Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Perceptions of positive meaning and vulnerability following breast cancer: Predictors and outcomes among long-term breast cancer survivors

Background: Survival rates for women with early-stage breast cancer have increased significantly in recent years. However, little is known about the long-term impact of the cancer experience on women's psychological functioning. Theoretical and descriptive accounts suggest that cancer may evoke both perceptions of vulnerability and positive meaning, with potentially different effects on mental health.Purpose: This study was designed to evaluate the prevalence and stability of these perceptions in a large sample of breast cancer survivors, to identify their antecedents, and to determine their impact on long-term adjustment.Methods: Breast cancer survivors (N = 763) were assessed longitudinally at 1 to 5 years and 5 to 10 years postdiagnosis. Participants completed surveys assessing perceptions of positive meaning and vulnerability and standard measures of psychological adjustment and quality of life.Results: The majority of women reported positive changes in outlook and priorities as well as feelings of vulnerability at both assessment points. Consistent with hypotheses, results showed that perceptions of positive meaning and vulnerability were positively correlated and were both associated with factors that increased the disruptiveness of the cancer experience. Vulnerability was strongly associated with negative affect, whereas meaning was associated with positive affect in cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses.Conclusions: Results suggest that a cancer diagnosis may lead to enduring feelings of vulnerability as well as positive changes in meaning; however, these perceptions have very different mental health correlates.
The VCG Mechanism for Bayesian Scheduling

We study the problem of scheduling m tasks to n selfish, unrelated machines in order to minimize the makespan, in which the execution times are independent random variables, identical across machines. We show that the VCG mechanism, which myopically allocates each task to its best machine, achieves an approximation ratio of O(ln n ln / ln n). This improves significantly on the previously best known bound of O(m/n) for prior-independent mechanisms, given by Chawla et al. [7] under the additional assumption of Monotone Hazard Rate (MHR) distributions. Although we demonstrate that this is tight in general, if we do maintain the MHR assumption, then we get improved, (small) constant bounds for m ≥ n ln n i.i. d. tasks. We also identify a sufficient condition on the distribution that yields a constant approximation ratio regardless of the number of tasks.
Tailoring Macromolecular Structure of Cationic Polymers towards Efficient Contact Active Antimicrobial Surfaces

The aim of this work is the preparation of contact active antimicrobial films by blending copolymers with quaternary ammonium salts and polyacrylonitrile as matrix material. A series of copolymers based on acrylonitrile and methacrylic monomers with quaternizable groups were designed with the purpose of investigating the influence of their chemical and structural characteristics on the antimicrobial activity of these surfaces. The biocide activity of these systems was studied against different microorganisms, such as the Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and the Gram-negative bacteria Pseudomona aeruginosa and the yeast Candida parapsilosis. The results confirmed that parameters such as flexibility and polarity of the antimicrobial polymers immobilized on the surfaces strongly affect the efficiency against microorganisms. In contrast to the behavior of copolymers in water solution, when they are tethered to the surface, the active cationic groups are less accessible and then, the mobility of the side chain is critical for a good contact with the microorganism. Blend films composed of copolymers with high positive charge density and chain mobility present up to a more than 99.999% killing efficiency against the studied microorganisms.
Relating the Structure of Noise Correlations in Macaque Primary Visual Cortex to Decoder Performance

Noise correlations in neuronal responses can have a strong influence on the information available in large populations. In addition, the structure of noise correlations may have a great impact on the utility of different algorithms to extract this information that may depend on the specific algorithm, and hence may affect our understanding of population codes in the brain. Thus, a better understanding of the structure of noise correlations and their interplay with different readout algorithms is required. Here we use eigendecomposition to investigate the structure of noise correlations in populations of about 50–100 simultaneously recorded neurons in the primary visual cortex of anesthetized monkeys, and we relate this structure to the performance of two common decoders: the population vector and the optimal linear estimator. Our analysis reveals a non-trivial correlation structure, in which the eigenvalue spectrum is composed of several distinct large eigenvalues that represent different shared modes of fluctuation extending over most of the population, and a semi-continuous tail. The largest eigenvalue represents a uniform collective mode of fluctuation. The second and third eigenvalues typically show either a clear functional (i.e., dependent on the preferred orientation of the neurons) or spatial structure (i.e., dependent on the physical position of the neurons). We find that the number of shared modes increases with the population size, being roughly 10% of that size. Furthermore, we find that the noise in each of these collective modes grows linearly with the population. This linear growth of correlated noise power can have limiting effects on the utility of averaging neuronal responses across large populations, depending on the readout. Specifically, the collective modes of fluctuation limit the accuracy of the population vector but not of the optimal linear estimator.
Does genetic testing result in behavioral health change? Changes in smoking behavior following testing for alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency

