Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect Size Guidelines, Sample Size Calculations, and Statistical Power in Gerontology

Abstract Background and Objectives Researchers typically use Cohen’s guidelines of Pearson’s r = . 10, . 30, and . 50, and Cohen’s d = 0.20, 0.50, and 0.80 to interpret observed effect sizes as small, medium, or large, respectively. However, these guidelines were not based on quantitative estimates and are only recommended if field-specific estimates are unknown. This study investigated the distribution of effect sizes in both individual differences research and group differences research in gerontology to provide estimates of effect sizes in the field. Research Design and Methods Effect sizes (Pearson’s r, Cohen’s d, and Hedges’ g) were extracted from meta-analyses published in 10 top-ranked gerontology journals. The 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile ranks were calculated for Pearson’s r (individual differences) and Cohen’s d or Hedges’ g (group differences) values as indicators of small, medium, and large effects. A priori power analyses were conducted for sample size calculations given the observed effect size estimates. Results Effect sizes of Pearson’s r = . 12, . 20, and . 32 for individual differences research and Hedges’ g = 0.16, 0.38, and 0.76 for group differences research were interpreted as small, medium, and large effects in gerontology. Discussion and Implications Cohen’s guidelines appear to overestimate effect sizes in gerontology. Researchers are encouraged to use Pearson’s r = . 10, . 20, and . 30, and Cohen’s d or Hedges’ g = 0.15, 0.40, and 0.75 to interpret small, medium, and large effects in gerontology, and recruit larger samples.
Syphilis Reactivates Latent Epstein-Barr Virus Reservoir via Toll-Like Receptor 2 and B-Cell Receptor Activation

Abstract Latent Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection can clinically reactivate in immunosuppressed individuals causing lymphoproliferative disease and rarely hepatitis. In this study, we provide in vivo and in vitro evidence that Treponema pallidum infection can cause EBV reactivation with hepatitis in an immunocompetent patient. We report the diagnostic challenges and immunological findings of coinciding syphilis and EBV-associated hepatitis. Using an in vitro EBV-reactivation assay, we demonstrate that T pallidum reactivates latent EBV in a Toll-like receptor (TLR)2/B-cell receptor signaling-dependent manner. Epstein-Barr virus-associated reactivation or lymphoproliferation should be considered in infections with pathogens that activate TLR2.
Alcohol abuse in subjects developing or not developing posttraumatic stress disorder after trauma exposure

Background and Objectives: The complex relation between trauma and alcohol abuse is still far to be recognized. Traumatic experiences can prompt and facilitate an excessive use of alcohol. On the other hand, alcohol use may increase the possibility to be involved in traumatic events or reduce post-trauma resilience. This study aimed to explore alcohol use and abuse in a sample of traumatized participants, with or without posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Methods: Thirty-five outpatients with a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) diagnosis of PTSD and 35 outpatients with trauma exposure who did not develop PTSD were recruited. The clinical assessment of the participants comprised the following scales: The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale, and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Results: Correlation analysis conducted on all participants showed a significant positive correlation between the AUDIT score and trauma load. When considering the two groups separately, the same correlation reached statistical significance in the PTSD group only. Analysis of beta-coefficients of regressions confirmed a significant influence of trauma load on the AUDIT score. Conclusion: A greater use of alcohol significantly correlated with trauma load only in the PTSD group. This data indicates that trauma itself is not sufficient to determine drinking problems, whereas PTSD symptoms may lead to alcohol use. A circular relation, rather than a linear one, can therefore be considered when traumatic experiences and alcohol use are taken into account. Specifically, traumatic experiences could cause the PTSD development, which could, in turn, lead to alcohol use or abuse as a self-medication. Such outcome could develop in alcohol use disorder that, circularly, enhances the risk of traumatic experiences. Hence, in the clinical evaluation of PTSD patients, a deep investigation of drinking patterns is highly recommended.
Antibiotic susceptibility profile of uropathogens in rural population of Himachal Pradesh, India: Where We are heading?

Background: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most common infectious diseases at the community level. To assess the adequacy of the empirical therapy, the prevalence and the resistance pattern of the main bacteria responsible for UTI in the rural community of Himachal Pradesh (HP) was evaluated. Methods: In this retrospective study, all urine samples from patients of the District of Solan, in HP, collected at the Department of Microbiology, Maharishi Markandeshwar Medical College and Hospital during 2014–15 were analyzed. Samples with more than 105 CFU/mL bacteria were considered positive, and for these samples, the bacteria were identified, and the profile of antibiotic susceptibility was characterized. Results: A retrospective analysis of 1878 urine samples over 2-year period at a teaching hospital was carried out according to the standard protocol of urinalysis. The results were processed to obtain the profile prevalence of UTI, the rate of bacterial resistance to antibiotics, the trend of their evolution over time, and the rate of multidrug resistance. Conclusion: Escherichia coli was the most common uropathogen. Amikacin and piperacillin/tazobactam were the most effective antibiotics against uropathogens.
Locally Testable Non-Malleable Codes ∗

