Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Utility and safety of airway stenting in airway stenosis after lung transplant: A systematic review

Background Airway complications seriously affect the clinical outcomes and long-term prognosis of lung-transplantation patients. Airway stenting provides effective palliation for patients with airway stenosis. However, a lack of consensus regarding the efficacy and safety of airway stents in airway stenosis after lung transplantation. This study critically evaluated all available evidence regarding this concern. Methods We retrieved studies from EMBASE, PubMed, and Cochrane Library databases. Studies were included if they reported baseline characteristics of airway complications after lung transplantation, stenting for airway stenosis, or prognosis. Results In total, 279 papers were screened and 17 papers were included in final analysis. The short-term efficacy of airway stenting was assessed in almost all studies, with immediate palliation in symptom and improved pulmonary function reported. Eleven of the included studies evaluated the long-term efficacy of stent therapy, with no distinct lung function. The median overall survival time was 1,124 (95% confidence interval 415–1,833) days in stented patients only. Stent-related complications are common regardless of the material; However, serious complications are rare and can be improved with routine management. Conclusion We demonstrated that airway stenting is a safe and effective method to treat airway stenosis after lung transplantation. The short-term effect was significant, while the long-term efficacy on survival rate needed further investigations. Systematic review registration www.crd. york.ac. uk/prospero/, identifier: CRD42022364427.
Exploring First Responders’ Use and Perceptions on Continuous Health and Environmental Monitoring

First responders lose their lives in the line of duty each year, and many of these deaths result from strenuous physical exertion and exposure to harmful environmental agents. Continuous health monitoring may detect diseases and alert the first responder when vital signs are reaching critical levels. However, continuous monitoring must be acceptable to first responders. The purpose of this study was to discover first responders’ current use of wearable technology, their perceptions of what health and environmental indicators should be monitored, and who should be permitted to monitor them. The survey was sent to 645 first responders employed by 24 local fire department stations. A total of 115 (17.8%) first responders answered the survey and 112 were used for analysis. Results found first responders perceived a need for health and environmental monitoring. The health and environmental indicators that respondents perceived as most important for monitoring in the field were heart rate (98.2%) and carbon monoxide (100%), respectively. Overall, using and wearing monitoring devices was not age-dependent and health and environmental concerns were important for first responders at any stage of their career. However, current wearable technology does not seem to be a viable solution for first responders due to device expense and durability issues.
Kant’s philosophy as the development of the intentions of enlightenment

Ernst Cassirer in his The Philosophy of the Enlightenment writes of Kant’s overcoming of the Enlightenment yet giving its deepest justification. This justification came in the form of epistemology which transformed the modern worldview, handing its form and content over to science. The medieval theistic worldview had to be cleansed from miracles and mysticism and give way to a scientific worldview. However, the Enlighteners, though initiating this movement, could not follow it through and failed to break the ties to theology. This was true in psychology, epistemology, philosophy of history and religion, law and the state. Kant’s role was to complete this task. His philosophy is built upon the principle of the material unity of the world. This required the creation of transcendental anthropology which resolved the problem of the human being and the natural foundations of reason – the problem that had puzzled the most prominent thinkers of the Enlightenment. The principle of the material unity of the world is consistently maintained from the first Critique to the Opus Postumum, making Kant’s system monistic. In order to maintain this unity, Kant had to subordinate formal logic to transcendental logic which made extensive use of the antinomical dialectic, the principle of the relativity of rational thinking, including the relativity of such ideas of reason as object and subject. Kant’s effort resulted in human nature’s being presented as part of the whole of nature, and so the limit of Enlightenment thinking was overcome.
The Respiratory Commensal Bacterium Corynebacterium pseudodiphtheriticum as a Mucosal Adjuvant for Nasal Vaccines

