Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effectiveness of a Novel Integrative Online Treatment for Depression (Deprexis): Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND Depression is associated with immense suffering and costs, and many patients receive inadequate care, often because of the limited availability of treatment. Web-based treatments may play an increasingly important role in closing this gap between demand and supply. We developed the integrative, Web-based program Deprexis, which covers therapeutic approaches such as behavioral activation, cognitive restructuring, mindfulness/acceptance exercises, and social skills training. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effectiveness of the Web-based intervention in a randomized controlled trial. METHODS There were 396 adults recruited via Internet depression forums in Germany, and they were randomly assigned in an 80:20 weighted randomization sequence to either 9 weeks of immediate-program-access as an add-on to treatment-as-usual (N = 320), or to a 9-week delayed-access plus treatment-as-usual condition (N = 76). At pre- and post-treatment and 6-month follow-up, we measured depression (Beck Depression Inventory) as the primary outcome measure and social functioning (Work and Social Adjustment Scale) as the secondary outcome measure. Complete analyses and intention-to-treat analyses were performed. RESULTS Of 396 participants, 216 (55%) completed the post-measurement 9 weeks later. Available case analyses revealed a significant reduction in depression severity (BDI), Cohen's d = . 64 (CI 95% = 0.33 - 0.94), and significant improvement in social functioning (WSA), Cohen's d = . 64, 95% (CI 95% = 0.33 - 0.95). These improvements were maintained at 6-month follow-up. Intention-to-treat analyses confirmed significant effects on depression and social functioning improvements (BDI: Cohen's d = .30, CI 95% = 0.05 - 0.55; WSA: Cohen's d = .36, CI 95% = 0.10 - 0.61). Moreover, a much higher percentage of patients in the intervention group experienced a significant reduction of depression symptoms (BDI: odds ratio [OR] = 6.8, CI 95% = 2.90 - 18.19) and recovered more often (OR = 17.3, 95% CI 2.3 - 130). More than 80% of the users felt subjectively that the program had been helpful. CONCLUSIONS This integrative, Web-based intervention was effective in reducing symptoms of depression and in improving social functioning. Findings suggest that the program could serve as an adjunctive or stand-alone treatment tool for patients suffering from symptoms of depression.
Factors Affecting Patients Undergoing Cosmetic Surgery in Bushehr, Southern Iran

BACKGROUND Although, there have been extensive research on the motivations driving patient to undergo cosmetic procedures, there is still a big question mark on the persuasive factors which may lead individuals to undergo cosmetic surgery. The present study evaluated various factors affecting patients undergoing cosmetic surgery in Bushehr, Southern Iran. METHODS From 24th March 2011 to 24th March 2012, eighty-one women and 20 men who wished to be operated in Fatemeh Zahra Hospital in Bushehr, Southern Iran and Pars Clinic, Iran were enrolled by a simple random sampling method. They all completed a questionnaire to consider reasons for cosmetic procedures. The collected data were statistically analyzed. RESULTS Demographical, sociological and psychological factors such as age, gender, educational level, marital status, media, perceived risks, output quality, depression and self-improvement were determined as factors affecting tendency of individuals to undergo cosmetic surgery in this region. Trend to undergo cosmetic surgery was more prevalent in educational below bachelor degree, married subjects, women population of 30-45 years age group. Education level, age, marital status and gender were respectively the influential factors in deciding to undergo cosmetic surgery. Among the socio-psychological factors, self-improvement, finding a better job opportunity, rivalry, media, health status as well as depression were the most persuasive factors to encourage people to undergo cosmetic surgery too. Cost risk was not important for our samples in decision making to undergo cosmetic surgery. CONCLUSION We need to fully understand the way in which the combination of demographic, social and psychological factors influence decision-making to undergo cosmetic surgery.
Empowering Employees: The Moderating Role of Perceived Organisational Climate and Justice

Previous research suggests that empowering managerial practises have small and variable effects on employees' behaviours. The objective of this study is to assess whether organisational climate and justice perceptions moderate the relationship between supervisor empowering managerial practises (SEMPs) and employees' behavioural empowerment. Self-report data were gathered from a sample of 358 employees from three service-sector organisations in a cross-sectional study. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that both perceptions of organisational climate and justice interact with SEMPs in the prediction of employees' behavioural empowerment. As expected, SEMPs were more positively related to behavioural empowerment when perceptions of organisational supportive climate and justice were higher.
Patients’ Main Concerns About Having a Sibling Stem Cell Donor – A Grounded Theory Study

