Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Linear Transformation Models for Failure Time Data With Covariate Measurement Error

In medical studies, patients' biological parameters are often imprecisely measured due to the measuring mechanism or the biological variability. In the presence of covariate measurement error, survival analysis using the Cox model with the observed covariate may yield a biased estimate for the regression parameter. Existing research on this topic has focused on adapting the Cox model to covariates with measurement errors. In this article we generalize linear transformation models to accommodate covariate measurement error. We derive inference procedures for the regression coefficients of examining the covariate effects on survival times under a generalized estimating equation framework. Our method relaxes the normality assumption on the unobserved true covariates and the measurement errors and can be easily adopted to conduct sensitivity analyses when the magnitude of the measurement error variance is unknown. The extra variation owing to the measurement error corrections is accounted for through an asymptotic U statistic expression of the estimator for the measurement error model parameter. We illustrate the numerical performance of our estimator with an example, and investigate it through simulation studies.
Relationship of Renal Function in Mice to Strain, Sex and 177Lutetium-Somatostatin Receptor Ligand Treatment

Abstract Aim Aim of the study was to establish parameters for 99mTc-MAG3 SPECT renal uptake kinetics in healthy SCID mice as a function of mouse strain and sex and to evaluate the feasibility of this method for detecting 177Lu-somatostatin receptor ligand (177Lu-SRL) treatment effects on kidney function. Materials and Methods Dynamic semi-stationary SPECT acquisitions (68 frames, total duration 35 min) was started prior to i. v. injection of 99mTc-MAG3 in 12 female and 12 male SCID mice. Additionally, 6 female SCID mice with neuroendocrine tumors were imaged 1–5 months after 177Lu-SRL (5 DOTATOC, 1 DOTA-JR11) treatment. Kidney function is expressed as maximum time to peak (Tmax), T50 and T25 in minutes (median [interquartile range]). Differences between groups were tested using the Mann-Whitney-U test, and SCID mouse parameters were compared with data for C57BL/6N mice from a recent publication. Results Significant sex-based differences in Tmax between strains were observed (females: C57BL/6N 1.6 [1.4–1.7], SCID 1.4 [1.3–1.5], p = 0.05; males: C57BL/6N 1.4 [1.3–1.4], SCID 1.6 [1.4–1.7], p = 0.04). In C57BL/6N mice, females showed a later Tmax (p < 0.01) than males. SCID mice showed no difference (p = 0.14). Treated SCID mice showed no significant delay in Tmax (2.0 [1.4–2.7], p = 0.15) but a significant delay in T50 (p = 0.02) and T25 (p = 0.01) compared to healthy untreated mice. Conclusion This study demonstrated significant sex-related differences between SCID and C57BL/6N mouse strains in kidney function. Establishment of normal values for different strains and sexes therefore is important for experimental therapy studies. Renal SPECT imaging with 99mTc-MAG3 was sufficiently sensitive to detect 177Lu-SRL treatment toxic effects on kidney function in SCID mice.
Evaluation of in‑situ carbon coated LiCoPO 4 for Li‑ion battery cathodes

Olivine type LiCoPO 4 (LCP) cathode material for high‑voltage batteries was synthesized via polymeric steric entrapment method. This study investigated the effect of carbon, coated in‑situ, on the electrochemical performance. Pure LCP powders that were processed at 700 °C in air, had average particle size of 759 nm. Carbon coated LCP phase powders were synthesized in a single step under the same conditions but in Ar atmosphere. The in‑situ C‑coated powders had a smaller average particle size (517 nm) and C content of 3 wt%. Under galvanostatic cycling, first‑cycle discharge capacities of half cells (at 0.05 C‑rate) with LiPF 6 electrolyte were 67 and 62.5 mAh g − 1 for the pristine and in‑situ C‑coated LCP samples, respectively. Based on electrochemical testing, inferior performance of the in‑situ C‑coated LCP was attributed to the presence of disordered microporous C as the predominant form. This was confirmed by Raman spectroscopy and gas adsorption studies.
Balancing vectors and Gaussian measures of n -dimensional convex bodies