Previously, we demonstrated that nasally administered Corynebacterium pseudodiphtheriticum 090104 (Cp) or its bacterium-like particles (BLPs) increase the resistance of mice against bacterial and viral respiratory pathogens by modulating the innate immunity. In this work, we evaluated the ability of Cp and BLPs to stimulate alveolar macrophages, and to enhance the humoral immune response induced by a commercial vaccine against Streptococcus pneumoniae. In the first set of experiments, Cp or the BLPs were incubated with primary cultures of murine alveolar macrophages and the phagocytic activity, and the production of cytokines was evaluated. The results revealed that Cp and BLPs were efficiently phagocyted by respiratory macrophages and that both treatments triggered the production of TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-6, and IL-1β. In the second set of experiments, 3-week-old Swiss mice were intranasally immunized at days 0, 14, and 28 with the pneumococcal vaccine Prevenar®13 (PCV), Cp + PCV, or BLPs + PCV. On day 33, samples of bronco-alveolar lavages (BAL) and serum were collected for the study of specific antibodies. In addition, immunized mice were challenged with S. pneumoniae serotypes 6B or 19F on day 33 and sacrificed on day 35 (day 2 post-infection) to evaluate the resistance to the infection. Both Cp + PCV and BLPs + PCV groups had higher specific serum IgG and BAL IgA antibodies than the PCV control mice. In addition, the mice that were immunized with Cp + PCV or BLPs + PCV had lower lung and blood pneumococcal cell counts as well as lower levels of BAL albumin and LDH, indicating a reduced lung damage compared to the control mice. Improved levels of anti-pneumococcal antibodies were also detected in the serum and BAL samples after the challenges with the pathogens. The results demonstrated that C. pseudodiphtheriticum 090104 and its bacterium-like particles are capable of stimulating the respiratory innate immune system serving as adjuvants to potentiate the adaptive humoral immune response. Our study is a step forward in the positioning of this respiratory commensal bacterium as a promising mucosal adjuvant for vaccine formulations aimed at combating respiratory infectious diseases.
Measuring Patient Experience and Patient Satisfaction—How Are We Doing It and Why Does It Matter? A Comparison of European and U.S. American Approaches

(1) Background: Patients’ experiences and satisfaction with their treatment are becoming increasingly important in the context of quality assurance, but the measurement of these parameters is accompanied by several disadvantages such as poor cross-country comparability and methodological problems. The aim of this review is to describe and summarize the process of measuring, publishing, and utilizing patient experience and satisfaction data in countries with highly developed healthcare systems in Europe (Germany, Sweden, Finland, Norway, the United Kingdom) and the USA to identify possible approaches for improvement. (2) Methods: Articles published between 2000 and 2021 that address the topics described were identified. Furthermore, patient feedback in social media and the influence of sociodemographic and hospital characteristics on patient satisfaction and experience were evaluated. (3) Results: The literature reveals that all countries perform well in collecting patient satisfaction and experience data and making them publicly available. However, due to the use of various different questionnaires, comparability of the results is difficult, and consequences drawn from these data remain largely unclear. (4) Conclusions: Surveying patient experience and satisfaction with more unified as well as regularly updated questionnaires would be helpful to eliminate some of the described problems. Additionally, social media platforms must be considered as an increasingly important source to expand the range of patient feedback.
Stratified Item Selection and Exposure Control in Unidimensional Adaptive Testing in the Presence of Two-Dimensional Data

It is not uncommon to use unidimensional item response theory models to estimate ability in multidimensional data with computerized adaptive testing (CAT). The current Monte Carlo study investigated the penalty of this model misspecification in CAT implementations using different item selection methods and exposure control strategies. Three item selection methods—maximum information (MAXI), a-stratification (STRA), and a-stratification with b-blocking (STRB) with and without Sympson–Hetter (SH) exposure control strategy—were investigated. Calibrating multidimensional items as unidimensional items resulted in inaccurate item parameter estimates. Therefore, MAXI performed better than STRA and STRB in estimating the ability parameters. However, all three methods had relatively large standard errors. SH exposure control had no impact on the number of overexposed items. Existing unidimensional CAT implementations might consider using MAXI only if recalibration as multidimensional model is too expensive. Otherwise, building a CAT pool by calibrating multidimensional data as unidimensional is not recommended.
Elliptic Fourier Analysis (EFA) and Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) for the identification of grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) genotypes

The potential application of the Elliptic Fourier Analysis (EFA) for the objective quantitative description of leaf morphology, combined with the use of a Back-propagation Neural Network (BPNN) for data modelling, was evaluated to characterize and identifiy 12 Sangiovese-related accessions ( Vitis vinifera L.). The results enable us to distinguish, with considerable certainty, between 10 accessions. Cluster analysis revealed the existence of a uniform group for the Prugnolo (acerbo, medio and dolce) ecotypes showing a high degree of relatedness. Among all accessions only the so-called Casentino ecotype significantly diverged from all the others, indicating probably a different origin. The application of EFA coupled with the use of artificial neural networks opens interesting prospects for the characterization of varieties, allowing to study differences and/or relationships which can not be detected by standard ampelographic systems.
Circadian, feeding, and locomotor activities of artificially reared lambs measured by actigraphy

