Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Can care staff accurately assess health-related quality of life of care home residents? A secondary analysis of data from the OPERA trial

Objectives To compare assessments of health-related quality of life outcomes of care home residents reported by residents and care staff acting as proxies. Design Linear regression and bivariate modelling of paired assessments from care home residents and care staff. Setting 78 care homes in 2 regions in England. Participants 556 care home residents aged 65 years or older and care staff. Main outcome measures EQ-5D utility scores and responses to individual EQ-5D dimensions. Results The depression status, cognitive function, physical function, activities of daily living, social engagement, pain and dementia diagnosis of care home residents all predicted discrepancies in EQ-5D reporting. For residents with no depressive symptoms, care staff underestimated residents' mean EQ-5D utility score by 0.134 (95% CI 0.097 to 0.171) and for those with severe depressive symptoms they overstated mean utility scores by 0.222 (95% CI 0.104 to 0.339). With increasing levels of pain in residents the care staff progressively estimated EQ-5D utilities above self-reported values; by 0.236 (95% CI 0.003 to 0.469) in those with the second highest pain scores. For those with no cognitive impairment, proxies overstated mean utility scores by 0.097 (95% CI 0.049 to 0.146), while for those with severe cognitive impairment they underestimated mean utility scores by 0.192 (95% CI 0.143 to 0.241). Conclusions Care home residents and staff appear to differ fundamentally in their assessment of the health-related quality of life, as measured by the EQ-5D, of residents with different levels of depression, pain and/or cognitive impairment. This could lead to interventions evaluated using proxy-based quality-adjusted life year estimates being wrongly rejected on cost-effectiveness grounds and may also make it difficult for carers to act as advocates with health and social care professionals for certain groups of residents. A more resident-focussed approach to assessment of health-related quality of life is needed.
A nonlinear piezoelectric shell model: Theoretical and numerical considerations

A nonlinear piezoelectric shell model capable of accurately expressing the direct and the converse piezoelectric effect is discussed here with the support of numerical simulations. The theory under investigation is meant to be able to encompass a complete coupling between the mechanical and the electrical fields in the frame of geometrically exact shell formulations. To this aim, warping functions characterized by an ad hoc polynomial expansion in the shell through-the-thickness coordinate are considered to describe the shear and the extensional deformability of transverse fibers. The governing equations of motion are numerically implemented for the cases of a rectangular semi-cylinder and for a multilayered 90° rectangular cylinder. Numerical results show the effects of key geometric parameters and of the nature of the loading on the system response, evidencing that significant misrepresentations of the system behavior are possible if lower-order kinematics are taken into account.
Microleakage of Class II posterior composite restorations with gingival margins placed entirely within dentin.

PURPOSE Composite restorations are more frequently being placed with margins apical to the cementoenamel junction. However, margins within dentin are prone to microleakage. The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate various restorative procedures in terms of their ability to reduce microleakage in posterior composite restorations with gingival margins within dentin. We also examined the effect of staining time on microleakage. MATERIALS AND METHODS Mesio-occlusal and disto-occlusal preparations were made in 50 extracted molars. Teeth were randomly assigned to receive 1 of 5 treatments followed by restoration with Z100 composite resin: acid etch (control); Clearfil SE Bond; Prompt-L-Pop; Vitrebond/Scotchbond Multipurpose Plus (closed-sandwich technique); or Geristore/Tenure (open-sandwich technique). After 48 hours of water storage followed by sectioning buccolingually, 1 restoration from each tooth was randomly assigned to either 2- or 4-hour immersion in 50% by weight silver nitrate solution. Restorations were removed and gingival floors analyzed to determine the percentage of surface area stained in each of 3 0.5-mm wide zones. RESULTS Repeated measures ANOVA did not reveal statistically significant differences in staining for 2 and 4 hours. Compared with the control group, Clearfil SE bond produced statistically significant reductions in leakage in all 3 zones. Prompt-L-Pop did not reduce leakage significantly except in zone 3 (closest to the pulp). Vitrebond and Geristore both reduced microleakage in zones 2 and 3, but the reduction was greater with the use of Vitrebond. CONCLUSION Both Clearfil SE Bond and Vitrebond in a closed-sandwich technique were effective methods for reducing microleakage within dentin.
Lexical Aspect and Multiple Incremental Themes

