Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
eHealth readiness of dietitians

BACKGROUND The present study aimed to determine the eHealth readiness and changes over time of dietitians in Australia. METHODS Two cross-sectional analyses of Australian dietitians were conducted in 2013 and 2016, using a survey adapted from one conducted in 2011 by the US Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The survey encompassed 30 questions on eHealth readiness across five dimensions: access, standards, attitude, aptitude and advocacy. Descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, chi-squared tests and Z-tests were computed to compare responses from the 2013 and 2016 surveys. RESULTS The survey completion rate represented 14.5% (747) of the Dietitians Association of Australia members in 2013 and 8% (417) in 2016. The survey responses in relation to access and standards suggest that dietitians are well positioned for eHealth. For attitude and aptitude, there is a moderate level of preparedness, with minor improvements over time. Although showing significant improvement (P < 0.05), advocacy highlights the area requiring the most development because the majority of dietitians (61%) reported 'no role' in eHealth solutions. CONCLUSIONS Dietitians are progressing in relation to access, attitudinal and aptitudinal readiness for eHealth, although they rate poorly with respect to advocacy readiness. It was concluded that dietitians are not yet ready, and also that valuable opportunities to achieve the benefits that eHealth can deliver will be missed, if dietitians do not take the lead in guiding the development, selection and implementation of nutrition-related technologies. Strengthening the dimension of advocacy and ensuring collaboration across the profession, drawing on the varying expertise demonstrated across the practice areas and by the different generations, will be central to improving dietitian eHealth readiness.
Comparing Medication Attitudes and Reasons for Medication Nonadherence Among Three Disparate Groups of Individuals With Serious Mental Illness

Abstract This analysis compared medication attitudes and reasons for nonadherence in three distinct groups of patients with serious mental illness (SMI). Cohort 1 had 43 patients with bipolar disorder (BD) treated in a community mental health setting, cohort 2 had 43 patients with BD taking an atypical antipsychotic and treated in an academic medical center, and cohort 3 had 30 patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who had been homeless in the last year. Standardized attitudinal scales found generally negative attitudes toward medication and limited illness insight. Although the three cohorts differed with regard to severity of symptoms, age of onset, education, baseline adherence, and race, the groups had similar medication attitudes before and after treatment. Despite group differences in demographic and clinical variables, our analyses found more similarities than differences in medication attitudes among these three discrete groups of poorly adherent, symptomatic patients with SMI. The common attitudinal characteristics have implications for delivery of health care services that can enhance treatment adherence in high-risk SMI patients.
Faecal occult blood screening for colorectal cancer in Serbia: a pilot study

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is becoming a major public health problem in the Republic of Serbia. Organized mass screening has been shown to decrease CRC mortality and even its incidence. The aim of this study was to assess the acceptability of a faecal immunochemical test for haemoglobin proposed by primary care physicians. From August to November 2013, a pilot study for CRC screening was organized in individuals aged 50 to 74 years. The study included 50 primary healthcare centres from all 25 administrative regions of Serbia. A qualitative immunochromatographic faecal immunochemical test for human haemoglobin detection was used. Overall, 50 894 individuals were invited. The participation rate was 67.8 and 3.4% of the tests were positive. Among individuals with a positive test, 69.7% agreed to undergo colonoscopy. The positive predictive value was 27.1% for adenoma and 14.6% for carcinoma. This was the first CRC screening project encompassing approximately one-third of primary healthcare facilities in all regions across the country. It showed a good response of the target population and satisfactory cooperation of the healthcare professionals involved.
Martingale residual‐based method to control for confounders measured only in a validation sample in time‐to‐event analysis

Unmeasured confounding remains an important problem in observational studies, including pharmacoepidemiological studies of large administrative databases. Several recently developed methods utilize smaller validation samples, with information on additional confounders, to control for confounders unmeasured in the main, larger database. However, up‐to‐date applications of these methods to survival analyses seem to be limited to propensity score calibration, which relies on a strong surrogacy assumption. We propose a new method, specifically designed for time‐to‐event analyses, which uses martingale residuals, in addition to measured covariates, to enhance imputation of the unmeasured confounders in the main database. The method is applicable for analyses with both time‐invariant data and time‐varying exposure/confounders. In simulations, our method consistently eliminated bias because of unmeasured confounding, regardless of surrogacy violation and other relevant design parameters, and almost always yielded lower mean squared errors than other methods applicable for survival analyses, outperforming propensity score calibration in several scenarios. We apply the method to a real‐life pharmacoepidemiological database study of the association between glucocorticoid therapy and risk of type II diabetes mellitus in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, with additional potential confounders available in an external validation sample. Compared with conventional analyses, which adjust only for confounders measured in the main database, our estimates suggest a considerably weaker association. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Characterizing socially supportive environments relating to physical activity participation for young people with physical disabilities