ABSTRACT Eight artificially reared lambs were used to study locomotory and feeding activities in the first three weeks of life by actigraphy. Lambs were fitted with a Bluetooth-enabled (BT) accelerometer and data were downloaded as activity counts at 1-min intervals (Vector Magnitude, VM). Sensors were programmed to act as beacons, and two sensors programmed as receivers were installed next to the rubber nipples of the milk feeder and recorded the serial numbers and labels of other nearby beacons through the BT signals. Mean (±SE) VM was 140 ± 3 counts/min, and time of day and week had significant (P < 0.001) effects. Overall activity did not differ significantly between sexes (males: 139 ± 5; females: 142 ± 5). The proportion of lambs that exhibited a 24-h circadian rhythm decreased with age (week 1 = 75%, week 2 = 63%, week 3 = 50%). Mean number of suckling sessions/day was 3.7 ± 0.2, the mean number of minutes suckling/day was 12.5 ± 0.9, and mean number of minutes/meal was 3.5 ± 0.2. Males dedicated more time/meal than females (males: 4.1 ± 0.4; females: 3.0 ± 0.2 min; P < 0.05). In conclusion, actigraphy is a useful tool for investigating the locomotor and feeding behaviour of artificially reared lambs, which detected a reduction in the circadian rhythmicity and the number of suckling sessions with age.
Advances and trends in meningioma research over the last decade: A scientometric and visual analysis

Objective We conducted a scientometric and visual analysis of meningioma studies in the past ten years and discussed the current status and trends of meningioma research to provide a reference basis for conducting relevant clinical practice or research. Method A search of the topic of meningioma in the Web of Science Core Collection database was conducted for January 2012-December 2021. The scientometric tools CiteSpace (version 5.8.R3), VOS viewer (version 1.6.17), and the Bibliometrix package of R software (version 4.2.1) were used to visualize and analyze the country of publication, institution, author, keywords, and cited literature of meningioma. Results A total of 10,397 documents related to meningioma were collected, of which 6,714 articles were analyzed. The annual analysis shows an increase in published articles, with an annual growth rate of 8.9%. 26,696 authors from 111 countries or regions were involved in publishing relevant studies. The country with the highest number of publications was the United States (1671), and the institution with the highest number of publications was the University of California, San Francisco (242). The keyword clustering of current studies can be grouped into five groups: meningioma characteristics and basic research, surgical treatment, radiation therapy, stereotactic radiosurgery, and management of complications. Keyword trend analysis shows that meningioma classification and molecular characteristics are emerging hotspots for meningioma research in recent years. Conclusion The scientometric and visual analysis demonstrated the research status and trends of meningioma. Over the past decade, meningioma research has focused on managing meningiomas with a predominance of surgical treatment and radiation therapy. At the same time, meningioma classification and molecular characteristics are emerging as current and possible research hotspots in the coming period.
Do the Pelvic and Thorax Movements Differ between the Sexes and Influence Golf Club Velocity in Junior Golfers?

The aim of this study was to determine the differences in golf swing execution in terms of the parameters of the pelvis and thorax movement between the sexes in junior golfers and their relation to the golf club velocity. Elite female and male players (age: 15.4 ± 1.0 and 15.8 ± 1.7 years, respectively) performed 10 golf swings with a driver under laboratory conditions. Pelvis and thorax movement parameters and golf club velocities were measured using a three-dimensional motion capture system. Statistical parametric mapping analysis of pelvis–thorax coupling revealed a significant difference (p < 0.05) between boys and girls during backswing. Analysis of variance showed a significant effect of sex on the parameters of maximal pelvic rotation (F = 6.28, p = 0.02), X-factor (F = 5.41, p = 0.03), and golf club velocity (F = 31.98, p < 0.01). No significant relationship was found between pelvis and thorax movement parameters and golf club velocity in the girls. We found a significant negative relationship between the parameters of maximal thorax rotation and golf club velocity (r = −0.941, p < 0.01) and between X-Factor and golf club velocity (r = −0.847, p < 0.05) in the boys. We suggest that these negative relationships in males were caused by the influence of hormones during their maturation and biological development, where there is decreased flexibility (lower shoulders rotation and X-factor) and growth of muscle strength (higher club head velocity).
Estimation of Finite Population Total in the Face of Missing Values Using Model Calibration and Model Assistance on Semiparametric and Nonparametric Models

