Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Use of Rheumatic Disease Comorbidity Index for Predicting Clinical Response and Retention Rate in a Cohort of Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Receiving Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Inhibitors

Introduction To retrospectively evaluate the impact of comorbidities on treatment choice, 12-month clinical response, and 24-month retention rate in a cohort of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with a first-line tumor necrosis factor alpha inhibitor (TNFi), by using for the first time the Rheumatic Disease Comorbidity Index (RDCI). Methods The study population was extracted from a local registry of RA patients receiving adalimumab or etanercept as first-line biologics between January 2001 and December 2013. The prevalence of comorbidities was computed, and patients were stratified according to RDCI for evaluating the role of comorbidities on TNFi choice, concomitant methotrexate, clinical response (1-year DAS28-ESR remission and low disease activity [LDA] and EULAR good-moderate response), and the 24-month retention rate. Results 346 patients (172 adalimumab and 174 etanercept) were included. A significantly higher EULAR good/moderate response (P = 0.020) and DAS28-ESR remission (P = 0.003) were obtained according to RDCI (0, 1, 2, or ≥3). Lower RDCI (P = 0.022), male sex (P = 0.006), higher baseline DAS28-ESR (P = 0.001), ETN (P < 0.001), and concomitant methotrexate (P = 0.016) were predictors of EULAR good/moderate response. Elevated RDCI was a predictor of discontinuation of biologics (P = 0.036), whereas treatment with etanercept (P < 0.001) and methotrexate (P = 0.007) was associated with a lower risk of TNFi withdrawal. Conclusions Multimorbidity, measured by RDCI, is a negative predictor of TNFi persistence on treatment and of achieving a good clinical response. The use of RDCI may be very useful for identifying patients with RA carrying those comorbid conditions associated with poor prognostic outcomes and for defining new treatment targets in multimorbid RA patients.
The Influence of FTO Polymorphism rs9939609 on Obesity, Some Clinical Features, and Disturbance of Carbohydrate Metabolism in Patients with Psoriasis

Background Psoriasis is often accompanied by obesity, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome as risk factors of cardiovascular conditions and premature mortality. Objective The study was aimed at investigating whether psoriatic patients, who carry risk allele of obesity-related FTO gene, are more predisposed to obesity and metabolic disturbances and whether it influences the severity of psoriasis. Methods 197 patients with psoriasis, representing Lower Silesia region of Poland, underwent physical examination and anthropometric measurements. Blood samples for biochemical and genetic analysis were collected. All patients were genotyped for FTO gene rs9939609 variant. Identification of SNP was conducted with the use of minisequencing method. Results Around 63% of patients were carriers of at least one risk allele A and 20% were AA homozygotes. The A allele was associated with increased BMI and hip and waist circumferences. The carriers of risk allele had increased PASI and CRP values and tended to have an increased insulin concentration. Conclusion Psoriatic patients, carriers of risk allele of FTO gene rs9939609, have an increased risk for more severe psoriasis and obesity and may develop obesity-induced insulin resistance.
Epigenetic and Neurological Impairments Associated with Early Life Exposure to Persistent Organic Pollutants

The incidence of neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases worldwide has dramatically increased over the last decades. Although the aetiology remains uncertain, evidence is now growing that exposure to persistent organic pollutants during sensitive neurodevelopmental periods such as early life may be a strong risk factor, predisposing the individual to disease development later in life. Epidemiological studies have associated environmentally persistent organic pollutant exposure to brain disorders including neuropathies, cognitive, motor, and sensory impairments; neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); and neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In many ways, this expands the classical “Developmental Origins of Health and Disease” paradigm to include exposure to pollutants. This model has been refined over the years to give the current “three-hit” model that considers the individual's genetic factors as a first “hit. ” It has an immediate interaction with the early-life exposome (including persistent organic pollutants) that can be considered to be a second “hit. ” Together, these first two “hits” produce a quiescent or latent phenotype, most probably encoded in the epigenome, which has become susceptible to a third environmental “hit” in later life. It is only after the third “hit” that the increased risk of disease symptoms is crystallised. However, if the individual is exposed to a different environment in later life, they would be expected to remain healthy. In this review, we examine the effect of exposure to persistent organic pollutants and particulate matters in early life and the relationship to subsequent neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders. The roles of those environmental factors which may affect epigenetic DNA methylation and therefore influence normal neurodevelopment are then evaluated.
Young Children Display Diurnal Patterns of Salivary IgA and Alpha-Amylase Expression Which Are Independent of Food Intake and Demographic Factors