Background: As genetic testing for health risk becomes increasingly available, it becomes important to study the prospective impact of testing on modifiable health behavior.Purpose: This study examines the impact of genetic testing for alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency, a condition that usually results in emphysema in individuals exposed to cigarette smoke. We evaluated whether AAT testing, performed in the home and with minimal contact (reading materials including advice on cessation), results in quit attempts and abstinence.Methods: Identified smokers (N=199) from a larger study of genetic testing were surveyed 3 months following receipt of their AAT genotype. The primary endpoint was the incidence of quit attempts.Results: Smokers who tested severely AAT deficient were significantly more likely to report a 24-hr quit attempt (59%) than were those who tested normal (26%). Carriers had a 34% quit attempt rate. Severely AAT deficient smokers were more likely than both carriers and normals to seek information on treatment, use pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation, and report greater reductions in their smoking. There were no group differences in 3-month abstinence rates.Conclusions: Knowledge of severe AAT deficiency, but not carrier status, may motivate smokers toward cessation. The AAT testing experience may have consequences for outcomes of other genetic conditions with modifiable health behaviors.
Changing Patterns in Electrical Burn Injuries in a Developing Country: Should Prevention Programs Focus on the Rural Population?

In the developing world, the incidence of electrical injuries has increased in the past few years. This study attempts to identify the causative and demographic risk factors that can help in formulating a targeted prevention program. The study was conducted prospectively and retrospectively from 2004 to 2009. Eighty-four consecutive patients with electrical burn injuries were analyzed for their demographic profile, age, sex, occupation, rural–urban distribution, mode of injury, and place of injury. The patients were asked to fill out a questionnaire regarding their awareness about electrical burn injuries, and the results were tabulated. The age of presentation ranged from 3 to 61 years. The most frequently affected age group was the second decade of life (33.3%). Of 84 patients studied, 71 were male and 13 female. Fifty-nine patients were from the urban area, while 25 were from the surrounding rural area. Students including children and adolescents were the most common affected single group (22.5%). Contact with live wire or contact with an object that was in contact with a live wire (secondary contact) accounted for 43 of 84 cases (51%). Home was the most common location where injury occurred (51.2%). Twenty-one of 59 cases (35.6%) reported from the urban area and 3 of 25 cases (12%) from the rural area had specific knowledge about prevention of electrical burn injury. Forty-one patients (69.4%) from the urban area and 22 (88%) from the rural area believed that adequate information regarding electrical burn injury was not available. Thirty-six patients (61%) from the urban area and 24 (96%) from the rural area believed that they would have behaved differently if the information had been available. The authors recommend that prevention programs should be modified to cater to the specific needs of the younger age groups and the rural population.
Nitrate in drinking water and risk of colorectal cancer in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

ABSTRACT Nitrate concentration in well water in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, and its surroundings tended to increase rapidly from time to time, and it may be associated with an elevated risk for several types of cancer. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between nitrate in drinking water and colorectal cancer (CRC) risk occurrence. A case-control study was conducted in Yogyakarta Special Province. Pathologically confirmed 75 CRC patients and 75 controls were consulted and their individual well water was sampled and examined for nitrate concentrations. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to establish the association between nitrate and CRC risk development. There was a significant correlation between nitrate in drinking water and CRC occurrence, and this value was relatively stable after being adjusted for protein intake, smoking history, age, and family history of cancer. These findings demonstrated that the risk of CRC development was fourfold among those with >10 years of nitrate exposure from well water compared with those with ≤10 years of nitrate exposure. Consequently, a significant association between nitrate in drinking water and occurrence of CRC in Yogyakarta was established.
Operationalising the health aspects of sustainable diets: a review

Abstract Objective Shifting towards a more sustainable food consumption pattern is an important strategy to mitigate climate change. In the past decade, various studies have optimised environmentally sustainable diets using different methodological approaches. The aim of the present review was to categorise and summarise the different approaches to operationalise the health aspects of environmentally sustainable diets. Design Conventional keyword and reference searches were conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Knowledge and CAB Abstracts. Inclusion criteria were: (i) English-language publication; (ii) published between 2005 and October 2015; (iii) dietary data collected for the diet as a whole at the national, household or individual level; (iv) comparison of the current diet with dietary scenarios; and (v) for results to consider the health aspect in some way. Setting Consumer diets. Subjects Adult population. Results We reviewed forty-nine studies that combined the health and environmental aspects of consumer diets. Hereby, five approaches to operationalise the health aspect of the diet were identified: (i) food item replacements; (ii) dietary guidelines; (iii) dietary quality scores; (iv) diet modelling techniques; and (v) diet-related health impact analysis. Conclusions Although the sustainability concept is increasingly popular and widely advocated by nutritional and environmental scientists, the journey towards designing sustainable diets for consumers has only just begun. In the context of operationalising the health aspects, diet modelling might be considered the preferred approach since it captures the complexity of the diet as a whole. For the future, we propose SHARP diets: environmentally Sustainable (S), Healthy (H), Affordable (A), Reliable (R) and Preferred from the consumer’s perspective (P).
Epidermal Permeability Barrier Recovery Is Delayed in Vitiligo-Involved Sites