Background: There is limited knowledge about the perspective of patients undergoing allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) about having a sibling as donor. It is essential to understand the main concerns of stem cell recipients in order to enable nurses to provide person-centred care. Objectives: The study aim was to explore patients’ main concerns about having a sibling stem cell donor and how the patients handle them, from immediately before until one year after transplantation. Methods: Twenty-eight interviews were performed prospectively during one year with ten adult sibling stem cell recipients with a mean age of 52 years (range 19-68 years). The interviews were analyzed by the Grounded Theory method. Results: The core category Recompensation summarises the process in the generated grounded theory including the three main categories; Invest, Compensate and Celebrate. Recompensation is defined as a lasting compensation given by the recipient to the sibling donor for the loss or harm suffered or effort made. The sense of having to reward, protect, appreciate, maintain peace and work on the relationship with the sibling donor at the same time as having to accept a serious illness, cope with their situation and promote their own recovery is strenuous for the recipients. Conclusion: The main concern for stem cell recipients during their first post-transplant year is to recompensate the sibling donor by investing, compensating and celebrating her/him. Although there is a positive aspect of recompensation, it can also imply pressure and guilt.
Arylation with Unsymmetrical Diaryliodonium Salts: A Chemoselectivity Study

Phenols, anilines, and malonates have been arylated under metal-free conditions with twelve aryl(phenyl)iodonium salts in a systematic chemoselectivity study. A new “anti-ortho effect” has been identified in the arylation of malonates. Several “dummy groups” have been found that give complete chemoselectivity in the transfer of the phenyl moiety, irrespective of the nucleophile. An aryl exchange in the diaryliodonium salts has been observed under certain arylation conditions. DFT calculations have been performed to investigate the reaction mechanism and to elucidate the origins of the observed selectivities. These results are expected to facilitate the design of chiral diaryliodonium salts and the development of catalytic arylation reactions that are based on these sustainable and metal-free reagents.
Formaldehyde measurements by Proton transfer reaction – Mass Spectrometry (PTR-MS): correction for humidity effects

Abstract. Formaldehyde measurements can provide useful information about photochemical activity in ambient air, given that HCHO is formed via numerous oxidation processes. Proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) is an online technique that allows measurement of VOCs at the sub-ppbv level with good time resolution. PTR-MS quantification of HCHO is hampered by the humidity dependence of the instrument sensitivity, with higher humidity leading to loss of PTR-MS signal. In this study we present an analytical, first principles approach to correct the PTR-MS HCHO signal according to the concentration of water vapor in sampled air. The results of the correction are validated by comparison of the PTR-MS results to those from a Hantzsch fluorescence monitor which does not have the same humidity dependence. Results are presented for an intercomparison made during a field campaign in rural Ontario at Environment Canada's Centre for Atmospheric Research Experiments.
Proposal for an Empirical Evaluation of Rotation Capacity of RHS Aluminium Alloy Beams Based on FEM Simulations

The aim of this work is the development of an empirical relationship for evaluating the rotation capacity of RHS aluminium alloy beams, for temper T4 and T6. The proposed relationships are based on the numerical results coming from an extensive parametric analysis performed by means of FE code ABAQUS for different materials, which gain insight into the influence of all the geometrical and mechanical parameters affecting the ultimate behaviour. In particular, the influence of the materials strain hardening, flange slenderness, web stiffness, shape factor and moment gradient the on the plastic behaviour of such beams has been investigated. Successively, by means of monovariate and multivariate non linear regression analyses, empirical relationships are provided in order to predict the rotation capacity of RHS aluminium alloy beams starting from their geometrical and mechanical properties. This paper is focused on this issue.
Causal Interactions between Frontalθ – Parieto-Occipitalα2 Predict Performance on a Mental Arithmetic Task

Many neuroimaging studies have demonstrated the different functional contributions of spatially distinct brain areas to working memory (WM) subsystems in cognitive tasks that demand both local information processing and interregional coordination. In WM cognitive task paradigms employing electroencephalography (EEG), brain rhythms such as θ and α have been linked to specific functional roles over given brain areas, but their functional coupling has not been extensively studied. Here we analyzed an arithmetic task with five cognitive workload levels (CWLs) and demonstrated functional/effective coupling between the two WM subsystems: the central executive located over frontal (F) brain areas that oscillates on the dominant θ rhythm (Frontalθ/Fθ) and the storage buffer located over parieto-occipital (PO) brain areas that operates on the α2 dominant brain rhythm (Parieto-Occipitalα2/POα2). We focused on important differences between and within WM subsystems in relation to behavioral performance. A repertoire of brain connectivity estimators was employed to elucidate the distinct roles of amplitude, phase within and between frequencies, and the hierarchical role of functionally specialized brain areas related to the task. Specifically, for each CWL, we conducted a) a conventional signal power analysis within both frequency bands at Fθ and POα2, b) the intra- and inter-frequency phase interactions between Fθ and POα2, and c) their causal phase and amplitude relationship. We found no significant statistical difference of signal power or phase interactions between correct and wrong answers. Interestingly, the study of causal interactions between Fθ and POα2 revealed frontal brain region(s) as the leader, while the strength differentiated between correct and wrong responses in every CWL with absolute accuracy. Additionally, zero time-lag between bilateral Fθ and right POa2 could serve as an indicator of mental calculation failure. Overall, our study highlights the significant role of coordinated activity between Fθ and POα2 via their causal interactions and the timing for arithmetic performance.
Comparisons between SCIAMACHY atmospheric CO 2 retrieved using (FSI) WFM-DOAS to ground based FTIR data and the TM3 chemistry transport model