ABSTRACT Purpose: To explore the experiences of young people with physical disabilities relating to social inclusion and physical activity, in order to describe the characteristics of social environments that support participation in physical activity. Method: An iterative, qualitative design employed in-depth, semi-structured interviews with young people with physical disabilities aged 12–18 (n = 11). Data were analyzed using interpretive thematic analysis. Results: Young people described several ways that their social environments help motivate and support them in their physical activity participation. These include providing: fair and equitable participation beyond physical accommodations; belonging through teamwork; and socially supported independence. Conclusions: Supportive social environments characterized by equitable participation, a sense of belonging, and opportunities for interdependence, play a critical role in promoting the health and well-being of young people with physical disabilities. These characteristics are important to consider in the design of both integrated and dedicated physical activity programs.
Phosphorylation of CDC25C by AMP-activated protein kinase mediates a metabolic checkpoint during cell-cycle G2/M-phase transition

From unicellular to multicellular organisms, cell-cycle progression is tightly coupled to biosynthetic and bioenergetic demands. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated the G1/S-phase transition as a key checkpoint where cells respond to their metabolic status and commit to replicating the genome. However, the mechanism underlying the coordination of metabolism and the G2/M-phase transition in mammalian cells remains unclear. Here, we show that the activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a highly conserved cellular energy sensor, significantly delays mitosis entry. The cell-cycle G2/M-phase transition is controlled by mitotic cyclin-dependent kinase complex (CDC2-cyclin B), which is inactivated by WEE1 family protein kinases and activated by the opposing phosphatase CDC25C. AMPK directly phosphorylates CDC25C on serine 216, a well-conserved inhibitory phosphorylation event, which has been shown to mediate DNA damage–induced G2-phase arrest. The acute induction of CDC25C or suppression of WEE1 partially restores mitosis entry in the context of AMPK activation. These findings suggest that AMPK-dependent phosphorylation of CDC25C orchestrates a metabolic checkpoint for the cell-cycle G2/M-phase transition.
Effect of proton and Ne irradiation on the microstructure of Zircaloy 4

Proton irradiation at temperatures of 310 and 350°C has been explored as a method of studying radiation effects in Zircaloy 4 under power-reactor conditions. The dislocation-loop and hardness evolution are similar to those observed under neutron irradiation. Amorphization and Fe loss at Zr(Cr,Fe)2 precipitates are observed. Energy-filtered images indicate Fe accumulation in the matrix near the precipitate, a phenomenon not reported in neutron-irradiated alloys.
Presentation of a Novel Transverse-Flux Permanent Magnet Linear Motor and Its Magnetic Field Analysis Based on Schwarz–Christoffel Mapping Method

A novel transverse-flux permanent magnet linear motor (TFPMLM) named as double-sided double-excited one is proposed in this paper. First, the operational principle and structural advantages of the TFPMLM are presented. Then, the 3-D magnetic circuit structure of the TFPMLM is simplified equivalently into a 2-D one in order that Schwarz–Christoffel (SC) mapping method can be adopted to analyze the motor’s magnetic field and characteristics. Then, the air-gap flux density distribution, back voltage and force waveforms when at no-load and at load are calculated by the SC mapping method and 3-D finite-element method, respectively, for a prototype linear motor, The results from the two methods coincide much better with each other. At last, influences of magnet shape on the cogging force are studied by the SC method.
Influence of protein–protein interactions on the cellular localization of cytochrome P450

Background: Microsomal CYPs are integral membrane proteins that are localized in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), which is critical for their function. CYPs are co-translationally inserted into the rough ER membrane and are then either directly retained in the smooth ER or retained by a retrieval mechanism or targeted for ER-associated degradation. Protein–protein interactions are likely to be important for proper cellular targeting of CYPs. Objective: Progress in understanding the mechanisms of cellular targeting and ER retention of CYPs is reviewed with emphasis on the role of protein–protein interactions. Possible mechanisms of direct retention are the incorporation of CYPs into an immobile complex in the ER membrane, homooligomerization that prevents inclusion in transport vesicles, exclusion of CYP monomers from transport vesicles or targeting of CYPs to an ER subdomain away from sites of transport vesicle formation. Degradation of CYPs occurs either by lysosomal mechanisms or by the ubiquitin–proteasomal pathway. Methods: The scope of this review includes studies published in the research literature that have defined the targeting of CYPs to the ER, the retention of CYPs in the ER and the degradation of CYPs. Results/conclusion: Targeting of CYPs to the ER is well understood and involves signal recognition particle-mediated delivery to the sec61 complex. The mechanism of ER retention of CYPs remains unclear, but self-oligomerization or binding to large immobile networks do not underlie ER retention of CYPs. An ER retention ‘receptor’ remains elusive, but BAP31 is important for the proper cellular localization of CYPs and Dap1p is a CYP-binding protein that is a candidate for such a receptor. Identification of protein binding partners of CYPs will be critical to understanding the mechanism of ER retention.
Survival analysis with delayed entry in selected families with application to human longevity

