Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A randomized, controlled proof-of-concept trial of an Internet-based, therapist-assisted self-management treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder.

OBJECTIVE The authors report an 8-week randomized, controlled proof-of-concept trial of a new therapist-assisted, Internet-based, self-management cognitive behavior therapy versus Internet-based supportive counseling for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). METHOD Service members with PTSD from the attack on the Pentagon on September 11th or the Iraq War were randomly assigned to self-management cognitive behavior therapy (N=24) or supportive counseling (N=21). RESULTS The dropout rate was similar to regular cognitive behavior therapy (30%) and unrelated to treatment arm. In the intent-to-treat group, self-management cognitive behavior therapy led to sharper declines in daily log-on ratings of PTSD symptoms and global depression. In the completer group, self-management cognitive behavior therapy led to greater reductions in PTSD, depression, and anxiety scores at 6 months. One-third of those who completed self-management cognitive behavior therapy achieved high-end state functioning at 6 months. CONCLUSIONS Self-management cognitive behavior therapy may be a way of delivering effective treatment to large numbers with unmet needs and barriers to care.
Cut-offs for screening prolonged QT intervals from Fridericia's formula in children and adolescents.

BACKGROUND The corrected QT interval (QTc) according to Bazett's formula (QTc = QT/RR(1/2)) has been used in clinical practice. Bazett's formula, however, overcorrects the QT interval at fast heart rates and undercorrects it at low heart rates. Guidelines and some investigators have recommended using Fridericia's formula (QTc = QT/RR(1/3)) in these cases, especially in tachycardic subjects. The aim of the present study was to determine cut-offs for QTc suitable for screening pediatric subjects with prolonged QT intervals, based on manually measured values corrected by Fridericia's formula in a large number of subjects. METHODS AND RESULTS Three consecutive QT and RR intervals were measured in 4,655, 4,655, and 5,273 1st, 7th, and 10th graders, aged 6, 12, and 15 years, respectively. Each QT interval was corrected by Fridericia's formula, and mean values were calculated. Determination of the cut-offs for screening was based on the prevalence of abnormal electrocardiographic phenotypes of 1:1,164 and on the upper 0.025 percentile in the QTc distribution derived from previous studies. The tentative cut-offs suitable for screening subjects with prolonged QT intervals were 430 ms for 1st graders, 445 ms for 7th graders, and 440 and 455 ms for 10th grade boys and girls, respectively. CONCLUSIONS These tentative cut-offs can be used to screen subjects with prolonged QT intervals in the clinical setting. Further studies are needed to confirm their validity.
Plasma carotenoid concentrations are inversely correlated with fat mass in older women.

The relationship between body composition, as measured by body mass index and bioelectrical impedance analysis, and baseline plasma carotenoid concentrations was determined in 36 healthy younger (20-40 y) and older (60-80 y) men and women (nine per group). Changes in plasma carotenoid concentrations after 15 d of consuming a controlled high-carotenoid diet were also correlated with body composition (p<0.05). Older women, who had highest percentage of body fat (38%) among the four groups, showed significant and inverse correlations between body composition (defined by body mass index, percentage of body fat, fat mass and fat free mass) and baseline plasma carotenoid concentrations. Younger women, who had 29% percent body fat, showed a significant and inverse correlation only between body mass index and plasma beta-carotene. However, younger and older men, who had lower percentages of body fat (23% and 22%, respectively), did not show any correlation between body composition measures and baseline plasma carotenoid concentrations. The increases of plasma concentrations of alpha-carotene and beta-carotene after 15 d of consuming a high-carotenoid diet were significantly and inversely associated with percentage of body fat and fat mass in older women only. Thus, fat mass appears to influence serum carotenoid concentrations in only certain subjects (i.e. older women) who have relatively high percentage of body fat.
Asset returns and financial intermediary leverage : an emprical analysis

In this paper the result of Adrian, Etula, and Muir (2014) is reexamined. They propose a model with financial intermediary leverage that is able to price a set of portfolios remarkably well. In this paper the model is estimated with different portfolios as test assets. This is done to account for recent critiques of the use of size and book-to-market sorted portfolios as test assets. This paper uses two new sets of portfolios, industry portfolios and portfolios sorted on size and pre-formation leverage beta. The proposed model with financial intermediaries is not able to explain the variation of cross-sectional average returns on the two new sets of portfolios. JEL-Classification: G12
A 4, 2, and 1 stepping algorithm for quick and accurate estimation of cutaneous sensation threshold