Atmospheric CO 2 concentrations, retrieved from spectral measurements made in the near infrared (NIR) by the SCIAMACHY instrument, using Full Spectral Initiation Weighting Function Modified Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (FSI WFM-DOAS), are compared to ground based Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) data and to the output from a global chemistry-transport model. Analysis of the FSI WFM-DOAS retrievals with respect to the ground based FTIR instrument, located at Egbert, Canada, show good agreement with an average negative bias of approximately −4.0% with a standard deviation of 3.0%. This bias which exhibits an apparent seasonal trend, is of unknown origin, though slight differences between the averaging kernels of the instruments and the limited temporal coverage of the FTIR data may be the cause. The relative scatter of the retrieved vertical column densities is larger than the spread of the FTIR measurements. Normalizing the CO 2 columns using the surface pressure does not affect the magnitude of this bias although it slightly decreases the scatter of the FSI data. Comparisons of the FSI retrievals to the TM3 global chemistry-transport model, performed over four selected Northern Hemisphere scenes show reasonable agreement. The correlation, between the time series of the SCIAMACHY and model monthly scene averages, are 0.7 or greater, demonstrating the ability of SCIAMACHY to detect seasonal changes in the CO 2 distribution. The amplitude of the seasonal cycle, peak to peak, observed by SCIAMACHY however, is larger by a factor of 2–3 with respect to the model, which cannot be explained. The yearly means detected by SCIAMACHY are within 2% of those of the model with the mean difference between the CO 2 distributions also approximately 2.0%. Additionally, analysis of the retrieved CO 2 distributions reveals structure not evident in the model fields which correlates well with land classification type. From these comparisons, it is estimated that the overall bias of the CO 2 columns retrieved by the FSI algorithm is <4.0% with the precision of monthly 1°×1° gridded data close to 1.0%.
Lennox-Lombroso Lecture, 2013: Psychiatric Comorbidities through the Life of the Seizure Disorder: A Complex Relation with a Not So Complex Solution

Psychiatric comorbidities are relatively frequent in people with epilepsy, occurring in one of every three patients, with mood and anxiety disorders predominating. They are the expression of a complex interaction between a previous psychiatric history (and/or genetic predisposition for psychiatric disorder), neurobiologic changes associated with the underlying epilepsy, peri-ictal phenomena, iatrogenic and reactive processes. Furthermore, a bidirectional relation between psychiatric disorders and epilepsy has added another level of complexity, while at the same time opening an opportunity of the recognition of potential pathogenic mechanisms that are responsible for the high comorbid occurrence of these disorders. This article highlights the clinical implications of understanding the course of psychiatric comorbidities relative to the onset of the seizure disorder to minimize their risk of recurrence and their interference in the management of the seizure disorder.
Assessment of a quality improvement intervention to strengthen pharmaceutical human resources and improve availability and use of HIV medicines in Uganda

Inadequate medication dispensing and management by healthcare providers can contribute to poor outcomes among HIV-positive patients. Gaps in medication availability, often associated with pharmacy workforce shortages, are an important barrier to retention in HIV care in Uganda. An intervention to address pharmacy staffing constraints through strengthening pharmaceutical management, dispensing practices, and general competencies of facility clinical and pharmacy staff was implemented in 14 facilities in three districts in eastern Uganda. Teams of staff were organised in each facility and supported to apply quality improvement (QI) methods to address deficits in availability and rational use of HIV drugs. To evaluate the intervention, baseline and end line data were collected 24 months apart. Dispensing practices, clinical wellness and adherence to antiretrovirals improved by 45%, 28% and 20% from baseline to end line, respectively. All clients at end line received the medications prescribed, and medications were correctly, completely and legibly labelled more often. Clients better understood when, how much and for how long they were supposed to take their prescribed medicines at end line. Pharmaceutical management practices also improved from baseline in most categories by statistically significant margins. Facilities significantly improved on correctly recording stock information about antiretroviral drugs (53%vs100%, P<0.0001). Coinciding with existing staff taking on pharmaceutical roles, facilities improved management of unwanted and expired drugs, notably by optimising use of existing health workers and making pharmaceutical management processes more efficient. Implementation of this improvement intervention in the 14 facilities appeared to have a positive impact on client outcomes, pharmacy department management and providers’ self-reported knowledge of QI methods. These results were achieved at a cost of about US$5.50 per client receiving HIV services at participating facilities.
Working memory in children with Down syndrome

