Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Predicting the Onset of Anxiety Syndromes at 12 Months in Primary Care Attendees. The PredictA-Spain Study

Background There are no risk algorithms for the onset of anxiety syndromes at 12 months in primary care. We aimed to develop and validate internally a risk algorithm to predict the onset of anxiety syndromes at 12 months. Methods A prospective cohort study with evaluations at baseline, 6 and 12 months. We measured 39 known risk factors and used multilevel logistic regression and inverse probability weighting to build the risk algorithm. Our main outcome was generalized anxiety, panic and other non-specific anxiety syndromes as measured by the Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders, Patient Health Questionnaire (PRIME-MD-PHQ). We recruited 3,564 adult primary care attendees without anxiety syndromes from 174 family physicians and 32 health centers in 6 Spanish provinces. Results The cumulative 12-month incidence of anxiety syndromes was 12.2%. The predictA-Spain risk algorithm included the following predictors of anxiety syndromes: province; sex (female); younger age; taking medicines for anxiety, depression or stress; worse physical and mental quality of life (SF-12); dissatisfaction with paid and unpaid work; perception of financial strain; and the interactions sex*age, sex*perception of financial strain, and age*dissatisfaction with paid work. The C-index was 0.80 (95% confidence interval = 0.78–0.83) and the Hedges' g = 1.17 (95% confidence interval = 1.04–1.29). The Copas shrinkage factor was 0.98 and calibration plots showed an accurate goodness of fit. Conclusions The predictA-Spain risk algorithm is valid to predict anxiety syndromes at 12 months. Although external validation is required, the predictA-Spain is available for use as a predictive tool in the prevention of anxiety syndromes in primary care.
Elastodynamic inverse obstacle scattering ∗

Time-harmonic elastic waves are incident upon a bounded cavity in three dimensions. The resulting scattered waves are characterized by their far-field patterns. We consider some simple questions concerning the determination of the shape of the cavity from information on the far-field patterns. We also prove two elastodynamic analogues of a theorem due to S.N. Karp (1962), giving sufficient conditions on the far-field patterns for the obstacle to be spherical. The proofs are indirect and are based on symmetry arguments, as used for scalar problems by A.G. Ramm (1991).
Accuracy of the Emergency Severity Index triage instrument for identifying elder emergency department patients receiving an immediate life-saving intervention.

OBJECTIVES The study objective was to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the Emergency Severity Index (ESI) triage instrument for the identification of elder patients receiving an immediate life-saving intervention in the emergency department (ED). METHODS The authors reviewed medical records for consecutive patients 65 years or older who presented to a single academic ED serving a large community of elders during a 1-month period. ESI triage scores were compared to actual ED course with attention to the occurrence of an immediate life-saving intervention. The sensitivity and specificity of an ESI triage level of 1 for the identification of patients receiving an immediate intervention was calculated. For 50 cases, the triage nurse ESI designation was compared to the triage level determined by an expert triage nurse based on retrospective record review. RESULTS Of 782 consecutive patients 65 years or older who presented to the ED, 18 (2%) had an ESI level of 1, 176 (23%) had an ESI level of 2, 461 (60%) had an ESI level of 3, 100 (13%) had an ESI level of 4, and 18 (2%) had an ESI level of 5. Twenty-six patients received an immediate life-saving intervention. ESI triage scores for these 26 individuals were as follows: ESI 1, 11 patients; ESI 2, nine patients; and ESI 3, six patients. The sensitivity of ESI to identify patients receiving an immediate intervention was 42.3% (95% confidence interval [CI]=23.3% to 61.3%); the specificity was 99.2% (95% CI=98.0% to 99.7%). For 17 of 50 cases in which actual triage nurse and expert nurse ESI levels disagreed, undertriage by the triage nurses was more common than overtriage (13 vs. 4 patients). CONCLUSIONS The ESI triage instrument identified fewer than half of elder patients receiving an immediate life-saving intervention. Failure to follow established ESI guidelines in the triage of elder patients may contribute to apparent undertriage.
Infection by enteric adenoviruses, rotaviruses, and other agents in a rural african environment