In the field of aging research, family-based sampling study designs are commonly used to study the lifespans of long-lived family members. However, the specific sampling procedure should be carefully taken into account in order to avoid biases. This work is motivated by the Leiden Longevity Study, a family-based cohort of long-lived siblings. Families were invited to participate in the study if at least two siblings were ‘long-lived’, where ‘long-lived’ meant being older than 89 years for men or older than 91 years for women. As a result, more than 400 families were included in the study and followed for around 10 years. For estimation of marker-specific survival probabilities and correlations among life times of family members, delayed entry due to outcome-dependent sampling mechanisms has to be taken into account. We consider shared frailty models to model left-truncated correlated survival data. The treatment of left truncation in shared frailty models is still an open issue and the literature on this topic is scarce. We show that the current approaches provide, in general, biased estimates and we propose a new method to tackle this selection problem by applying a correction on the likelihood estimation by means of inverse probability weighting at the family level.
Helicobacter pylori moderates the association between 5-MTHF concentration and cognitive function in older adults

Objective To explore potential interactions between folate-cycle factors and Helicobacter pylori seropositivity in the prediction of cognitive function. Methods We used data obtained from the 1999–2000 continuous National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey produced by the United States’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Using Ordinary Least Squares regression, we tested for associations between multiple folate-cycle factors, Helicobacter pylori seropositivity, and cognitive function assessed by the digit symbol coding subtest of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III. We then tested for interactions between each of the folate-cycle factors and Helicobacter pylori in the prediction of cognitive function. Results Although Helicobacter pylori seropositivity, 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, vitamin B-12, and homocysteine were not associated with performance on the digit symbol coding task, Helicobacter pylori seropositivity interacted with 5-methyltetrahydrofolate concentration to predict performance on the digit symbol coding task. The Helicobacter pylori seropositive group performed worse on the digit symbol coding task as 5-methyltetrahydrofolate concentration decreased. Conclusion The interaction between Helicobacter pylori seropositivity and reduced folate-cycle factor 5-methyltetrahydrofolate might impair aspects of cognitive function.
Poorer breast cancer survival outcomes in males than females might be attributable to tumor subtype

Background & Aims Substantial controversy exists regarding the differences in tumor subtypes between male breast cancer (MBC) and female breast cancer (FBC). This is the largest population-based study to compare MBC and FBC patients. Methods Using data obtained by the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program from 2010-2012, a retrospective, population-based cohort study was conducted to investigate tumor subtype-specific differences in various characteristics, overall survival (OS) and breast cancer-specific mortality (BCSM) between males and females. Results In all, 181,814 BC patients (1,516 male and 180,298 female) were eligible for this study. The male patients were more likely to be black, older, and have lower histological grades, more advanced stages, larger tumors, more lymph node and distant metastases and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative tumors (each p<0.05). A matched analysis showed that the 2-year OS was 91.2% and 93.7% and that the BCSM was 2.2% and 2.5% for male and female patients, respectively. The univariate analysis showed that male triple-negative (TN), hormone receptor (HoR)-positive/HER2-positive and HoR-positive/HER2-negative patients had poorer OS (p <0.01). Meanwhile, the HoR-positive/HER2-positive and TN subtypes were associated with a higher BCSM in MBC patients (p<0.01). The multivariate analysis revealed that TN MBC patients had poorer OS and BCSM (p<0.05). Simultaneously, the results showed that male patients in the HoR-positive/HER2-negative subgroup were less likely to die of BC when adjusting for other factors (p<0.05). Conclusions The analysis of 2-year OS and BCSM among the BC subtypes showed clear differences between MBC and FBC patients with the TN subtype; these differences warrant further investigation
Subgoal Labeled Worked Examples in K-3 Education

Worked examples are step-by-step instructions that are used to demonstrate and teach problem-solving processes. Subgoal labels are used to group the steps of worked examples into cohesive units that may help the learner to identify key information about the process. We conducted a study on the applicability of subgoal labeled worked examples with 9 and 10-year-old pupils (n=43) who were learning the principles of programming using LightBot. Using a between groups design, pupils in three classes were working with LightBot. One of the groups had no additional instructional materials for the LightBot environment, one of the groups had a set of worked examples without subgoal labels, and the last group had the same set of worked examples with subgoal labels. We measured pupils' success in terms of how many LightBot levels they completed during the class. In addition, pupils' beliefs and attitudes towards programming were assessed before and after the experiment. Our results indicate that in a programming environment such as LightBot, simple worked examples provide no significant benefit over no examples, but worked examples with subgoal labels can help pupils complete more levels. At the same time, the instructional materials in the study had no significant influence on the pupils' beliefs towards computer use or programming.
Finite-time boundedness of uncertain Markovian jump systems: A sliding mode approach