Since Vendler (1957), it has been commonly assumed that verb al p edicates fall into various sorts of lexical aspectual classes, based prim arily on the inherent, internal temporal structure the predicates impose on the even ts they describe. Two well known aspectual properties that distinguish differen t dynamic (i.e. non-stative) predicate classes are the properties of telicity and durati vity, . e. whether the predicate dictates a particular culmination point for the event , a d whether the event is instantaneous or has some duration. Based on just these tw o binary distinctions, three predicate types are generated, as shown in (1) (a fourt h type, atelic punctual predicates, is perhaps independently ruled out since a punc tual predicate has a natural culmination point of an instant).
Characterization of the In Situ Ecophysiology of Novel Phylotypes in Nutrient Removal Activated Sludge Treatment Plants

An in depth understanding of the ecology of activated sludge nutrient removal wastewater treatment systems requires detailed knowledge of the community composition and metabolic activities of individual members. Recent 16S rRNA gene amplicon surveys of activated sludge wastewater treatment plants with nutrient removal indicate the presence of a core set of bacterial genera. These organisms are likely responsible for the bulk of nutrient transformations underpinning the functions of these plants. While the basic activities of some of these genera in situ are known, there is little to no information for the majority. This study applied microautoradiography coupled with fluorescence in situ hybridization (MAR-FISH) for the in situ characterization of selected genus-level-phylotypes for which limited physiological information is available. These included Sulfuritalea and A21b, both within the class Betaproteobacteria, as well as Kaga01, within sub-group 10 of the phylum Acidobacteria. While the Sulfuritalea spp. were observed to be metabolically versatile, the A21b and Kaga01 phylotypes appeared to be highly specialized.
Transient Performance Analysis of Zero-Attracting LMS

Zero-attracting least-mean-square (ZA-LMS) algorithm has been widely used for online sparse system identification. It combines the LMS framework and l1-norm regularization to promote sparsity, and relies on subgradient iterations. Despite the significant interest in ZA-LMS, few works analyzed its transient behavior. The main difficulty lies in the nonlinearity of the update rule. In this study, a detailed analysis in the mean and mean-square sense is carried out in order to examine the behavior of the algorithm. Simulation results illustrate the accuracy of the model and highlight its performance through comparisons with an existing model.
Hygrothermal Aging Effect on Fatigue Behavior of GLARE

This article reports on the experimental characterization of the fatigue behavior of GLARE laminate taking into account the hygrothermal effects. The environmental factors can limit the applications of composites by deteriorating the mechanical properties during service. The importance of temperature at the time of conditioning plays an important role in environmental degradation of such composite materials. In this work, the experiments showed that the hygrothermal conditioning can induce significant changes in the material properties. Due to the effect of the hygrothermal aging, both the tensile and fatigue values of the studied systems have been reduced, that is, the absorbed moisture has deleterious effects on the physical properties of metal—fiber composite laminates.
Drug concentrations in post-mortem femoral blood compared with therapeutic concentrations in plasma

