeneous exposure is irreversible bone marrow damage. Protracted, lower exposures may result in malignancies of which bone marrow is especially susceptible, being compounded by leukemia’s short latency time. This highlights the importance of shielding bone marrow for preventing both deterministic and stochastic effects. Due to the extraordinary regenerative potential of hematopoietic stem cells, to effectively prevent the deterministic effects of bone marrow exposure, it is sufficient to protect only a small fraction of this tissue. This biological principle allows for a new class of equipment providing unprecedented attenuation of radiation to select marrow-rich regions, deferring the hematopoietic sub-syndrome of Acute Radiation Syndrome to much higher doses. As approximately half of the body’s active bone marrow resides within the pelvis region, shielding this area holds great promise for preventing the deterministic effects of bone marrow exposure and concomitantly reducing stochastic effects. The efficacy of a device that selectively shields this region and other radiosensitive organs in the abdominal area is shown here.
A frequency reuse partitioning scheme with successive interference cancellation for OFDMA uplink transmission

In conventional multicell OFDMA systems, generally there is no inner cell interference (INCI). The system throughput is severely degraded by inter-cell interference (ICI), especially at cell edge. To satisfy the performance requirement, ICI must be mitigated effectively. Several schemes have been proposed to handle this problem by coordinating the way to allocate spectrum resource to each cell. Since the allocation of spectrum has effects on ICI mitigation and the spectral efficiency, a wise strategy to consider those two factors is required. In this paper, we propose a new scheme named as power division reuse partitioning scheme with successive interference cancellation (PDICS). PDICS balances ICI mitigation and spectral efficiency by appropriate frequency allocation and power distribution. To improve frequency efficiency, the frequency reuse factor is chosen as 0.5, so INCI exists. To minimize INCI, successive interference cancellation is suggested. The simulation results show that PDICS has better performance of throughput and symbol error rate (SER) than the conventional schemes. Index Terms — Interference cancellation, OFDMA, inter cell interference, inner cell interference, reuse partitioning scheme.
Comparison of prognostic prediction between nomogram based on lymph node ratio and AJCC 8th staging system for patients with resected pancreatic head carcinoma: a SEER analysis

Background The prognosis of pancreatic carcinoma (PC) remains poor and the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) 8th staging system for survival prediction in PC patients after curative resection is still limited. Thus, the aim of this study is to refine a valuable prognostic model and novel staging system for PC with curative resection. Methods The data of 3,458 patients used in this study were retrieved from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database registry of National Cancer Institute. The prognostic value of lymph node ratio (LNR) was analyzed in the primary cohort and prognostic nomogram based on the LNR was established to create a novel staging system. Then, analyses were conducted to evaluate the application of the formulated nomogram staging system and the AJCC 8th staging system. The predictive performance of model was further validated in the internal validation cohort. Results Significant positive correlations were found between LNR and all factors except for surgical procedures. The results of univariate and multivariate analyses showed that LNR was identified as an independent prognostic indicator for overall survival (OS) in both primary and validation cohorts (all P < 0.001). A prognostic nomogram based on the LNR was formulated to obtain superior discriminatory abilities. Compared with the AJCC 8th staging system, the formulated nomogram staging system showed higher hazard ratios of stage II, III, and IV disease (reference to stage I disease) that were 1.637, 2.300, and 3.521, respectively, by univariate analyses in the primary cohort and the distinction between stage I, II, and III disease at the beginning or end of the survival curves was more apparent. All these results were further verified in the validation cohort. Conclusion LNR can be considered as a useful independent prognostic indicator for PC patients after curative resection regardless of the surgical procedures. Compared with the AJCC 8th staging system, the formulated nomogram showed superior predictive accuracy for OS and its novel staging system revealed better risk stratification.
Gut Microbial Diversity Is Reduced in Smokers with Crohn's Disease

Background:Smoking has a negative impact on Crohn's disease (CD), but the mechanisms underlying this association are unclear. We compared the gut microbiota composition of smoking with nonsmoking patients with CD using a metagenomic approach. Methods:Stool samples and clinical data were collected from current smokers and nonsmokers with CD from France and the Netherlands, matched for country, gender, age, disease activity, and body mass index. Fecal DNA was sequenced on an Illumina HiSeq 2500. On average, 40 million paired-end reads were generated per sample. Gene richness and the Shannon index were computed to assess microbial diversity. Wilcoxon's signed-rank tests for paired samples were performed to detect differences between the 2 groups. Results:In total, 21 smoking and 21 nonsmoking patients with CD were included. Compared with nonsmoking patients, gut microbial gene richness (P = 0.01), genus diversity (P < 0.01), and species diversity (P = 0.01) were decreased in smoking patients. This was accompanied by a reduced relative abundance of the genera Collinsella (P = 0.02), Enterorhabdus (P = 0.02), and Gordonibacter (P = 0.02) in smokers. No statistically significant differences at the species level were observed, although smokers had lower proportions of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii (P = 0.10). Conclusions:Gut microbial diversity is reduced in smokers with CD compared with nonsmokers with CD. The microbial profile differs between these groups at the genus level. Future studies should evaluate whether intestinal microbes mediate the adverse effects of smoking in CD.
Improving mobile internet usability