From February 1985 to January 1986, 432 stool samples, 310 from rural African children with diarrhea and 122 from controls, were analysed for the presence of enteric viruses known to be associated with diarrhea. Group A rotavirus ELISA indicated 12.9% positivity among patients and 2.5% positivity among controls. Only 23 of the 43 rotavirus ELISA‐positive stools were also positive by electron microscopy. Nine children, three of whom were controls, were found to be shedding coronavirus‐like particles, detected by electron microscopy. Stools from all but one of the nine children had been taken within 1 month of each other. Dot‐blot hybridization tests for the presence of Ad40 or Ad41 DNA revealed 44 positive stools, 41 of which were from patients (13.2% positivity). Only three of the Ad40‐ or Ad41‐positive stools by DNA hybridization were positive by electron microscopy, and only these three strains could be grown in semipermissive Chang conjunctival cells and their identity checked by restriction enzyme analysis. Further attempts to rescue the other strains using a helper virus failed, but nine of the stools proved positive by ELISA using a subgroup F‐specific monoclonal antibody. On the basis of the DNA hybridization results alone, subgroup F adenoviruses were encountered as frequently as rotavirus in the study and were significantly associated with diarrhea, although the viability and intactness of virus particles by the time of laboratory analysis appeared to be very low.
Performance Analysis and Optimal Selection of Large Minimum Variance Portfolios Under Estimation Risk

We study the realized variance of sample minimum variance portfolios of arbitrarily high dimension. We consider the use of covariance matrix estimators based on shrinkage and weighted sampling. For such improved portfolio implementations, the otherwise intractable problem of characterizing the realized variance is tackled here by analyzing the asymptotic convergence of the risk measure. Rather than relying on less insightful classical asymptotics, we manage to deliver results in a practically more meaningful limiting regime, where the number of assets remains comparable in magnitude to the sample size. Under this framework, we provide accurate estimates of the portfolio realized risk in terms of the model parameters and the underlying investment scenario, i.e., the unknown asset return covariance structure. In-sample approximations in terms of only the available data observations are known to considerably underestimate the realized portfolio risk. If not corrected, these deviations might lead in practice to inaccurate and overly optimistic investment decisions. Therefore, along with the asymptotic analysis, we also provide a generalized consistent estimator of the out-of-sample portfolio variance that only depends on the set of observed returns. Based on this estimator, the model free parameters, i.e., the sample weighting coefficients and the shrinkage intensity defining the minimum variance portfolio implementation, can be optimized so as to minimize the realized variance while taken into account the effect of estimation risk. Our results are based on recent contributions in the field of random matrix theory. Numerical simulations based on both synthetic and real market data validate our theoretical findings under a non-asymptotic, finite-dimensional setting. Finally, our proposed portfolio estimator is shown to consistently outperform a widely applied benchmark implementation.
Neighborhood-Level Racial/Ethnic Residential Segregation and Incident Cardiovascular Disease: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Background— Previous research suggests that neighborhood-level racial/ethnic residential segregation is linked to health, but it has not been studied prospectively in relation to cardiovascular disease (CVD). Methods and Results— Participants were 1595 non-Hispanic black, 2345 non-Hispanic white, and 1289 Hispanic adults from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis free of CVD at baseline (aged 45–84 years). Own-group racial/ethnic residential segregation was assessed by using the Gi* statistic, a measure of how the neighborhood racial/ethnic composition deviates from surrounding counties’ racial/ethnic composition. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards modeling was used to estimate hazard ratios for incident CVD (first definite angina, probable angina followed by revascularization, myocardial infarction, resuscitated cardiac arrest, coronary heart disease death, stroke, or stroke death) over 10.2 median years of follow-up. Among blacks, each standard deviation increase in black segregation was associated with a 12% higher hazard of developing CVD after adjusting for demographics (95% confidence interval, 1.02–1.22). This association persisted after adjustment for neighborhood-level characteristics, individual socioeconomic position, and CVD risk factors (hazard ratio, 1.12; 95% confidence interval, 1.02–1.23). For whites, higher white segregation was associated with lower CVD risk after adjusting for demographics (hazard ratio, 0.88; 95% confidence interval, 0.81–0.96), but not after further adjustment for neighborhood characteristics. Segregation was not associated with CVD risk among Hispanics. Similar results were obtained after adjusting for time-varying segregation and covariates. Conclusions— The association of residential segregation with cardiovascular risk varies according to race/ethnicity. Further work is needed to better characterize the individual- and neighborhood-level pathways linking segregation to CVD risk.
A mechanical approach for fibre-reinforced clay in landfill caps cover application