Let ‖·‖ be the Euclidean norm on Rn and γn the (standard) Gaussian measure on Rn with density (2π)−n/2e. It is proved that there is a numerical constant c>0 with the following property: if K is an arbitrary convex body in Rn with γn(K)≥1/2, then to each sequence u1,…,um∈Rn with ‖u1‖,…,‖um‖≤c there correspond signs e1,…,em=±1 such that ∑mi=1eiui∈K. This improves the well-known result obtained by Spencer [Trans. Amer. Math. Soc.289, 679–705 (1985)] for the n-dimensional cube. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Random Struct. Alg. , 12: 351–360, 1998
Supersymmetry of tridiagonal Hamiltonians

A positive semi-definite Hamiltonian H that has a tridiagonal matrix representation in a basis set, allows a definition of forward- and backward-shift operators that can be used to define the matrix representation of its supersymmetric partner Hamiltonian H( + ) with respect to the same basis. We find explicit relationships connecting the matrix elements of both Hamiltonians. We present a method to obtain the orthogonal polynomials in the eigenstate expansion problem attached to H( + ) starting from those polynomials arising in the same problem for H. This connection is established by using the notion of kernel polynomials. We apply the obtained results to two known solvable models with different kinds of spectrum.
Infrared photometry, bolometric magnitudes, and effective temperatures for giants in M3, M13, M92, and M67

Broad-band infrared i/-, and A-magnitudes and narrow-band CO and H 2 0 indices are presented for a selection of giants reaching 3 mag below the red-giant tip in the globular clusters M3, M13, and M92, and in the old open cluster M67. Comparison of these data with a calculated grid of model atmospheres gives the following results: (1) the models satisfactorily predict the broad-band colors; (2) V — K measurements accurate to ±0.1 mag can be used to give effective temperatures to ± 100 K independent of surface gravity or metal abundance for metal-poor stars ; (3) there is disagreement with a previous (r eff , spectral type)-calibration based on DDO photometry. Empirical bolometric magnitudes are derived by integrating the observed energy distributions out to 2.2 /xm. The derived luminosities and effective temperatures are plotted in a H-R diagram and are compared with a set of evolutionary tracks for metal-poor stars due to Rood. The agreement is good. The CO index, which is sensitive primarily to luminosity and effective temperature for Popula- tion I giants, becomes sensitive to metal abundance for very metal-poor stars. The relative metal abundance of M3 and M13 derived from CO is reversed from that derived by some other methods. Some possible explanations are considered. Because of the importance of Rayleigh scattering in these cluster stars, B — V depends on surface gravity. Gravities determined from B — V colors are used to derive crude masses for the stars. These masses (~0.6 M©) are roughly consistent with estimates of the turnoff mass. The CNO abundances are suggested as the second parameter affecting the color-magnitude diagrams of globular clusters.
Thermal and electrical transport formalism for electronic microstructures with many terminals

The Landauer-Buttiker formalism for an electronic microstructure with many terminals is extended to account for temperature changes in the reservoirs and heat fluxes in the terminals. Terminal relations are developed in the presence of an arbitrary applied magnetic induction field which becomes uniform in the neighborhood of each terminal. They use temperature changes in the reservoirs and either chemical potential changes in the reservoirs or charge fluxes in the terminals as independent variables. In both cases formulae for the transport matrices are given in terms of the scattering matrix of the microstructure. Onsager symmetry relations and reciprocity theorems are given for electrical, thermal and thermoelectric configurations. The behaviour of quantum point contacts is outlined.
JAK1/2 inhibitor ruxolitinib promotes the expansion and suppressive action of polymorphonuclear myeloid‐derived suppressor cells via the JAK/STAT and ROS‐MAPK/NF‐κB signalling pathways in acute graft‐versus‐host disease

Ruxolitinib, a Janus kinase (JAK) 1/2 inhibitor, demonstrates efficacy for treating steroid‐resistant acute graft‐versus‐host disease (SR‐aGVHD) following allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo‐HSCT). Myeloid‐derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) have a protective effect on aGVHD via suppressing T cell function. However, the precise features and mechanism of JAK inhibitor‐mediated immune modulation on MDSCs subsets remain poorly understood.
InP HBT technology and applications