Background Salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) and salivary immunoglobulin A (sIgA) have been proposed as biomarkers for research on the mucosal immune system and on stress. Expression of both sAA and sIgA has been described to follow opposing diurnal patterns. This knowledge is crucial for the interpretation of studies using these biomarkers. Aim It was hypothesized that sAA and sIgA display diurnal patterns in children and that this is independent of food intake or demographic factors. Methods Whole saliva was collected from 78 healthy children (15-39 months old) in the morning and evening for two random nonconsecutive days. The samples have been analysed for sAA and sIgA. The total daily energy, fat, saturated fat, protein, carbohydrate and fibre, mineral, and vitamin consumption were analysed based on the two-day weighed food records collected by the parents. Results It was demonstrated that most young children followed the diurnal pattern when sAA increased and sIgA decreased from morning to evening. No correlation was observed between the intake of any of the nutrients and morning or evening values for both salivary proteins. The morning and evening values of sAA and sIgA did not correlate with age, sex, Asian ethnicity, and BMI of the children. Conclusion Diurnal patterns of sAA and sIgA exist in healthy young children and are not affected by their nutrient intake, sex, Asian ethnicity, and BMI. Scientists including sIgA and sAA in their research must consider the diurnal pattern that these markers exhibit and design the study accordingly.
Burned bones vs unburned bones: a pilot study about the impact of differential post-depositional taphonomy on bioanthropological research

AMARANTE, Ana Isabel Cesario da Costa de Matos - Burned bones vs unburned bones: a pilot study about the impact of differential post-depositional taphonomy on bioanthropological research. Coimbra : [s.n. ], 2016. Dissertacao de Mestrado em Evolucao e Biologia Humanas.
Soy Isoflavones Ameliorate Metabolic and Immunological Alterations of Ovariectomy in Female Wistar Rats: Antioxidant and Estrogen Sparing Potential

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can alleviate estrogen deficiency symptoms especially during menopause. The present study aimed at investigating the effect of soy isoflavones as HRT on immunological and bone health-related parameters with a special focus on the interactions between immunological status and metabolism. Thirty healthy cyclic female Wistar rats were used in this experiment. Ten females were sham-operated, and 20 females were subjected to ovariectomy. Overiectomized (OVX) female rats were randomly divided into 2 groups: the control group (G1, OVX/casein) was fed a casein-based diet, and the second group (G2, OVX/soy) was fed a high soy isoflavone diet. Both groups were compared to a sham-operated group (G3, sham/casein). Treatments continued for 7 weeks. Feed intake, weight gain, and lymphoid organ relative weights were recorded. Some metabolic, immunological, and bone health-related parameters were measured. Moreover, nitric oxide (NO), malondialdehyde (MDA), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were determined. Bone histopathology and immunohistochemistry to estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) were done. Feeding soy to OVX females reduced feed intake, weight gain, relative lymphoid organ weight, and T-lymphocytes transformation. Soy isoflavone administration normalized nearly all metabolic and immunological parameters to a level comparable to the sham group via oxidative stress amelioration and bone ERα promotion. Soy isoflavones seemed to be good HRT in estrogen deprivation which modulated the appetite, weight gain, lipid profile, proinflammation, and bone turnover.
Patterns of TIGIT Expression in Lymphatic Tissue, Inflammation, and Cancer