ABSTRACT Solid waste landfills come with a cover barrier which includes a compacted clay liner essential to safety on site. However this barrier encounters numerous problems, in particular those related to in situ implementation and to mechanical loading which may cause stress in the clay layer leading to the development of cracks. Tensile stress damage is replaced by shearing when the thickness of the cap cover increases. Thus to characterise the behaviour of the clay, compression tests under confinement were carried out in the laboratory. It was proposed to improve the mechanical performance of the clay layer by adding fibre-reinforcement. This relatively new technique is adopted in geotechnical projects involving stabilization of soil veneers. An analysis of different types of fibre-reinforcement of clay was carried out. An improvement in soil resistance and in the brittleness index of fibre-reinforced soil was characterised.
The interplay between helicity and rotation in turbulence: implications for scaling laws and small-scale dynamics

Invariance properties of physical systems govern their behaviour: energy conservation in turbulence drives a wide distribution of energy among modes, as observed in geophysical or astrophysical flows. In ideal hydrodynamics, the role of the invariance of helicity (correlation between velocity and its curl, measuring departures from mirror symmetry) remains unclear since it does not alter the energy spectrum. However, in the presence of rotation, significant differences emerge between helical and non-helical turbulent flows. We first briefly outline some of the issues such as the partition of energy and helicity among modes. Using massive numerical simulations, we then show that small-scale structures and their intermittency properties differ according to whether helicity is present or not, in particular with respect to the emergence of Beltrami core vortices that are laminar helical vertical updraft vortices. These results point to the discovery of a small parameter besides the Rossby number, a fact that would relate the problem of rotating helical turbulence to that of critical phenomena, through the renormalization group and weak-turbulence theory. This parameter can be associated with the adimensionalized ratio of the energy to helicity flux to small scales, the three-dimensional energy cascade being weak and self-similar.
Current Therapeutic Strategies and Novel Approaches in Osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma is the most frequent malignant primary bone tumor and a main cause of cancer-related death in children and adolescents. Although long-term survival in localized osteosarcoma has improved to about 60% during the 1960s and 1970s, long-term survival in both localized and metastatic osteosarcoma has stagnated in the past several decades. Thus, current conventional therapy consists of multi-agent chemotherapy, surgery and radiation, which is not fully adequate for osteosarcoma treatment. Innovative drugs and approaches are needed to further improve outcome in osteosarcoma patients. This review describes the current management of osteosarcoma as well as potential new therapies.
Association between maladaptive parenting and child self-control over time: cross-lagged study using a monozygotic twin difference design

Background Harsh parenting practices and negative parental feelings may be environmental risk factors for low self-control in children. Children may also evoke certain parenting reactions. Aims To investigate the longitudinal relationship between parenting and self-control, as well as associated outcomes within the monozygotic (MZ) twin differences framework. Method Longitudinal MZ twin differences analysis was conducted on a community sample of 5184 twins using data from ages 3, 4, 7 and 9 years. Outcomes related to self-control and parenting were analysed at age 12 years. Results Non-shared environmental effects of parenting on the development of self-control and an evocative effect of child self-control on parenting were found. Harsh parenting predicted conduct problems for both boys and girls. Self-control at age 9 predicted conduct problems and emotional difficulties at age 12. Conclusions Parenting and child self-control affect one another, highlighting the potential of early interventions that target parents and children simultaneously.
Terrain generation using procedural models based on hydrology