Therapeutic drug concentrations measured in plasma are of limited value as reference intervals for interpretation in post-mortem (PM) toxicology. In this study, drug concentration distributions were studied in PM femoral venous blood from 57 903 Finnish autopsy cases representing all causes of death during an 11-year period. Cause-of-death information was obtained from death certificates issued by forensic pathologists. Median, mean, and upper percentile (90th, 95th, 97.5th) concentrations were calculated for 129 drugs. To illustrate how PM median concentrations relate to established therapeutic ranges in plasma, a PM blood/plasma relationship was calculated for each drug. Males represented 75% of the subjects and showed a lower median age (55 yrs) than females (59 yrs). In 43% of these cases, blood alcohol concentration was higher than 0.2‰, and the median was 1.8‰. Sixty-one (47%) of the 129 drugs showed a PM blood/plasma relationship of 1. For 22 drugs (17%), the relationship was <1, and for 46 drugs (35%), the relationship was >1. No marked correlation was found between the PM blood/plasma relationship and the volume of distribution (Vd). For 36 drugs, more than 10% of cases were fatal poisonings attributed to this drug as the main finding. These drug concentration distributions based on a large database provide a helpful reference not only to forensic toxicologists and pathologists but also to clinical pharmacologists in charge of interpreting drug concentrations in PM cases. © 2013 The Authors. Drug Testing and Analysis published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Perspective of the Vascular Surgery Trainee on New ACGME Regulations, Fatigue, Resident Training, and Patient Safety

Objective: To assess the opinions of vascular surgery trainees on the new Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) guidelines. Methods: A questionnaire was developed and electronically distributed to trainee members of the Society for Vascular Surgery. Results: Of 238 eligible vascular trainees, 38 (16%) participated. Respondents were predominantly 30 to 35 years of age (47%), male (69%), in 2-year fellowship (73%), and at large academic centers (61%). Trainees report occasionally working while fatigued (63%). Fellows were more likely to report for duty while fatigued (P = .012) than integrated vascular residents. Respondents thought further work-hour restrictions would not improve patient care or training (P < .05) and may not lead to more sleep or improved quality of life. Respondents reported that duty hours should vary by specialty (81%) and allow flexibility in the last years of training (P < .05). Conclusions: Vascular surgery trainees are concerned about further duty-hour restrictions on patient care, education, and training and fatigue mitigation has to be balanced against the need to adequately train vascular surgeons.
Improvement the nutritional status of pre-school children following intervention with a supplement containing iron, zinc, copper, vitamin A, vitamin C and prebiotic

Abstract This study investigated the effects of a vitamin and mineral fortified powder product supplemented with inulin, on the iron and vitamin A status of 110 pre-schools childrens in Vicosa, MG, Brazil. The 2 to 5-year-old children were submitted to anthropometric (weight and height), biochemical (erythrocytes, hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume – MCV, mean corpuscular hemoglobin - MCH, serum iron, ferritin and serum retinol) and dietary (direct food weighing, 24 h recall, and food intake record) evaluations, at the beginning and at the end of a 45-day intervention. The supplement (30 g) was provided daily as part of the afternoon snack, diluted in 100 mL of water, 5 times/week and it supplied 30% of the recommended daily doses of iron, zinc, copper and vitamins A and C. Dietary and biochemical data was compared by the Wilcoxon test, and anthropometric data by the paired t-test. Values of z-scores for weight and height, erythrocytes, hemoglobin, MCV, MCH and ferritin were significantly higher after intervention; no change was observed in serum retinol. The prebiotic-containing supplement significantly increased the intake of energy, macro and micronutrients, and was effective in improving the iron and anthropometric status.
Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders: Effective Treatment with Paroxetine

Objective: To examine whether, like pure obsessive-compulsive disorder, obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders are treatable with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). Method: Case histories of patients prescribed paroxetine for compulsive collecting, skin-picking, and trichotillomania were reviewed. Results: All patients were successfully treated with paroxetine. Conclusions: Obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders may share a serotonin-related dysfunction, and SSRIs may prove effective in their treatment.
Coccolith strontium to calcium ratios in Emiliania huxleyi: The dependence on seawater strontium and calcium concentrations