Mobile internet technologies, such as WAP, are important for pervasive, anytime, anywhere computing. Although much progress has been made in terms of technological innovation, many of mobile internet systems are difficult to use, lack flexibility and robustness. They give a poor user experience. Evaluation and theoretical analysis of usability combined with innovative design can achieve significant improvements in user performance and satisfaction. Using such multidisciplinary methods explains the negative reactions to WAP, and — more constructively — suggest ways of developing more effective and efficient devices and services.
TIONAL ANALYSIS OF THE O 2 HERZBERG I SYSTEM USING ROCKET

An observation of the u.v. nightglow between 2670 and 3040 A was conducted aver White Sands Missile Range on 22 October 1984. A l/4 m spectrometer operating at 3.5 A resolution viewed the Earth’s limb at tangent heights between 90 and 110 km for 120 s. A total of 41 spectral scans of the ~ght~ow were obtained with the brightest feature being the Oz (A%: -X3X;) He&erg I bands. The data were sorted into two groups, one from the top side of the layer and one containing the emission peak, and compared with synthetic spectra. The deduced O2 (A%:) vibrational distributions indicate that at low altitudes, the higher vibrational levels (0 > 6) were relatively depleted ; however, the ma~itude of the vibrational shift is much less than that predicted from theories of vibrational relaxation. It is shown that increasing the electronic quenching of O2 (A%:) with respect to the vibrational quenching can reduce the vibrational shift in the model and aual~tativeiv exolain the observations; however, several details of the vibrational distribution are not well’reproduceb. *
A Liquid Ventilator Prototype for Total Liquid Ventilation Preclinical Studies

1.1 Context Mechanical ventilation is a life-saving procedure used for treating acute respiratory distress, when the respiratory system is no longer capable of regulating blood gases via pulmonary gas exchange. While conventional mechanical ventilation (CMV) is often sufficient to transiently replace lung function until recovery, the most severe respiratory distress syndromes must be treated either by non conventional mechanical ventilation such as high frequency ventilation or even non ventilator strategies such as extracorporeal gas exchange (Raoof et al., 2010). Large literature data suggest a radical change in ventilator support by replacing the traditional gas mixture with a breathable liquid. This method, called liquid assisted ventilation, leads to the replacement of the air-liquid interface in the alveoli by a liquidliquid interface. Since the 70s, perfluorocarbon liquids (PFC) have been identified as the best candidates to be used in liquid ventilation due to their high oxygen and carbon dioxide solubility (Wolfson & Shaffer, 2005). In addition, they are biochemically stable and bio-inert molecules, available as medical grade products including for respiratory use. Liquid assisted ventilation can be performed either as partial or total liquid ventilation. During partial liquid ventilation, only a fraction of the lungs are filled with perfluorocarbon liquid and a conventional mechanical gas ventilator ensures lung ventilation. In contrast, during total liquid ventilation (TLV), the lungs are completely filled with perfluorocarbon liquid while a dedicated device, called a liquid ventilator, must be used to periodically renew a liquid tidal volume in the lungs. A large number of preclinical studies involving various animal models of acute respiratory distress syndrome have demonstrated clear benefits from total liquid ventilation as compared to all other tested ventilation strategies, including partial liquid ventilation, conventional and high frequency gas ventilation (Hirschl et al., 1996; Wolfson et al., 2008). Among its several theoretical advantages over CMV, TLV is considered less aggressive for the lungs, due to lower positive inspiratory pressures and lower respiratory rates. This is felt to be beneficial in both pediatric and adult respiratory distress syndromes, where repeated alveolar overdistension during CMV contributes to
Characterizing mixed-use buildings based on multi-source big data

ABSTRACT To-date few research has successfully integrated big data from multiple sources to characterize urban mixed-use buildings. In this paper, we introduce a probabilistic model to integrate multi-source and geospatial big data (social network data, taxi trajectories, Points of Interest and remote sensing images) to characterize urban mixed-use buildings. The usefulness of our model is demonstrated with a case study of the Tianhe District in megacity Guangzhou, China. The model predicted building functions at 85% accuracy based on ground truth data from field surveys. We further explored the spatial patterns of the identified building functions. Most mixed-use buildings are located along major streets. Our proposed model can identify mixed-use buildings in a city; information is useful for planning evaluation and urban policymaking.