We present a framework that allows quick and intuitive modeling of terrains using concepts inspired by hydrology. The terrain is generated from a simple initial sketch, and its generation is controlled by a few parameters. Our terrain representation is both analytic and continuous and can be rendered by using varying levels of detail. The terrain data are stored in a novel data structure: a construction tree whose internal nodes define a combination of operations, and whose leaves represent terrain features. The framework uses rivers as modeling elements, and it first creates a hierarchical drainage network that is represented as a geometric graph over a given input domain. The network is then analyzed to construct watersheds and to characterize the different types and trajectories of rivers. The terrain is finally generated by combining procedural terrain and river patches with blending and carving operators.
Process-Induced Stress and Deformation in Thick-Section Thermoset Composite Laminates

A study of process-induced stress and deformation in thick-section thermosetting composite laminates is presented. A methodology is proposed for predict ing the evolution of residual stress development during the curing process. A one- dimensional cure simulation analysis is coupled to an incremental laminated plate theory model to study the relationships between complex gradients in temperature and degree of cure, and process-induced residual stress and deformation. Material models are proposed to describe the mechanical properties, thermal and chemical strains of the thermoset resin during cure. These material models are incorporated into a micromechanics model to pre dict the effective mechanical properties and process-induced strains of the composite dur ing cure. Thermal expansion and cure shrinkage contribute to changes in material specific volume and represent important sources of internal loading included in the analysis. Tem perature and degree of cure gradients that develop during the curing process represent fun damental mechanisms that contribute to stress development not considered in traditional residual stress analyses of laminated composites. Model predictions of cure dependent epoxy modulus and curvature in unsymmetric graphite/epoxy laminates are correlated with experimental data. The effects of processing history (autoclave temperature cure cy cle), laminate thickness, resin cure shrinkage and laminate stacking sequence on the evo lution of process-induced stress and deformation in thick-section glass/polyester and graphite/epoxy laminates during cure are studied. The magnitude of process-induced residual stress is sufficient to mitiate transverse cracks and delammations. The results clearly indicate that the mechanics and performance of thick-section thermoset laminates are strongly dependent on processing history.
A Peptide-binding Motif for I-Ag7, the Class II Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) Molecule of NOD and Biozzi AB/H Mice

The class II major histocompatibility complex molecule I-Ag7 is strongly linked to the development of spontaneous insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) in non obese diabetic mice and to the induction of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis in Biozzi AB/H mice. Structurally, it resembles the HLA-DQ molecules associated with human IDDM, in having a non-Asp residue at position 57 in its β chain. To identify the requirements for peptide binding to I-Ag7 and thereby potentially pathogenic T cell epitopes, we analyzed a known I-Ag7-restricted T cell epitope, hen egg white lysozyme (HEL) amino acids 9–27. NH2- and COOH-terminal truncations demonstrated that the minimal epitope for activation of the T cell hybridoma 2D12.1 was M12-R21 and the minimum sequence for direct binding to purified I-Ag7 M12-Y20/ K13-R21. Alanine (A) scanning revealed two primary anchors for binding at relative positions (p) 6 (L) and 9 (Y) in the HEL epitope. The critical role of both anchors was demonstrated by incorporating L and Y in poly(A) backbones at the same relative positions as in the HEL epitope. Well-tolerated, weakly tolerated, and nontolerated residues were identified by analyzing the binding of peptides containing multiple substitutions at individual positions. Optimally, p6 was a large, hydrophobic residue (L, I, V, M), whereas p9 was aromatic and hydrophobic (Y or F) or positively charged (K, R). Specific residues were not tolerated at these and some other positions. A motif for binding to I-Ag7 deduced from analysis of the model HEL epitope was present in 27/30 (90%) of peptides reported to be I-Ag7–restricted T cell epitopes or eluted from I-Ag7. Scanning a set of overlapping peptides encompassing human proinsulin revealed the motif in 6/6 good binders (sensitivity = 100%) and 4/13 weak or non-binders (specificity = 70%). This motif should facilitate identification of autoantigenic epitopes relevant to the pathogenesis and immunotherapy of IDDM.
Suvanine Sesterterpenes from a Tropical Sponge Coscinoderma sp. Inhibit Isocitrate Lyase in the Glyoxylate Cycle