TRW has the world's only production Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) based GaAs Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor (HBT) technology, delivering over 3 million commercial chips per month, as well as space qualified HBT MMICs. Using this foundation, we have developed the next generation InP-based HBT technology to produce advanced HBT integrated circuits for space and defense applications as well as high volume commercial applications. Here we present performance characteristics for InP HBT ICs for consumer products and advanced space and defense applications.
Application of powerful quasi-steady-state plasma accelerators for simulation of ITER transient heat loads on divertor surfaces

The paper presents the investigations of high power plasma interaction with material surfaces under conditions simulating the ITER disruptions and type I ELMs. Different materials were exposed to plasma with repetitive pulses of 250 µs duration, the ion energy of up to 0.6 keV, and the heat loads varying in the 0.5–25 MJ m−2 range. The plasma energy transfer to the material surface versus impact load has been analysed. The fraction of plasma energy that is absorbed by the target surface is rapidly decreased with the achievement of the evaporation onset for exposed targets. The distributions of evaporated material in front of the target surface and the thickness of the shielding layer are found to be strongly dependent on the target atomic mass. The surface analysis of tungsten targets exposed to quasi-steady-state plasma accelerators plasma streams is presented together with measurements of the melting onset load and evaporation threshold, and also of erosion patterns with increasing heat load and the number of plasma pulses.
Soil Properties Correlate with Microbial Community Structure in Qatari Arid Soils

Soil microbes perform a multitude of essential biological functions, including organic matter decomposition, nutrient cycling, and soil structure preservation. Qatar is one of the most hostile and fragile arid environments on earth and is expected to face a disproportionate impact of climate change in the coming years. ABSTRACT This is the first detailed characterization of the microbiota and chemistry of different arid habitats from the State of Qatar. Analysis of bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that in aggregate, the dominant microbial phyla were Actinobacteria (32.3%), Proteobacteria (24.8%), Firmicutes (20.7%), Bacteroidetes (6.3%), and Chloroflexi (3.6%), though individual soils varied widely in the relative abundances of these and other phyla. Alpha diversity measured using feature richness (operational taxonomic units [OTUs]), Shannon’s entropy, and Faith’s phylogenetic diversity (PD) varied significantly between habitats (P = 0.016, P = 0.016, and P = 0.015, respectively). Sand, clay, and silt were significantly correlated with microbial diversity. Highly significant negative correlations were also seen at the class level between both classes Actinobacteria and Thermoleophilia (phylum Actinobacteria) and total sodium (R = −0.82 and P = 0.001 and R = −0.86, P = 0.000, respectively) and slowly available sodium (R = −0.81 and P = 0.001 and R = −0.8 and P = 0.002, respectively). Additionally, class Actinobacteria also showed significant negative correlation with sodium/calcium ratio (R = −0.81 and P = 0.001). More work is needed to understand if there is a causal relationship between these soil chemical parameters and the relative abundances of these bacteria. IMPORTANCE Soil microbes perform a multitude of essential biological functions, including organic matter decomposition, nutrient cycling, and soil structure preservation. Qatar is one of the most hostile and fragile arid environments on earth and is expected to face a disproportionate impact of climate change in the coming years. Thus, it is critical to establish a baseline understanding of microbial community composition and to assess how soil edaphic factors correlate with microbial community composition in this region. Although some previous studies have quantified culturable microbes in specific Qatari habitats, this approach has serious limitations, as in environmental samples, approximately only 0.5% of cells are culturable. Hence, this method vastly underestimates natural diversity within these habitats. Our study is the first to systematically characterize the chemistry and total microbiota associated with different habitats present in the State of Qatar.
Limited sampling strategy to predict free mycophenolic acid area under the concentration–time curve in paediatric patients with nephrotic syndrome