A group of 4 to 18 year old children with Down syndrome (N=62) was presented with a set of working memory tasks, including auditory and visual serial recall of words; standardised digit span tasks and a rhyme judgement task. The serial recall tasks involved pictures of common objects or the spoken names of these objects and the children had to recall lists which varied on a number of parameters, including word length and the acoustic similarity of the object names. It was found that contrary to expectation the children's performance showed significant effects of word length and acoustic similarity, which are normally taken to indicate phonological storage and speech based rehearsal. These effects were found in both the auditory and visual presentation conditions and for the youngest age group. In addition to this evidence for speech based storage in short-term memory there was also evidence of the children utilising visual information in the serial recall tasks. The results are discussed in terms of working memory operation and the implications for memory remediation strategies in children with Down syndrome.
Assessing and Monitoring Forest Degradation in a Deciduous Tropical Forest in Mexico via Remote Sensing Indicators

Assessing and monitoring forest degradation under national Monitoring, Verification and Reporting (MRV) systems in developing countries have been difficult to implement due to the lack of adequate technical and operational capacities. This study aims at providing methodological options for monitoring forest degradation in developing countries by using freely available remote sensing, forest inventory and ancillary data. We propose using Canopy Cover to separate, through a time series analysis approach using Landsat Imagery, forest areas with changes over time from sectors that report a “stable condition”. Above ground Biomass and Net Primary Productivity derived from remote sensing data were used to define thresholds for areas considered degraded. The approach was tested in a semi-deciduous tropical forest in the Southeast of Mexico. The results showed that higher rates of forest degradation, 1596 to 2865 ha year−1, occur in areas with high population densities. The results also showed that 43% of the forests of the study area remain with no evident signs of degradation, as determined by the indicators used. The approach and procedures followed allowed for the identification and mapping of the temporal and spatial distribution of forest degradation, based on the indicators selected, and they are expected to serve as the basis for operations of the Reduction of Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) initiative in Mexico and other developing countries, provided appropriate adaptations of the methodology are made to the conditions of the area in turn.
Tetanus disease and deaths in men reveal need for vaccination

Abstract With efforts focused on the elimination of maternal and neonatal tetanus, less attention has been given to tetanus incidence and mortality among men. Since 2007 voluntary medical male circumcision has been scaled-up in 14 sub-Saharan African countries as an effective intervention to reduce the risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) acquisition among men. As part of a review of adverse events from these programmes, we identified 13 cases of tetanus from five countries reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) up to March 2016. Eight patients died and only one patient had a known history of tetanus vaccination. Tetanus after voluntary medical male circumcision was rare among more than 11 million procedures conducted. Nevertheless, the cases prompted a review of the evidence on tetanus vaccination coverage and case notifications in sub-Saharan Africa, supplemented by a literature review of non-neonatal tetanus in Africa over the years 2003–2014. The WHO African Region reported the highest number of non-neonatal tetanus cases per million population and lowest historic coverage of tetanus-toxoid-containing vaccine. Coverage of the third dose of diphtheria–tetanus–polio vaccine ranged from 65% to 98% across the 14 countries in 2013. In hospital-based studies, non-neonatal tetanus comprised 0.3–10.7% of admissions, and a median of 71% of patients were men. The identification of tetanus cases following voluntary medical male circumcision highlights a gender gap in tetanus morbidity disproportionately affecting men. Incorporating tetanus vaccination for boys and men into national programmes should be a priority to align with the goal of universal health coverage.
Thermo-Vacuum Modification of Poplar Veneers and its Quality Control

Poplar wood is commonly used for many purposes due to its easy machinability, low density, uniform light colour, and relatively low cost. Here, vacuum thermal treatment is proposed for upgrading veneers in the manufacturing of plywood panels with resulting reduced hygroscopicity, improved durability, and dimensional stability. Thirty-eight batch processes with different treatment conditions (temperature ranging from 150 to 240 °C, time from 0.5 to 22.5 h and pressure from 100 to 1000 mbar) were performed to characterize the influence of process parameters on the product properties. Samples were characterized considering their appearance (colour) and their physical (mass loss and equilibrium moisture content), mechanical (bending strength), and chemical (investigated with near infrared spectroscopy (NIR)) properties. The darkening of poplar veneers and the reduction of mechanical strength were observed with increased treatment time and intensity. Mass loss closely correlated with colour change, resulting from chemical changes in wood components. Principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares (PLS) were used for evaluation of near infrared spectral data. Both were correlated with several technical properties, and thus NIR allowed the simultaneous prediction of several of these properties. Both colour change and NIR could be used to optimize the thermal treatment of poplar veneers at the industrial scale and for real-time statistical process control.