In recent studies the Sr/Ca ratio of coccolithophore calcite was used as a proxy for past coccolithophore growth and calcification rates. Since Sr and Ca concentrations in seawater have not remained constant through time, interpretation of Sr/Ca data from the coccolith‐dominated sedimentary record requires knowledge about the incorporation of seawater Sr into coccolith calcite during coccolithogenesis. Here we show that Sr/Ca of Emiliania huxleyi coccoliths is linearly related to seawater Sr/Ca, meaning that the Sr exchange coefficient does not change with changing seawater Sr/Ca. The exchange coefficient for Sr in this study, 0.39, is close to values presented in the literature and is high compared with values obtained by inorganic precipitation experiments. This suggests a strong effect of cell physiology on biogenic calcite precipitation in coccolithophores. We present a conceptual model, based on the transmembrane transport of Sr and Ca, which explains the offset.
The spectrum of nonmotor symptoms in early Parkinson disease

Objective: Nonmotor symptoms (NMS) are common in patients with established Parkinson disease (PD) but their frequency in early PD has not been extensively studied. Our aim was to determine the frequency of NMS in a cohort of patients with newly diagnosed PD. Methods: A total of 159 patients with early PD and 99 healthy controls participated in this study. NMS were screened for using the Nonmotor Symptom Questionnaire. Other assessments included measures of motor disability (Movement Disorders Society–revised Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale [MDS-UPDRS]), disease severity (Hoehn & Yahr staging), depression (Geriatric Depression Scale), and global cognitive function (Mini-Mental State Examination and Montreal Cognitive Assessment). Results: The PD group reported a significantly greater number of NMS compared with controls (8.4 [4.3] vs 2.8 [2.6]). In the PD group, the most commonly experienced NMS were excessive saliva, forgetfulness, urinary urgency, hyposmia, and constipation. Patients with higher MDS-UPDRS III scores and those with the postural instability gait subtype experienced a greater number of NMS. Conclusion: NMS are common in early PD and reflect the multisystem nature of the disorder. Even in the earliest stages of PD, NMS may be detrimental to patients' functional status and sense of well-being.
Expression of interleukin 1 â and interleukin 1 â converting enzyme by intestinal macrophages in health and inflammatory bowel disease

Background—In the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulated peripheral blood monocyte, the precursor form of interleukin 1â (IL-1â, 31 kD) is processed by IL-1â converting enzyme (ICE) to the mature, bioactive form (17 kD). IL-1â is a proinflammatory cytokine which is likely to have a role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Aims—To investigate the expression and processing of IL-1â and ICE by tissue macrophages from normal and IBD colonic mucosa. Methods—Mucosal biopsy specimens and lamina propria cells from normal and IBD colons were studied by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RTPCR), western blot analysis, and ELISA (enzyme linked immunosorbent assay). Results—Normal colonic macrophages synthesised only the precursor form of IL-1â whereas in IBD the mature form was also produced. Similarly, cells from normal colonic mucosa synthesised ICE as the precursor (p45) only, whereas macrophages from IBD colons produced active (p20) ICE. Ac-Tyr-Val-Ala-AspCHO, a specific peptide aldehyde inhibitor of ICE, significantly reduced the amount of mature IL-1â released by isolated IBD macrophages (from a median of 1.2 (range 0.78–4.42) ng/ml to 0.43 (0.21–1.6) ng/ml; p<0.01). Conclusions—Exposure of normal colonic macrophages to LPS only induces the production of the precursor form of IL-1â, because the cells fail to activate ICE. In contrast, IBD colonic macrophages are able to activate ICE and hence release mature IL-1â in a manner similar to circulating monocytes. This is consistent with IBD macrophages being recently recruited from the circulating monocyte population. Targeted inhibition of ICE may represent a novel form of therapy in IBD. (Gut 1998;42:214–219)
National hiring experiments reveal 2:1 faculty preference for women on STEM tenure track