In this work we adapt the notion of non-malleability for codes of Dziembowski, Pietrzak and Wichs (ICS 2010) to locally testable codes. Roughly speaking, a locally testable code is non-malleable if any tampered codeword which passes the local test with good probability is close to a valid codeword which either encodes the original, or an unrelated message. We instantiate our deﬁnition by proving that a Reed-Muller-type code is non-malleable in the following sense: any adversary who independently tampers the coordinates of the code so that the tampered code passes the test with good probability, is tampering the underlying polynomial according to an afﬁne transformation. To the best of our knowledge, prior to this work, polynomial codes were not known to possess any non-malleability guarantees. Our analysis builds on the sampler-based decoding techniques common to several recent works. As an additional contribution, we describe a new (standard) non-malleable code against afﬁne tampering which is much simpler than prior constructions, and achieves better parameters. Finally, we prove a composition theorem for locally testable non-malleable codes which allows for obtaining codes via concatenation.
Logistic and Economical Preconditions for Production of Pellets From Sawdust

Abstract The objective of the paper was to determine the costs of production and production effectiveness of pellets made of sawdust and characteristics of logistics of raw material carriage and distribution of pellets. The scope of the paper covered the research carried out in the branch of DREWEX company located in Chotelek town (Świętokrzyskie voivodeship, Province of Busko Zdrój). Unit costs of pellets production were: 513.4 PLN∙t−1 for option 1, 423.3 PLN∙t−1 for option 2 and 393.3 PLN∙t−1 for option 3. The most favourable was option 3 when the pellets were produced on the technology line in the 3-shift system day and night. The average distance to seven cities from which sawdust was delivered was 43.6 km and the distance to which production was distributed to ten cities was on average 105.5 km.
I’ve heard that one before: Phonetic reduction in speech production as a possible contributing factor in perceptual illusory vowel effects

Abstract This study probed the relationship between productive phonotactic repair and speech production, by asking whether the natural variability found in speech, through phonetic reduction, may include apparent illicit sequences requiring repair, even though the target words are licit. Spanish productively repairs word-initial /s/-consonant clusters (#sC) with a prothetic [e] in both production and perception. We asked whether the initial vowel in Spanish #VsC words like espalda ‘back’ is prone to reduction, and whether or not /e/, which matches the default repair vowel, is more susceptible to reduction than other vowels (e.g. in aspirina ‘aspirin’) due to its predictability. We explore these hypotheses in the speech of 11 speakers of Andalusian Spanish who produced #VsC words in isolation. Initial vowels showed lower intensity, greater devoicing, and less modal voicing compared to control #pVs-initial words, and initial /e, i, o/ were occasionally deleted, leading to the occurrence of apparently illicit sequences in actual speech, e.g. espalda produced as [spalda]. However, evidence that the default vowel, [e], was reduced more than other vowels was weak. These results suggest that variation in speech may contribute to the well-known illusory vowel effects, where listeners perceive illicit sequences as though the repair vowel had been present.
Risk Tolerance, Legitimacy, and Perspective: Navigating Biases in Social Enterprise Evaluations

Abstract Social enterprises viewed as viable from societal perspectives are often regarded differently from traditional business perspectives. To examine this difference, we undertook two empirical studies of risk tolerance and legitimacy perceptions among observers of social enterprise and for-profit ventures. In Study 1, participants (n = 115) drawn randomly from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk, an online crowdsourcing marketplace for human intelligence tasks, examined two hypothetical cases and completed the risk tolerance scale of the Jackson Personality Inventory. Results show that social enterprises were seen as having lower industry legitimacy, especially by individuals with lower risk tolerance. Here, industry legitimacy mediated the effect of venture purpose on cognitive legitimacy. In Study 2, practicing entrepreneurs (n = 23) narratively interpreted Study 1 results from social enterprise and traditional business perspectives. Both studies demonstrate that social enterprise legitimacy evaluations vary based on risk tolerance and the type of legitimacy in question. Overall findings show that explicit observations of risk tolerance effects, and multidimensional conceptualizations of legitimacy, are important to accurate evaluations of social enterprises.
Connecting Correction Methods for Linkage Error in Capture-Recapture