TIGIT is an inhibitory immune checkpoint receptor and a putative target for novel immune therapies. Here, we analysed two different types of tissue microarrays of healthy lymphatic and various inflamed tissues, colorectal and lung cancers, as well as >1700 tumour samples from 86 different tumour entities for TIGIT and/or PD-1 by bright field and/or multiplex fluorescence immunohistochemistry. TIGIT was detected in CD8+ cytotoxic T cells, CD4+ T helper cells, FOXP3+ regulatory T cells, and NK cells, but not in CD11c+ dendritic cells, CD68+ macrophages, and CD20+ B lymphocytes. TIGIT expression paralleled that of PD-1. More than 70% of TIGIT+ cells were PD-1+, and more than 90% of the PD-1+ cells were TIGIT+. Expression varied between different tissue compartments. TIGIT expression in tonsil gradually increased from the interfollicular area over the marginal/mantle zone to the germinal centre in all T cell subtypes. In inflammatory diseases, the strongest expression of TIGIT/PD-1 was found in Hashimoto thyroiditis. TIGIT+ lymphocytes were seen in all 86 different tumour entities with considerable high variability of TIGIT positivity within and between different cancer entities. Particularly, high densities of TIGIT+ lymphocytes were, for example, seen in squamous cell cancers of various origins. In summary, the variable expression levels of TIGIT and PD-1 in cell types and tissue compartments illustrate the high complexity of immune microenvironments. The high frequency of TIGIT (and PD-1) expressing lymphocytes in cancers highlights considerable opportunities for cotargeting with checkpoint inhibitors.
Health Care Services and the Elderly: Utilization and Satisfaction in the Aftermath of the Turkish Health Transformation Program

With the implementation of the health transformation program, Turkey has gone through substantial changes in its health system in the last decade. This study relies on two nationally representative data sets to investigate health service utilization and satisfaction of the elderly. In particular, it examines the share of elderly who have an unmet need for medical care and who could not afford a medical examination or treatment over the years 2006 to 2015, using data from the Turkish Survey of Income and Living Conditions. It also examines the utilization of health services and satisfaction from these services by the elderly in years 2004 to 2015 using data from the Turkish Life Satisfaction Survey. This study finds that utilization has increased and, coinciding with the introduction of the family medicine system, the percentage of patients choosing primary care facilities has increased. The share of the elderly with unmet need and those who could not afford health care have declined. Notwithstanding, overall satisfaction increased only until 2011-2012. Understanding the utilization and satisfaction of the elderly is important, because along with many other countries, the population is aging in Turkey. In the near future, health care needs of the elderly will have a higher priority on the agenda of policy makers.
Bandage Contact Lens Application Reduces Fibrotic Wound Healing of Flap Margins after FS-LASIK: A Prospective Randomized Clinical Trial

Purpose To assess the efficacy of applying bandage contact lens (BCL) in reducing the fibrotic healing response of flap margins following femtosecond laser in situ keratomileusis (FS-LASIK). Methods In this prospective, randomized, interventional, observer-masked trial, 41 patients (82 eyes) with myopia and/or myopic astigmatism were scheduled to undergo FS-LASIK. After surgery, patients were fitted with a BCL in one eye (BCL eyes, n=41) but not in the contralateral eye (control eyes, n=41), following randomized allocation of the BCL to the left or right eye of each patient. The BCL was left in place overnight and removed the following morning. All eyes subsequently received standardized postoperative treatments. Patients were followed up for 6 months. We evaluated patients' self-reported postoperative symptom scores for pain, photophobia, tearing, and foreign-body sensation. At 6 months after surgery, we examined the corneal flap margin and adjacent regions, and photographed them using slit-lamp biomicroscopy, to subjectively evaluate the wound healing response. Results Postoperative pain and photophobia were milder in the BCL group than in the control group (P=0.041 and P=0.003, respectively), but patients felt more foreign-body sensation in the eye with a BCL than in the control eye (P=0.001). There was no significant difference in tearing score between BCL eyes and control eyes (P=0.118). Regarding the fibrotic healing response of the flap margin, control eyes showed a wide, bright peripheral circumferential band with a spiculated edge and high reflectivity; conversely, BCL eyes showed a markedly narrower and smoother peripheral circumferential band, with a less spiculated edge and lower reflectivity (P < 0.001). Conclusion Patients felt less discomfort in eyes treated with a BCL after FS-LASIK than in control eyes. BCL-treated eyes also had a less intense wound healing response at the flap margins than control eyes in some of patients. BCLs may merit consideration as a treatment option after FS-LASIK for special patients. This trial is registered with ChiCTR1800016579.
Fuzzy stability of a rational functional equation and its relevance to system design