In quantitative sensory testing, certain methods may lead to incorrect estimates of vibratory (VDT), cool (CDT), or warm (WDT) detection thresholds. We have shown that the specific forced-choice algorithm of testing employed in our Computer-Assisted Sensory Examination (CASE IV) system, when compared with other tests of nerve dysfunction, provides accurate and reproducible estimates of these thresholds. Because this forced-choice algorithm is time consuming and performance might be made worse by drowsiness or boredom, we explored other algorithms that might provide estimates of threshold similar to those obtained with the forced-choice algorithm, but more quickly. In a trial of 25 healthy subjects and 25 patients with neuropathy, the 4, 2, and 1 stepping algorithm with null stimuli, based in part on comparative data from computer simulation and insights from patient decision making, provides an accurate estimate of threshold. On average, the time needed for forced-choice testing was 12.8 ± 2.9 minutes (mean ± SD). For 4, 2, and 1 stepping testing, it was 2.7 ± 2.5 minutes—a large saving of time. Since null stimuli were employed in the 4, 2, and 1 stepping algorithm, it was possible to monitor for spurious responses and repeat the test if they occurred at an excessive rate. The algorithm appears to be sufficiently robust to be recommended for clinical use and for some controlled clinical and epidemiologic trials.
Changes in the value implications of compensation costs throughout the economic cycle: an examination of high-tech versus low-tech industries

This study explores whether and how the value implications of compensation costs change throughout the economic cycle. Given that we are dealing with the human aspect of the intangibles that drive the value created by a company, it is not obvious what impact the ‘boom’ and ‘bust’ phases of the economic cycle will have on investor valuations of this primary component of a company’s investment in human capital (HC). Our results reveal that economic cycles have a substantial immediate impact on the value implications of compensation costs. Specifically, these value implications increase significantly during upticks in the economy and decline in the downturns, in high-tech as well as low-tech firms. Notwithstanding, the value implications of compensation costs are consistently higher for high-tech firms. Furthermore, the changes in value implications for high-tech firms throughout the economic trends are more volatile than those observed for low-tech firms. When differentiating between investors on and outside the exchange, we find consistently stronger value implications of compensation costs for the latter. It seems that throughout the economic cycle more informed and sophisticated investors have a higher assessment of the role of a firm’s investment in HC in value creation. Another important implication of our results is that, in response to economic changes, investors modify their valuations of HC quickly rather than gradually, which is unexpected given the strategic value and complexity of the human aspect of the firm’s intangibles.
Comparing symptomatic and functional outcomes over 5 years in two nonclinical cohorts characterized by binge eating with and without objectively large episodes.

OBJECTIVE The aim was to compare symptomatic and functional outcomes over 5 years in women with regular subjective (SBEs), objective (OBEs), and no regular binge eating episodes. METHOD Data were derived from two cohorts of 330 women with high levels of eating disorders symptoms followed over 5 years. Three groups were formed: (a) regular SBEs but no regular OBEs (N = 68), (b) regular OBEs with or without regular SBEs (N = 154), and (c) with no regular binge eating episodes (N = 108). RESULTS At baseline, the groups did not differ significantly in restraint scores and quality of life. People in the OBE group scored higher than those in the SBE group in body mass index (BMI). Those who had no regular binge eating had lower global Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) and weight and shape concern scores than those with regular SBEs, and lower eating concern scores than either binge eating groups. Across the follow-up, there were no significant effects of being in either binge eating or the nonbinge eating group on the rates of change in BMI, general psychological distress, quality of life, or EDE-Q scores with the exception that OBE group had a significantly different rate of change in eating concern and psychological distress compared to the group without regular binge eating. DISCUSSION Individuals that report regular SBEs without regular OBEs represent a group with similar mental hardship and outcomes to those with regular OBEs. The findings support inclusion of regular SBEs in criteria for eating disorder diagnostic categories characterized by recurrent binge eating.
Predictors of atrial fibrillation after coronary artery surgery. Current trends and impact on hospital resources.