Abstract A commonly known problem in population size estimation using registers, is that registers do not necessarily cover the whole population. This may be because they intend to cover part of the population (e.g., students), due to administrative delay or because part of the target population is not registered by default (e.g., illegal persons). One of the methods to estimate the population size in the presence of undercount is the capture-recapture method that combines the information of two or more samples. In the context of census estimation registers are used instead of samples. However, the method assumes that perfect linkage between the registers can be achieved. It is known that this assumption is often violated. In the setting of evaluating the population coverage of a census using a post-enumeration survey, a correction for linkage error was proposed. That correction was later generalized by relaxing some of the newly introduced conditions. However, the new correction method still implicitly assumed that the two registers are of equal size. We introduce a further generalization that includes both previously mentioned correction methods and at the same time deals with registers of different sizes. Specific parameter settings will correspond to the different correction methods. We show that the parameters of each method can be chosen such that the resulting estimates all equal the traditional Petersen estimate (1896) that would theoretically be obtained under truly perfect linkage.
Assessing the Validity of the Qualistar Early Learning Quality Rating and Improvement System as a Tool for Improving Child-Care Quality

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An Ethical Analysis of Contemporary Healthcare Practices and Issues

An Ethical Analysis of Contemporary Healthcare Practices and Issues Gerald Mark Breen M.A. University of Central Florida, gbreen@mail.ucf. edu Michael Loyal M.A. University of Central Florida, mloyalmktg@aol.com Vanessa Littleton R.N. University of Central Florida, vlollittleton@aol.com Binyam Seblega M.B.A. University of Central Florida, binyamkassa@yahoo.com Seung Chun Paek M.S. University of Central Florida, spaek@mail.ucf. edu
Macroprudential Policies and Economic Growth

Abstract In this paper we assess the effectiveness of macroprudential policies in ensuring a sustainable contribution of the financial sector to economic growth. Our results sustain that macroprudential policies have beneficial effects on economic growth, expressed by the GDP per capita growth rate. Macroprudential policies, adopted to strengthen the resilience of the financial system and decrease the buildup of systemic risks, contribute to the economic growth by assuring a stable financial system, and, therefore, a healthier financial-macro relationship. Macroprudential policies that target financial institutions have greater impact on real economy compared with borrower-related macroprudential policies.
Plasma Apolipoprotein E Monomer and Dimer Profile and Relevance to Alzheimer's Disease.

The APOEɛ4 gene variant is the strongest genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), whereas APOEɛ3 conventionally is considered as 'risk neutral' although APOEɛ3-carriers also develop AD. Previous studies have shown that the apolipoprotein E3 (apoE3) isoform occurs as monomers, homodimers, and heterodimers with apolipoprotein A-II in human body fluids and brain tissue, but the relevance of a plasma apoE3 monomer/dimer profile to AD is unknown. Here we assessed the distribution of monomers, homodimers, and heterodimers in plasma from control subjects and patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD with either a homozygous APOEɛ3 (n = 31 control subjects, and n = 14 MCI versus n = 5 AD patients) or APOEɛ4 genotype (n = 1 control subject, n = 21 MCI and n = 7 AD patients). Total plasma apoE levels were lower in APOEɛ4-carriers and overall correlated significantly to CSF Aβ42, p(Thr181)-tau, and t-tau levels. Apolipoprotein E dimers were only observed in the APOEɛ3-carriers and associated with total plasma apoE levels, negatively correlated to apoE monomers, but unrelated to plasma homocysteine levels. Importantly, the APOEɛ3-carrying AD patients versus controls exhibited a significant decrease in apoE homodimers (17.8±9.6% versus 26.7±6.3%, p = 0.025) paralleled by an increase in apoE monomers (67.8±18.3% versus 48.5±11.2%, p = 0.008). In the controls, apoE monomers and heterodimers were significantly associated with plasma triglycerides; the apoE heterodimers were also associated with levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The physiological relevance of apoE dimer formation needs to be further investigated, though the distribution of apoE in monomers and dimers appears to be of relevance to AD in APOEɛ3 subjects.
Epidemiology of Mycoplasma pneumoniae prevalence in Iranian patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction. Mycoplasma pneumoniae is regarded as the important infectious agent of acute respiratory infections (ARIs) in the world. However, there is little knowledge about the prevalence of M. pneumoniae in Iran. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of M. pneumoniae in Iran through a meta-analysis of included studies.Methods. A systematic search was done by using electronic databases from papers that were published by Iranian authors to the end of February 2019. Then, 12 publications, which met our inclusion criteria, were enrolled for data extraction and analysis by using the 'metaprop program' in stata version 14.0. Results. The pooled prevalence of M. pneumoniae was 9 % (95 % confidence intervals: 5-16 %) ranging from 1 to 26 %. There was a significant heterogeneity among the 12 studies (X2=128.29; P<0.001; I 2=91.43 %). The funnel plot for publication bias showed no evidence of asymmetry.Conclusions. The frequency of M. pneumoniae in Iran is comparable with other parts of the world. Although the overall prevalence of M. pneumoniae was low, awareness about the distribution of these agent is very important because of higher infection rates in susceptible groups. In addition, these results showed the rates of M. pneumoniae had variation based on location, type of infection and sample, gender and detection rate and there was evidence of publication bias.
Treatment response after 6 and 26 weeks is related to baseline glutamate and GABA levels in antipsychotic-naïve patients with psychosis