ABSTRACT This study demonstrates the solution and various stabilities of a rational functional equation involving two variables by means of fixed point tactic in the vicinity of Felbin's type fuzzy normed spaces. Only few functional equations are dealt to design systems or to model problems in real time examples. The functional equation considered in this paper focuses on designing various systems involving ridigity modulus and pressure.
Extrinsic Versus Intrinsic Rewards for Contributing Reviews in an Online Platform

Firms have considered various forms of incentives for writing reviews, including the use of extrinsic rewards to attract reviewers. Relatedly, this paper studies the implications of monetary incentives for writing online reviews. We encountered a natural experiment design where one review platform suddenly started offering monetary incentives for writing reviews. We refer to it as the treated platform. Along with data from Amazon.com and using the difference-in-differences approach, we compare the quantity and quality of reviews before and after rewards were introduced in the treated platform. We find that reviews are significantly more positive but the the quality decreases. Taking advantage of the panel data, we also evaluate the effect of rewards on existing reviewers. We find that their level of participation after monetary incentives decreases but not their quality of participation. Lastly, even though the platform enjoys an increase in the number of new reviewers, disproportionately more reviews appear to be written for highly rated products.
Machine Learning and System Identification for Estimation in Physical Systems

In this thesis, we draw inspiration from both classical system identification and modern machine learning in order to solve estimation problems for real-world, physical systems. The main approach to estimation and learning adopted is optimization based. Concepts such as regularization will be utilized for encoding of prior knowledge and basis-function expansions will be used to add nonlinear modeling power while keeping data requirements practical. The thesis covers a wide range of applications, many inspired by applications within robotics, but also extending outside this already wide field. Usage of the proposed methods and algorithms are in many cases illustrated in the real-world applications that motivated the research. Topics covered include dynamics modeling and estimation, model-based reinforcement learning, spectral estimation, friction modeling and state estimation and calibration in robotic machining. In the work on modeling and identification of dynamics, we develop regularization strategies that allow us to incorporate prior domain knowledge into flexible, overparameterized models. We make use of classical control theory to gain insight into training and regularization while using flexible tools from modern deep learning. A particular focus of the work is to allow use of modern methods in scenarios where gathering data is associated with a high cost. In the robotics-inspired parts of the thesis, we develop methods that are practically motivated and ensure that they are implementable also outside the research setting. We demonstrate this by performing experiments in realistic settings and providing open-source implementations of all proposed methods and algorithms.
Examining Gifting Through Social Network Services: A Social Exchange Theory Perspective

The increasing popularity of social network services (SNS) presents an opportunity to offer gifting services through SNS. For givers, gifting can be an important means to enhance social relationships. On the other hand, for SNS providers, members’ gifting can serve as a major source of revenue. As SNS providers continue to face challenges in generating revenues, understanding how to stimulate gifting through SNS can allow them to profit from members’ relationships. However, there is little understanding of what drives members’ gifting through SNS, with limited prior research on online gifting. Thus motivated, we develop a research model of the antecedents of SNS gifting that builds on social exchange theory and prior gifting literature, and incorporates the unique aspects of such gifting (that we refer to as microgifting, with low-price digital voucher gifts). The theoretical model was validated through a field study, in which both subjective and objective data were collected from an SNS that has been suc.
From Firewalls to Functions and Back