This paper investigates the finite-time bounded-ness (FTB) for a class of uncertain Markovian jump systems (MJSs) via sliding mode control (SMC) technique. Firstly, a suitable sliding mode controller is constructed to drive the state trajectories onto the specified sliding surface during a specified finite (possibly short) time interval. Then, by utilizing a partitioning strategy, the corresponding FTB over reaching phase and sliding motion phase are respectively analyzed during the specified finite time interval. Finally, a simulation example is given to verify the proposed control method.
Effect of a low-protein diet during pregnancy on expression of genes involved in cardiac hypertrophy in fetal and adult mouse offspring

Gene markers for cardiomyocyte growth, proliferation and remodeling were examined in mouse fetuses and adult male offspring exposed to maternal low-protein (LP) diet during pregnancy. Whole heart volume, measured by magnetic resonance imaging, was smaller in day 15 LP fetuses v. those from chow-fed dams (C), whereas heart volume was greater in adult LP v. C offspring. These LP offspring were hypertensive and had larger cardiomyocytes v. C animals. The mRNA levels of cyclin G1, a marker for cell growth, were lower in LP fetal hearts v. C hearts, but similar in the left ventricle of adult LP and C offspring. Opposite trends were found in brain natriuretic peptide levels (a marker of cardiac hypertrophy). Thus, maternal LP during pregnancy results in smaller fetal hearts and is accompanied by changes in expression of genes involved in cardiomyocyte growth, which are associated with cardiac hypertrophy and hypertension in adulthood.
Effect of Fly Ash Fineness on Temperature Rise, Setting, and Strength Development of Mortar

AbstractThis paper investigates the effects of the fineness and replacement ratio of fly ash on the temperature rise and setting time, and compressive, tensile, and flexural strength of mortar mixtures. Three types of fly ash with Blaine finenesses of 4,125 cm2/g (40F), 6,686 cm2/g (60F), and 9,632 cm2/g (90F) were used to replace Portland cement at replacement ratios of 0 (which was the control mix), 15, 30, 45, and 60% by binder mass. Test results demonstrate that using fly ash as a cement replacement resulted in a reduction in the maximum temperature rise in mortar regardless of the fineness of the fly ash. In this investigation, 15 fly ash replacement caused a reduction in the peak temperature of about 4 to 6°C in the mortar. The setting time of fly ash mixes where 15 and 30% of the cement was replaced with fine fly ashes was faster than that of the control mix. The compressive strength of mortar mixes using finer fly ashes (60F and 90F) was significantly improved compared to that of the 40F fly as.
Face transplantation—current status and future developments

More than thirty‐five facial allograft transplantations (FAT) have been reported worldwide since the pioneering case performed in France in the year 2005. FAT has received tremendous interest by the medical field and the general public while gaining strong support from multiple disciplines as a solution for reconstructing complex facial defects not amenable/responsive to conventional methods. FAT has expanded the frontiers of reconstructive microsurgery, immunology and transplantation, and established its place in the cross section of multiple disciplines. The procedure introduces complex scientific, ethical, and societal issues. Patients and physicians are called to deal with a variety of—sometimes everlasting—challenges, such as immunosuppression management and psychosocial hurdles. This review reflects on the surgical and scientific advancements in FAT and milestones reached in the last 12 years. It aims to encourage active discussion regarding the current practices and techniques used in FAT and suggest future directions that may allow transitioning into the next phase of FAT, which we describe as safe, reliable, and accessible standard operation for selected patients.
Fork head controls the timing and tissue selectivity of steroid-induced developmental cell death

Cell death during Drosophila melanogaster metamorphosis is controlled by the steroid hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E). Elements of the signaling pathway that triggers death are known, but it is not known why some tissues, and not others, die in response to a particular hormone pulse. We found that loss of the tissue-specific transcription factor Fork head (Fkh) is both required and sufficient to specify a death response to 20E in the larval salivary glands. Loss of fkh itself is a steroid-controlled event that is mediated by the 20E-induced BR-C gene, and that renders the key death regulators hid and reaper hormone responsive. These results implicate the D. melanogaster FOXA orthologue Fkh with a novel function as a competence factor for steroid-controlled cell death. They explain how a specific tissue is singled out for death, and why this tissue survives earlier hormone pulses. More generally, they suggest that cell identity factors like Fkh play a pivotal role in the normal control of developmental cell death.