In paediatric patients, there is no data on the recommended area under the concentration–time curve from 0 to 12 h (AUC0−12) for free mycophenolic acid (fMPA), which is the active form of the drug, responsible for the pharmacological effect. We decided to establish the limited sampling strategy (LSS) for fMPA for its use in MPA therapeutic monitoring in children with nephrotic syndrome treated with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF). This study included 23 children (aged 11 ± 4 years) from whom eight blood samples were collected within 12 h after MMF administration. The fMPA was determined using the high‐performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection method. LSSs were estimated with the use of R software and bootstrap procedure. The best model was chosen based on a number of profiles with AUC predicted within ± 20% of AUC0−12 (good guess), r2, mean prediction error (%MPE) of ±10% and mean absolute error (%MAE) of less than 25%. The fMPA AUC0−12 was 0.1669 ± 0.0697 μg h/mL and the free fraction was within 0.16%–0.81%. In total, there were 92 equations developed of which five fulfilled the acceptance criteria for %MPE, %MAE, good guess >80% and r2 > 0.900. These equations consisted of three time points: model 1 (C1, C2, C6), model 2 (C1, C3, C6), model 3 (C1, C4, C6), model 5 (C0, C1, C2), and model 6 (C1, C2, C9). Although blood sampling up to 9 h after MMF dosing is impractical, it is crucial to include C6 or C9 in LSS to assess fMPA AUCpred correctly. The most practical fMPA LSS, which fulfilled the acceptance criteria in the estimation group, was fMPA AUCpred = 0.040 + 2.220 × C0 + 1.130 × C1 + 1.742 × C2. Further studies should define the recommended fMPA AUC0−12 value in children with nephrotic syndrome.
The influence of foreperiod duration on the preparation and control of sequential aiming movements

Reaction time (RT) and movement times (MTs) to the first target are typically longer for two-target sequential movements compared to one-target movements. While this one-target advantage has been shown to be dependent on the availability of advance information about the numbers of targets, there has been no systematic investigation of how foreperiod duration (i.e., interval between presentation of the target(s) and stimulus) influences the planning and execution of sequential movements. Two experiments were performed to examine how the one-target advantage is influenced by the availability and timing of advance target information. In Experiment 1, participants performed one- and two-target movements in two separate blocks. In Experiment 2, target conditions were randomised from trial to trial. The interval between target(s) appearing and stimulus tone (i.e., foreperiod) was varied randomly (0, 500, 1,000, 1,500, and 2,000 ms). The results of Experiment 1 revealed that while the one-target advantage in RT was not influenced by foreperiod duration, the one-target advantage in MT increased as foreperiod duration increased. The variability of endpoints at the first target was greater in the two- compared to one-target condition. In Experiment 2, the one-target advantage in both RT and MT increased as the length of the foreperiod increased. However, there was no difference in limb trajectory variability between target conditions. The implication of these findings for theories of motor planning and execution of multiple segment movements is discussed.
Chinese Diaspora Communities’ Knowledge of and Engagement with Advance Care Planning: A Systematic Integrative Review

Objectives: To synthesize evidence regarding Chinese diasporas’ understanding, experience, and factors influencing engagement with advance care planning. Methods: A systematic integrative review using content analysis. Seven electronic databases (Embase, CINAHL, SCOPUS, Web of Science, Medline (OVID), PsycINFo, and The Cochrane Library) and gray resources were searched for studies from January 1990 to March 2022. Study quality appraisal was undertaken. Results: 27 articles were identified and rated as moderate to good. Two overarching and interrelated themes were identified, “Awareness and knowledge” and “Engagement with advance care planning. ” There are low levels of awareness, knowledge and engagement with advance care planning for Chinese diaspora. Findings highlight that this is influenced by two key factors. First, the geographic context and legal, cultural, and social systems within which the Chinese diasporas are living act as a potential catalyst to enhance awareness and engagement with advance care planning. Second, aspects of Chinese diasporas’ original culture, such as filial piety and a taboo surrounding death, were reported to negatively affect the promotion and engagement of advance care planning. Significance of Results: Chinese diasporas are intermediaries between two divergent cultures that intertwine to strongly influence engagement with advance care planning. Hence, a bespoke culturally tailored approach should be accommodated in future research and practice for Chinese communities in multicultural countries to further advance palliative and end-of-life care awareness among this group.
Cardiac Arrest and Neurologic Recovery: Insights from the Case of Mr. Damar Hamlin