Designing and maintaining ﬁrewall conﬁgurations is hard also for expert system administrators. Indeed, policies are made of a large number of rules and are written in low-level conﬁguration languages that are speciﬁc to the ﬁrewall system in use. To simplify the work of system administrators, some authors of the present paper proposed in previous work a transcompilation pipeline and a tool that (i) extracts the meaning of a real conﬁguration by representing it into a tabular form; (ii) refactors a conﬁguration by removing redundant rules; (iii) ports the policy from a ﬁrewall system to another. Here, we extend this pipeline by proposing a new characterization that models rulesets and ﬁrewalls as functions from packets to transformations. Transformations specify which packets are accepted by the ﬁrewall and how they are translated. Using this functional characterization we propose two new algorithms that simplify the treatment of the pipeline.
A Lower Bound for the Dimension of Bernoulli Convolutions

ABSTRACT Let β ∈ (1, 2) and let Hβ denote Garsia’s entropy for the Bernoulli convolution μβ associated with β. In the present article we show that Hβ > 0.82 for all β ∈ (1, 2) and improve this bound for certain ranges. Combined with recent results by Hochman and Breuillard-Varjú, this yields for all β ∈ (1, 2). In addition, we show that if an algebraic β is such that for some k ⩾ 2, then . Such is, for instance, any root of a Pisot number which is not a Pisot number itself.
Attitudes Toward and Familiarity With Virtual Reality Therapy Among Practicing Cognitive Behavior Therapists: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study in the Era of Consumer VR Platforms

Virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) is an efficacious treatment for fear and anxiety and has the potential to solve both logistic issues for therapists and be used for scalable self-help interventions. However, VRET has yet to see large-scale implementation in clinical settings or as a consumer product, and past research suggests that while therapists may acknowledge the many advantages of VRET, they view the technology as technically inaccessible and expensive. We reasoned that after the 2016 release of several consumer virtual reality (VR) platforms and associated public acquaintance with VR, therapists’ concerns about VRET may have evolved. The present study surveyed attitudes toward and familiarity with VR and VRET among practicing cognitive behavior therapists (n = 185) attending a conference. Results showed that therapists had an overall positive attitude toward VRET (pros rated higher than cons) and viewed VR as applicable to conditions other than anxiety. Unlike in earlier research, high financial costs and technical difficulties were no longer top-rated negative aspects. Average negative attitude was a larger negative predictor of self-rated likelihood of future use than positive attitude was a positive predictor and partially mediated the positive association between VRET knowledge and likelihood of future use, suggesting that promotional efforts should focus on addressing concerns. We conclude that therapist’s attitudes toward VRET appear to have evolved in recent years, and no longer appear to constitute a major barrier to implementing the next generation of VR technology in regular clinical practice.
Beyond human-level accuracy: computational challenges in deep learning

Deep learning (DL) research yields accuracy and product improvements from both model architecture changes and scale: larger data sets and models, and more computation. For hardware design, it is difficult to predict DL model changes. However, recent prior work shows that as dataset sizes grow, DL model accuracy and model size grow predictably. This paper leverages the prior work to project the dataset and model size growth required to advance DL accuracy beyond human-level, to frontier targets defined by machine learning experts. Datasets will need to grow 33--971×, while models will need to grow 6.6--456× to achieve target accuracies. We further characterize and project the computational requirements to train these applications at scale. Our characterization reveals an important segmentation of DL training challenges for recurrent neural networks (RNNs) that contrasts with prior studies of deep convolutional networks. RNNs will have comparatively moderate operational intensities and very large memory footprint requirements. In contrast to emerging accelerator designs, large-scale RNN training characteristics suggest designs with significantly larger memory capacity and on-chip caches.