Abstract Background Poor response to dopaminergic antipsychotics constitutes a major challenge in the treatment of psychotic disorders and markers for non-response during first-episode are warranted. Previous studies have found increased levels of glutamate and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in non-responding first-episode patients compared to responders, but it is unknown if non-responders can be identified using reference levels from healthy controls (HCs). Methods Thirty-nine antipsychotic-naïve patients with first-episode psychosis and 36 matched HCs underwent repeated assessments with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale and 3T magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Glutamate scaled to total creatine (/Cr) was measured in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and left thalamus, and levels of GABA/Cr were measured in ACC. After 6 weeks, we re-examined 32 patients on aripiprazole monotherapy and 35 HCs, and after 26 weeks we re-examined 30 patients on naturalistic antipsychotic treatment and 32 HCs. The Andreasen criteria defined non-response. Results Before treatment, thalamic glutamate/Cr was higher in the whole group of patients but levels normalized after treatment. ACC levels of glutamate/Cr and GABA/Cr were lower at all assessments and unaffected by treatment. When compared with HCs, non-responders at week 6 (19 patients) and week 26 (16 patients) had higher baseline glutamate/Cr in the thalamus. Moreover, non-responders at 26 weeks had lower baseline GABA/Cr in ACC. Baseline levels in responders and HCs did not differ. Conclusion Glutamatergic and GABAergic abnormalities in antipsychotic-naïve patients appear driven by non-responders to antipsychotic treatment. If replicated, normative reference levels for glutamate and GABA may aid estimation of clinical prognosis in first-episode psychosis patients.
Frequency, Risk Factors, Causes, and Consequences of Diagnostic Errors in Critically Ill Medical Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE Diagnostic errors are a source of significant morbidity and mortality but understudied in the critically ill. We sought to characterize the frequency, causes, consequences, and risk factors of diagnostic errors among unplanned ICU admissions. DESIGN We conducted a retrospective cohort study of randomly selected nonsurgical ICU admissions between July 2015 and June 2016. SETTING Medical ICU at a tertiary academic medical center. SUBJECTS Critically ill adults with unplanned admission to the medical ICU. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS The primary investigator reviewed patient records using a modified version of the Safer Dx instrument, a validated instrument for detecting diagnostic error. Two intensivists performed secondary reviews of possible errors, and reviewers met periodically to adjudicate errors by consensus. For each confirmed error, we judged harm on a 1-6 rating scale. We also collected detailed demographic and clinical data for each patient. We analyzed 256 unplanned ICU admissions and identified 18 diagnostic errors (7% of admissions). All errors were associated with harm, and only six errors (33%) were recognized by the ICU team within the first 24 hours. More women than men experienced a diagnostic error (11.7% vs 2.7%; p = 0.015, χ test). On multivariable logistic regression analysis, female sex remained independently associated with risk of diagnostic error both at admission (odds ratio, 5.18; 95% CI, 1.34-20.08) and at 24 hours (odds ratio, 11.6; 95% CI, 1.37-98.6). Similarly, Quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score greater than or equal to 2 at admission was independently associated with diagnostic error (odds ratio, 5.73; 95% CI, 1.72-19.01). CONCLUSIONS Diagnostic errors may be an underappreciated source of ICU-related harm. Women and higher acuity patients appear to be at increased risk for such errors. Further research is merited to define the scope of error-associated harm and to clarify risk factors for diagnostic errors among the critically ill.
Love, Intimacy and Sexuality in Residential Dementia Care: A Client Perspective

ABSTRACT Objectives: Residential care facility (RCF) residents with dementia are highly dependent on care. This can influence their experience of intimacy and sexuality. The perspective of residents and their spouses with regard to love, intimacy, and sexuality were explored and analyzed. Methods: The study was designed using the IPA methodology. Eight in-depth interviews were held with 12 participants: four couples and four individual residents with dementia. Results: Varied stories were shared; however, dementia had a great impact on all of them. Love, intimacy, and being together were considered fundamentally important by both couples and individual participants, although profound dilemmas were encountered. While only one couple experienced physical sexuality within the RCF, other participants reported that love and being intimate were the most important aspects of their current relationship. Regarding the possibility of fulfilling their needs within the RCF, a secure feeling of privacy was considered to be important, but was absent at the time of the survey. Conclusions: Although challenging to appropriately facilitate at RCFs, love, intimacy, and sexuality are still important aspects for residents with dementia and their spouses. Clinical implications: This study addresses these dilemmas and ads to the normalization of love, intimacy, and sexuality within RCF settings; the findings will hopefully improve the wellbeing of residents with dementia and that of their spouses.