Significance The underrepresentation of women in academic science is typically attributed, both in scientific literature and in the media, to sexist hiring. Here we report five hiring experiments in which faculty evaluated hypothetical female and male applicants, using systematically varied profiles disguising identical scholarship, for assistant professorships in biology, engineering, economics, and psychology. Contrary to prevailing assumptions, men and women faculty members from all four fields preferred female applicants 2:1 over identically qualified males with matching lifestyles (single, married, divorced), with the exception of male economists, who showed no gender preference. Comparing different lifestyles revealed that women preferred divorced mothers to married fathers and that men preferred mothers who took parental leaves to mothers who did not. Our findings, supported by real-world academic hiring data, suggest advantages for women launching academic science careers. National randomized experiments and validation studies were conducted on 873 tenure-track faculty (439 male, 434 female) from biology, engineering, economics, and psychology at 371 universities/colleges from 50 US states and the District of Columbia. In the main experiment, 363 faculty members evaluated narrative summaries describing hypothetical female and male applicants for tenure-track assistant professorships who shared the same lifestyle (e.g., single without children, married with children). Applicants' profiles were systematically varied to disguise identically rated scholarship; profiles were counterbalanced by gender across faculty to enable between-faculty comparisons of hiring preferences for identically qualified women versus men. Results revealed a 2:1 preference for women by faculty of both genders across both math-intensive and non–math-intensive fields, with the single exception of male economists, who showed no gender preference. Results were replicated using weighted analyses to control for national sample characteristics. In follow-up experiments, 144 faculty evaluated competing applicants with differing lifestyles (e.g., divorced mother vs. married father), and 204 faculty compared same-gender candidates with children, but differing in whether they took 1-y-parental leaves in graduate school. Women preferred divorced mothers to married fathers; men preferred mothers who took leaves to mothers who did not. In two validation studies, 35 engineering faculty provided rankings using full curricula vitae instead of narratives, and 127 faculty rated one applicant rather than choosing from a mixed-gender group; the same preference for women was shown by faculty of both genders. These results suggest it is a propitious time for women launching careers in academic science. Messages to the contrary may discourage women from applying for STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) tenure-track assistant professorships.
Image reconstruction algorithm for electrical impedance tomography based on block sparse Bayesian learning

Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is a promising agile imaging modality that allows estimation of the electrical conductivity distribution at the interior of an object from boundary measurements, which is attractive in a broad spectrum of biomedical, geophysical, and industrial continuous monitoring applications. As the inverse problem of EIT image reconstruction generally suffers from severe ill-posedness, various regularization techniques have been adopted to impose moderate constraints so as to obtain desired, usually sparse solutions. Extensive investigation showed that an enhanced recover performance can be achieved by exploiting a priori knowledge on the sparse structures. For regularization incorporating such knowledge, Bayesian approach is considered a natural mechanism. In this paper, we introduce the concept of sparse Bayesian learning to EIT imaging, which yields improved accuracy and robustness in the image reconstruction performance by exploiting signal structures in terms of their block sparsity and intra-block correlation. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is confirmed by the phantom test results.
[Evaluation of the organizational structure of HIV/AIDS outpatient care in Brazil].

OBJECTIVE In the context of universal access to antiretroviral treatment, the results of the Brazilian AIDS Program will depend on the quality of the care provided. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the healthcare provided by outpatient services for the treatment of AIDS patients. METHODS The present study was carried out in seven Brazilian States between 2001 and 2002. We evaluated the quality of the care provided to AIDS patients from the standpoint of resource availability and care process organization. A questionnaire comprising 112 structured questions addressing these aspects was sent to 336 services. RESULTS Response rate was 95.8% (322). Greater adequacy is seen for indicators of resource availability than for those of work organization. The supply of antiretroviral medication is sufficient in 95.5% of services. CD4 and viral load tests are available at adequate amounts in 59 and 41% of services, respectively. In 90.4% of services there is at least one non-medical professional (psychologist, nurse, or social worker). As to work organization, 80% scheduled the date but not the time of medical appointments; 40.4% scheduled more than 10 appointments per period; 17% did not have exclusive managers; and 68.6% did not hold systematic staff meetings. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that, in addition to ensuring the more homogeneous distribution of resources, the program must invest in the training and dissemination of care management skills, as confirmed by the results of care process organization.