The glyoxylate cycle is a sequence of anaplerotic reactions catalyzed by the key enzymes isocitrate lyase (ICL) and malate synthase (MLS). Mutants of Candida albicans lacking ICL are markedly less virulent in mice than the wild-type. Suvanine sesterterpenes (1−9) isolated from a tropical sponge Coscinoderma sp. were evaluated for their inhibitory activities toward recombinant ICL from C. albicans. These studies led to the identification of a potent ICL inhibitor, suvanine salt (2), which possesses a sodium counterion and displays an inhibitory concentration value (IC50) of 6.35 μM. The growth phenotype of ICL deletion mutants and semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analyses indicated that compound 2 inhibits the ICL mRNA expression in C. albicans under C2-carbon-utilizing conditions. The present data highlight the potential for suvanine sesterterpenes treatment of C. albicans infections via inhibition of ICL activity.
Members of the Tristetraprolin Family of Tandem CCCH Zinc Finger Proteins Exhibit CRM1-dependent Nucleocytoplasmic Shuttling*

Members of the tristetraprolin (TTP) family of CCCH tandem zinc finger proteins can bind directly to certain types of AU-rich elements (AREs) in mRNA. Experiments in TTP-deficient mice have shown that TTP is involved in the physiological destabilization of at least two cytokine mRNAs, those encoding tumor necrosis factor α and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor. The two other known mammalian members of the TTP family, CMG1 and TIS11D, also contain ARE-binding CCCH tandem zinc finger domains and can also destabilize ARE-containing mRNAs. To investigate the effects of primary sequence on the subcellular localization of these proteins, we constructed green fluorescent protein fusions with TTP, CMG1, and TIS11D; these were predominantly cytoplasmic when expressed in 293 or HeLa cells. Deletion and mutation analyses revealed functional nuclear export signals in the amino terminus of TTP and in the carboxyl termini of CMG1 and TIS11D. This type of leucine-rich nuclear export signal interacts with the nuclear export receptor CRM1; abrogation of CRM1 activity resulted in nuclear accumulation of TTP, CMG1, and TIS11D. These proteins are thus nucleocytoplasmic shuttling proteins and rely on CRM1 for their export from the nucleus. Although TTP, CMG1, and TIS11D lack known nuclear import sequences, mapping experiments revealed that their nuclear accumulation required an intact tandem zinc finger domain but did not require RNA binding ability. These findings suggest possible roles for nuclear import and export in the regulation of cellular TTP, CMG1, and TIS11D activity.
Recoverable Energy of Radiating Structures

In this paper, the maximum “recoverable” energy of a radiator is determined. This energy is defined as the maximum energy that can be recovered from the electromagnetic field distribution in entire space generated by the radiator up to the time point considered. The calculation procedure is based on minimizing the future radiated energy. It is shown that the concept of recoverable energy has no problems with so-called “negative energies,” or with any dependence on coordinate system, issues that compromise many definitions found in literature of the concept of “stored” energy for a radiator. The question can be raised whether “recoverable” energy can be identified with stored energy for a radiator.
Role of Inflammatory Mediators in Resistance and Susceptibility to Pneumococcal Infection

ABSTRACT Variations in the host response during pneumonia caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae in susceptible (CBA/Ca) and resistant (BALB/c) inbred mouse strains were investigated. Significant differences were detected in survival time, core body temperature, lung-associated and systemic bacterial loads, mast cell numbers, magnitude and location of cytokine production, lung disruption, and ability of isolated lung cells to release the cytokine tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha in vitro. Overall, the results indicate that the reduced capacity of CBA/Ca mice to induce rapid TNF activity within the airways following infection with S. pneumoniae may be a factor in their elevated susceptibility to pneumococcal pneumonia.