The association between brain injury after cardiac arrest and poor survival outcomes has led to longstanding pessimism. However, the publicly witnessed cardiac arrest, resuscitation, and acute management of Mr. Damar Hamlin and his favorable neurologic recovery provides some optimism. Mr. Hamlin's case highlights the neurologic advances of the last 2 decades and presents the opportunity to improve outcomes for all cardiac arrest patients in key areas: (1) effectively implementing the American Heart Association “Chain of Survival” to prevent initial brain injury and promote neuroprotection; (2) revisiting the process of neurologic prognostication and re‐defining the brain recovery during the early periods, and (3) incorporating neurorehabilitation into existing cardiac rehabilitation models to support holistic recovery. ANN NEUROL 2023;93:871–876
Accuracy and capability of tri-ponderal mass index in assessing cardio-metabolic risk factors in Chinese children and adolescents aged 3 to 17 years, compared with body mass index

Background: Tri-ponderal mass index (TMI) has been reported to be a more accurate estimate of body fat than body mass index (BMI). This study aims to compare the effectiveness of TMI and BMI in identifying hypertension, dyslipidemia, impaired fasting glucose (IFG), abdominal obesity, and clustered cardio-metabolic risk factors (CMRFs) in 3- to 17-year-old children. Methods: A total of 1587 children aged 3 to 17 years were included. Logistic regression was used to evaluate correlations between BMI and TMI. Area under the curves (AUCs) were used to compare discriminative capability among indicators. BMI was converted to BMI-z scores, and accuracy was compared by false-positive rate, false-negative rate, and total misclassification rate. Results: Among children aged 3 to 17 years, the mean TMI was 13.57 ± 2.50 kg/m3 for boys and 13.3 ± 2.33 kg/m3 for girls. Odds ratios (ORs) of TMI for hypertension, dyslipidemia, abdominal obesity, and clustered CMRFs ranged from 1.13 to 3.15, higher than BMI, whose ORs ranged from 1.08 to 2.98. AUCs showed similar ability of TMI (AUC: 0.83) and BMI (AUC: 0.85) in identifying clustered CMRFs. For abdominal obesity and hypertension, the AUC of TMI was 0.92 and 0.64, respectively, which was significantly better than that of BMI, 0.85 and 0.61. AUCs of TMI for dyslipidemia and IFG were 0.58 and 0.49. When 85th and 95th of TMI were set as thresholds, total misclassification rates of TMI for clustered CMRFs ranged from 6.5% to 16.4%, which was not significantly different from that of BMI-z scores standardized according to World Health Organization criteria. Conclusions: TMI was found to have equal or even better effectiveness in comparison with BMI in identifying hypertension, abdominal obesity, and clustered CMRFs TMI was more stable than BMI in 3- to 17-year-old children, while it failed to identify dyslipidemia and IFG. It is worth considering the use of TMI for screening CMRFs in children and adolescents.
Impacts Over Time of Neighborhood-Scale Interventions to Control Ticks and Tick-Borne Disease Incidence

Background: Controlling populations of ticks with biological or chemical acaricides is often advocated as a means of reducing human exposure to tick-borne diseases. Reducing tick abundance is expected to decrease immediate risk of tick encounters and disrupt pathogen transmission cycles, potentially reducing future exposure risk. Materials and Methods: We designed a placebo-controlled, randomized multiyear study to assess whether two methods of controlling ticks—tick control system (TCS) bait boxes and Met52 spray—reduced tick abundance, tick encounters with people and outdoor pets, and reported cases of tick-borne diseases. The study was conducted in 24 residential neighborhoods in a Lyme disease endemic zone in New York State. We tested the hypotheses that TCS bait boxes and Met52, alone or together, would be associated with increasing reductions in tick abundance, tick encounters, and cases of tick-borne disease over the 4–5 years of the study. Results: In neighborhoods with active TCS bait boxes, populations of blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) were not reduced over time in any of the three habitat types tested (forest, lawn, shrub/garden). There was no significant effect of Met52 on tick abundance overall, and there was no evidence for a compounding effect over time. Similarly, we observed no significant effect of either of the two tick control methods, used singly or together, on tick encounters or on reported cases of tick-borne diseases in humans overall, and there was no compounding effect over time. Thus, our hypothesis that effects of interventions would accumulate through time was not supported. Conclusions: The apparent inability of the selected tick control methods to reduce risk and incidence of tick-borne diseases after years of use requires further consideration.