BACKGROUND Atrial fibrillation (AF) after coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) is the most common sustained arrhythmia. Its pathophysiology is unclear, and its prevention and management remain suboptimal. The aim of this prospective study was to determine the current incidence of AF, identify its clinical predictors, and examine its impact on resource utilization. METHODS AND RESULTS Over a 12-month period ending July 31, 1994, a CABG procedure was performed on 570 consecutive patients (age range, 32 to 87 years; median age, 67 years; 232 [41%] were > or = 70 years; 175 [31%] were women; 173 [30%] were diabetics; 364 [65%] required nonelective surgery; 86 [15%] had had a prior CABG; and 86 [15%] had had prior percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty). AF occurred in 189 patients (33%). The median age for patients with AF was 71 years compared with 66 for patients without (P = .0001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis (odds ratio, +/- 95% CI, P value) was used to identify the following independent predictors of postoperative AF: increasing age (age 70 to 80 years [OR = 2; CI, 1.3 to 3; P = .002], age > 80 years [OR = 3; CI, 1.6 to 5.8; P = .0007]), male gender (OR = 1.7; CI, 1.1 to 2.7; P = .01), hypertension (OR = 1.6; CI, 1.0 to 2.3; P = .03), need for an intraoperative intraaortic balloon pump (OR = 3.5; CI, 1.2 to 10.9; P = .03), postoperative pneumonia (OR = 3.9; CI, 1.3 to 11.5; P = .01), ventilation for > 24 hours (OR = 2; CI, 1.3 to 3.2; P = .003), and return to the intensive care unit (OR = 3.2; CI, 1.1 to 8.8; P = .03). The mean length of hospital stay after surgery was 15.3 +/- 28.6 days for patients with AF compared with 9.3 +/- 19.6 days for patients without AF (P = .001). The adjusted length of hospital stay attributable to AF was 4.9 days, corresponding to > or = $10 055 in hospital charges. CONCLUSIONS AF remains the most common complication after CABG and consequently is a drain on hospital resources. Concerted efforts to reduce the incidence of AF and the associated increased length of stay would result in substantial cost saving and decrease patient morbidity.
A regulatory role for macrophage class A scavenger receptors in TLR4‐mediated LPS responses

Recognition of microbial components by TLR, key sensors of infection, leads to induction of inflammatory responses. We found that, in vivo, TLR4 engagement by LPS induces up‐regulation of the class A scavenger receptors (SR) macrophage receptor with a collagenous structure (MARCO) and SR‐A, which occurs, at least in the case of MARCO, via both MyD88‐dependent and ‐independent pathways. When challenging mice with a low dose of LPS followed by a high dose, class A SR‐deficient mice showed a higher survival rate than WT mice. This was paired with increased production of IL‐10 and anti‐LPS Ab, as well as increased activation status of marginal zone B cells. However, the receptors were not crucial for survival when challenging mice i.p. with Neisseria meningitidis or Listeria monocytogenes, but they were found to contribute to microbial capture and clearance. This indicates physiological significance for the up‐regulation of class A SR during early stages of bacterial infection. Thus, we believe that we have revealed a mechanism where SR regulate the activation status of the immune system and are involved in balancing a proper immune response to infection. This regulation could also be important in maintaining tolerance since these receptors have been shown to be involved in regulation of self‐reactivity.
Saliency map estimation by constructing graphs of possible eye-tracking paths

We introduce a novel approach for saliency detection where we fuse perceptional saliency with machine saliency in a statistical approach. The improvement of our fused algorithm against other methods is presented. Human saliency is recorded from human eye movement during free view training. The transition movements caused by the saccades are evaluated to generate transition probability tables. This new kind of training is applied into a connection graph based model where transitions among the machine generated saliency points are weighted by the probabilities derived from the human trained probability table. In the presented method, different psychophysical studies are taken into consideration by inferring regions of interests. The proposed method results in a good estimation of the possible interest areas of the human vision measurements.
‘Sexurity’ and its effects in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

Abstract Newly recognised as a threat to global peace and security, sexual violence in conflict is now a fixed item on international security agendas. This marks significant progress for women, gender equality and the integrity of peace programmes. Our aim here, however, is to reflect upon the risks that inhere in this accomplishment. Through the concept of ‘sexurity’, a tripartite amalgam of the securitisation of sexual violence, the sexualisation of security, and the language of crisis, we outline the adverse effects of tethering sexual violence to security. This article concerns itself with the material and symbolic effects of ‘sexurity’ for eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It first outlines ‘sexurity’ and the context of its emergence before, drawing on fieldwork in eastern DRC, the second part underlines the effects of ‘sexurity’ for the country.
Escherichia coli mutant with altered respiratory control of the frd operon

In wild-type Escherichia coli, fumarate reductase encoded by the frd operon is inducible by its substrate in the absence of molecular oxygen and nitrate. Synthesis of this enzyme under permissive conditions requires the fnr+ gene product, which is believed to be a pleiotropic regulatory protein that activates transcription. A spontaneous mutant was isolated in which the expression of the frd operon no longer depended on the presence of fumarate or the fnr+ gene product. Aerobic repression of the operon was abolished, but nitrate repression remained intact. Transductional analysis showed that the mutation was closely linked to the frd locus. The mutant phenotype strongly suggests that repression by molecular oxygen and nitrate is mediated by different mechanisms.
Topology of the non-structural rotavirus receptor glycoprotein NS28 in the rough endoplasmic reticulum.