Background/Objectives: Prior studies have demonstrated that both the skin surface pH and epidermal permeability barrier function vary with skin pigmentation types. Although melanin deficiency is the main feature of vitiligo, alterations in cutaneous biophysical properties in vitiligo have not yet been well defined. In the present study, stratum corneum (SC) hydration, the skin surface pH and epidermal permeability barrier function in vitiligo were evaluated. Methods: A total of 30 volunteers with vitiligo comprising 19 males and 11 females aged 13–51 years (mean age: 27.91 ± 2.06 years) were enrolled in this study. The skin surface pH, SC hydration, melanin/erythema index and transepidermal water loss (TEWL) were measured by respective probes connected to a Courage-Khazaka MPA5. SC integrity was determined by measuring the TEWL following each D-Squame application. The barrier recovery rate was assessed at 5 h following barrier disruption by repeated tape stripping. Results: In addition to SC hydration, both melanin and erythema index were significantly lower in vitiligo lesions than in contralateral, nonlesional sites, while no difference in skin surface pH between vitiligo-involved and uninvolved areas was observed. In addition, neither the basal TEWL nor SC integrity in the involved areas differed significantly from that in the uninvolved areas. However, barrier recovery in vitiligo-involved sites was significantly delayed in comparison with uninvolved sites (40.83 ± 5.39% vs. 58.30 ± 4.71%; t = 2.441; p < 0.02). Conclusion: Barrier recovery following tape stripping of the SC is delayed in vitiligo. Therefore, improvement in epidermal permeability barrier function may be an important unrecognized factor to be considered in treating patients with vitiligo.
Efficient Analytical Calculation of Non-Line-of-Sight Channel Impulse Response in Visible Light Communications

This study provides an analytical method to calculate the non-line-of-sight (NLoS) channel impulse response (CIR) in visible light communication (VLC) systems based on intensity modulation and direct detection (IM/DD). In this method, the NLoS channel is decomposed into a number of components with different propagation categories. These propagation categories are defined according to the number of reflections and the reflective surfaces that the light undergoes. The CIR corresponding to each light propagation category is analysed and the overall NLoS CIR is approximated by the combination of the calculated CIR components in different propagation categories. The proposed method has the major advantage of offering accurate results with very low computational complexity. Typically, a NLoS CIR with a time resolution of 0.1 ns can be generated within a second in MATLAB. Furthermore, the analytical results derived herein could be used as an analytical tool for the VLC channel characterisation study in future research.
How do we manage blood donors and recipients after a positive Zika screening result?

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito‐borne flavivirus that is the focus of an ongoing pandemic. ZIKV is notable for its severe neurologic sequelae in babies born to infected mothers. High rates of subclinical infection, as evidenced by the finding of ZIKV RNA in asymptomatic donors, raise concerns of risk to the blood supply. To date, a total of four suspected cases of transfusion‐transmitted ZIKV have been reported (all in Brazil), none of which were associated with clinical infection in the transfusion recipients. In 2016, the US Food and Drug Administration issued a guidance mandating national blood donor screening for ZIKV in the United States. Five days after implementation of donor screening at our facility, we encountered a ZIKV‐positive donor. We provide a practical approach to donor, recipient, and blood product management in the setting of a positive donor ZIKV result. Such has been informed by the challenges we faced in the workup of a ZIKV‐reactive donation and recipient lookback.
Long-term immunologic and virologic responses on raltegravir-containing regimens among ART-experienced participants in the HIV Outpatient Study

Abstract Objectives: Raltegravir (RAL)-containing antiretroviral therapy (ART) produced better immunologic and virologic responses than optimized background ART in clinical trials of heavily ART-experienced patients, but few data exist on long-term outcomes in routine HIV care. Methods: We studied ART-experienced HIV outpatient study (HOPS) participants seen at 10 US HIV-specialty clinics during 2007–2011.We identified patients who started (baseline date) either continuous ≥ 30 days of RAL-containing or RAL-sparing ART, and used propensity score (PS) matching methods to account for baseline clinical and demographic differences. We used Kaplan–Meier methods and log-rank tests for the matched subsets to evaluate probability of death, achieving HIV RNA < 50 copies/ml, and CD4 cell count (CD4) increase of ≥ 50 cells mm− 3 during follow-up. Results: Among 784 RAL-exposed and 1062 RAL-unexposed patients, 472 from each group were matched by PS. At baseline, the 472 RAL-exposed patients (mean nadir CD4, 205 cells mm− 3; mean baseline CD4, 460 cells mm− 3; HIV RNA < 50 copies ml− 1 in 61%; mean years on prescribed ART, 7.5) were similar to RAL unexposed. During a mean follow-up of over 3 years, mortality rates and immunologic and virologic trajectories did not differ between the two groups. Among patients with detectable baseline HIV RNA levels, 76% of RAL-exposed and 63% of RAL-unexposed achieved HIV RNA < 50 copies ml− 1 (P = 0.51); 69 and 58%, respectively, achieved a CD4 increase ≥ 50 cells mm− 3 (P = 0.70). Discussion: In our large cohort of US ART-experienced patients with a wide spectrum of clinical history, similar outcomes were observed when prescribed RAL containing versus other contemporary ART.
A New and Simple Meshless LBIE-RBF Numerical Scheme in Linear Elasticity

A new meshless Local Boundary Integral Equation (LBIE) method for solving two-dimensional elastostatic problems is proposed. Randomly distributed points without any connectivity requirement cover the analyzed domain and Local Radial Basis Functions (LRBFs) are employed for the meshless interpolation of displacements. For each point a circular support domain is centered and a local integral representation for displacements is considered. At the local circular boundaries tractions are eliminated with the aid of companion solution, while at the intersections between the local domains and the global boundary displacements and tractions are treated as independent variables avoiding thus derivatives of LRBFs. Stresses are evaluated with high accuracy and without derivatives of LRBFs via a LBIE valid for stresses. All the integrations are performed quickly and economically and in a way that renders the extension of the method to three-dimensional problems straightforward. Six representative numerical examples that demonstrate the accuracy of the proposed methodology are provided.
Intraoperative Completion Studies, Local Anesthesia, and Antiplatelet Medication Are Associated With Lower Risk in Carotid Endarterectomy

Background and Purpose— In Germany, all surgical and endovascular procedures on the carotid bifurcation must be documented in a statutory nationwide quality assurance database. We aimed to analyze the association between procedural and perioperative variables and in-hospital stroke or death rates after carotid endarterectomy. Methods— Between 2009 and 2014, overall 142 074 elective carotid endarterectomy procedures for asymptomatic or symptomatic carotid artery stenosis were documented in the database. The primary outcome of this secondary data analysis was in-hospital stroke or death. Major stroke or death, stroke, and death, each until discharge were secondary outcomes. Adjusted relative risks (RRs) were assessed by multivariable multilevel regression analyses. Results— The primary outcome occurred in 1.8% of patients, with a rate of 1.4% in asymptomatic and 2.5% in symptomatic patients, respectively. In the multivariable analysis, lower risks of stroke or death were independently associated with local anesthesia (versus general anesthesia: RR, 0.85; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.75–0.95), carotid endarterectomy with patch plasty compared with primary closure (RR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.52–0.97), intraoperative completion studies by duplex ultrasound (RR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.63–0.88) or angiography (RR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.71–0.90), and perioperative antiplatelet medication (RR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.71–0.97). No shunting and a short cross-clamp time were also associated with lower risks; however, these are suspected to be confounded. Conclusions— Local anesthesia, patch plasty compared with primary closure, intraoperative completion studies by duplex ultrasound or angiography, and perioperative antiplatelet medication were independently associated with lower in-hospital stroke or death rates after carotid endarterectomy.
Rehabilitation of Speech and Swallowing After Burns Reconstructive Surgery of the Lips and Nose

Rehabilitation of speech and swallowing postburns reconstructive surgery has not been previously described in detail in the literature. Severe facial burn injury requiring subsequent reconstructive surgery may result in complications including circumoral contracture and aesthetic and functional irregularities. These complications may manifest as facial and labial sensation deficits, poor oral access for intubation and oral/dental hygiene, and inadequate oral competence causing chronic drooling and poor articulation. This report describes the physical rehabilitation of a patient with full-thickness burns to the nose, lips, mouth, and chin following electrical burn injury. The severity of injury sustained placed the patient at high risk for microstomia, dysphagia, and speech disorder. A multidisciplinary team approach was used to coordinate the planning of reconstructive procedures, facilitate patient recovery, and optimize functional and aesthetic outcomes. Speech pathology intervention aimed to 1) facilitate safe transition from nonoral to oral intake, 2) improve articulation and speech intelligibility, and 3) minimize oral contracture development. At 6 months postinjury, the patient can safely tolerate a soft diet, demonstrate speech clarity at preinjury level, and has recovered functional oral range of movement. Rehabilitation of speech and swallowing is an essential factor to consider when planning postburn reconstructive procedures.