The rotavirus non‐structural glycoprotein (NS28), the receptor for the virus core during budding into the lumen of the rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER), is 175 amino acids long and possesses an uncleaved signal sequence and two amino‐terminal glycosylation sites. Utilizing one of three potential hydrophobic domains, the protein spans the membrane only once, with the glycosylated amino‐terminal region oriented to the luminal side of the ER and the carboxy‐terminal region to the cytoplasmic side. To localize sequences involved in translocation of NS28, we constructed a series of mutations in the coding regions for the hydrophobic domains of the protein. Mutant protein products were studied by in vitro translation and by transfection in vivo. In transfected cells, all mutant forms localize to the ER, and none are secreted. In vitro, each of the three hydrophobic domains is able to associate with microsomes. However, glycosylation and proteolysis of wild‐type and mutant forms of NS28 indicates that the wild‐type protein is anchored in the membrane only by the second hydrophobic domain, leaving approximately 131 residues exposed on the cytoplasmic side for receptor ‐ ligand interaction.
Rapid resolution of chylous ascites after liver transplantation using somatostatin analog and total parenteral nutrition.

Chylous ascites is the accumulation of chylomicronrich lymphatic fluid within the peritoneal cavity. It is a rare complication of retroperitoneal surgery, and may occur spontaneously in 0.5% of patients with cirrhosis. Its management is controversial, and despite a variety of treatment options with limited efficacy, the course is usually indolent. In this article, we report a case of rapid resolution of chylous ascites after liver transplantation following 10 days of treatment using somatostatin analog (Octreotide, 100 micrograms sc. t.i.d.) and total parenteral nutrition (TPN). A 55-year-old man underwent liver transplantation for hepatitis C cirrhosis, and developed an infected chylous fistula on the 10th day. Treatment by fasting, TPN, and somatostatin analog resulted in a rapid falloff in fistula output, with complete resolution of ascites within 2 days. This is the first report, to our knowledge, of somatostatin analog and TPN used in combination for rapid and successful closure of a chylous fistula.
Staff and consumer perspectives on defining treatment success and failure in assertive community treatment.

OBJECTIVE Although assertive community treatment (ACT) has been consistently recognized as effective, there has been little research as to what constitutes success in ACT. The purpose of this study was to understand how ACT consumers and staff define treatment success and failure and to examine whether definitions varied between staff and consumers. METHODS Investigators conducted semistructured interviews with 25 staff and 23 consumers from four ACT teams. RESULTS Across perspectives, success and failure were most clearly related to consumer factors. Other themes included having basic needs met, being socially involved, and taking medications. Reduced hospitalizations were mentioned infrequently. Consumers were more likely than staff to identify the level or type of treatment as defining success and failure, whereas staff were more likely than consumers to discuss substance abuse when defining failure and improved symptoms when defining success. CONCLUSIONS Success in ACT should be viewed more broadly than reduced hospitalizations and include domains such as social involvement.
Thermal conductivity of graphene and graphene oxide nanoplatelets

The superior thermal transport in graphene has been a topic of great interest to the scientific community, for graphene is envisioned to be important in numerous applications such as thermal management of electronics. While single layer graphene exhibits high thermal conductivity, molecular and lattice dynamics simulations reveal that even in the presence of one or few additional layers, thermal conductivity can be significantly reduced. In fact, with increasing number of layers, thermal conductivity is expected to eventually approach the value of bulk graphite. The interlayer spacing is also known to have a significant influence on thermal conductivity, for it is the combination of the number of layers and the spacing between them that truly is responsible for the thermal conductivity of a multi-layer graphene platelet. Here, we report the experimentally obtained thermal conductivities for nanoplatelets of graphene oxide and reduced graphene exfoliated to differing degrees. Results show that the thermal conductivity measured for reduced graphene platelets with ~ 30 to 45 layers approaches the value of bulk graphite. The thermal conductivity of oxygen intercalated graphene nanoplatelets with ~ 3 layers and 7% oxygen is higher than bulk graphite with similar interlayer spacing. Despite the increased interlayer spacing and presence of the oxygen atoms, which typically enhances phonon scattering, the high value of thermal conductivity can be attributed to the increase in the interlayer coupling due to covalent interactions provided by the oxygen atoms.
The structure of demand

The formal economic analysis of demand is based on a few propositions about consumer behaviour. Consumers are assumed to have limited resources so that there is a budget constraint on their expenditure. They derive utility from goods and services purchased. Utility is what the goods bought are worth to the consumer and is measured in cash terms for analytical purposes. Consumers are assumed to be rational and have the maximisation of utility as their expenditure objective. Each single additional purchase by the consumer is a marginal purchase and provides marginal utility. The marginal utility of an extra quantity of a particular good or service usually falls, and never rises, as the volume of purchases increases. Expenditure decisions are based on the marginal utility of the marginal purchase compared with its price. No more purchases will be made if marginal utility of an extra purchase is less than the price. A consumer's total utility is the sum of the utility of all purchases.