Estimation of �nite population total using model calibration and model assistance on semiparametric and nonparametric models and in the presence of auxilliary information is considered. In particular, a class of estimators based on penalized splines are proposed for one stage and two stage sampling. Firstly, estimation of �nite population total using internal calibration, model calibration and model assistance on nonparametric models based on kernel methods have been consid- ered by several authors. We have considered such model calibration and model assistance estimation based on penalized splines and extended the estimation to two stage sampling. Secondly, estimation of �nite population total using inter- nal calibration and model assistance on semiparametric models based on kernel methods have also been considered by several authors. In this thesis, we have extended this to consinder model calibration, based the estimation on penalized splines and extended the estimation to two stage sampling consindering two sce- narios. In the �rst scenario, the auxilliary information is only available at the cluster level and in the second scenario, the auxilliary information is available both at the element level and at the cluster level. We have shown that the pro- posed estimators are robust in the face of misspeci�ed models, are asymptotic design unbiased, have reduced model bias, are consistent and asymptotic normal. We have shown that estimators based on penalized splines perform better than corresponding kernel based estimators while model calibrated estimators perform better than internally calibrated estimators. We also recommend some areas for further research.
Areal density limitation in bit-patterned, heat-assisted magnetic recording using FePtX media

The future evolution of magnetic recording data storage toward its ultimate limit is expected to involve a combination of energy-assisted recording on bit-patterned media, according to recent publications. In this work, we assess the effectiveness of single magnetic grain reversal under heat-assisted recording conditions by analyzing macrospin magnetization dynamics with the Landau-Lifshitz-Bloch equation. The simulations reported pertain to FePtX recording media and recording system parameters constrained by expected practical limitations. The approach adopted is assessment of the patterned media writing error rate as a function of applied bias field and areal density (AD), taking account of the relevant physics of the heat-assisted recording process. Additionally, we require that long-term thermal stability of recorded information be maintained, and that sufficient thermal and effective writing field gradients to support AD targets are available. For the long-time analysis, an Arrhenius-Neel model of si.
A new mechanism to maintain diversity in multi-objective metaheuristics

In this article, a new mechanism to spread the solutions generated by a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm is proposed. This approach is based on the use of stripes that are applied in objective function space and is independent of the search engine adopted. Additionally, it overcomes some of the drawbacks of other previous proposals such as the ϵ-dominance method. In order to validate the proposed approach, it is coupled to a multi-objective particle swarm optimizer and its performance is assessed with respect to that of state-of-the-art algorithms, using standard test problems and performance measures taken from the specialized literature. The results indicate that the proposed approach is a viable diversity maintenance mechanism that can be incorporated to any multi-objective metaheuristic used for multi-objective optimization.
Symptom Severity and Treatment Satisfaction in Patients with Idiopathic Hypersomnia: The Real World Idiopathic Hypersomnia Outcomes Study (ARISE)

Objective Idiopathic hypersomnia is a debilitating sleep disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness, sleep inertia, and prolonged sleep duration. The patient burden of idiopathic hypersomnia is poorly understood. The Real World Idiopathic Hypersomnia Outcomes Study (ARISE) evaluated symptoms and treatment effectiveness/satisfaction in participants with idiopathic hypersomnia. Methods ARISE was a United States–based virtual cross-sectional survey. Participants were adults 21–65 years of age with idiopathic hypersomnia recruited from social media, the Hypersomnia Foundation website, and a patient panel. Self-assessments included the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Idiopathic Hypersomnia Severity Scale (IHSS), Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medication, version II (TSQM-vII), and additional treatment questions. Data were analyzed for all participants and for subgroups with/without long sleep time (LST; ≥11 hours in 24 hours). Results Of 75 participants enrolled, most were female (81.3%). The mean (SD) age was 34.1 (10.7) years and 49% had LST. Most participants took off-label prescription medications (89.3%) and/or used other measures (93.3%) to manage their symptoms. The mean (SD) ESS score was 14.5 (3.5) and the mean IHSS score was 35.2 (7.6). Treatment satisfaction was low (mean [SD] TSQM-vII score: overall, 61.9 [21.2]; with LST, 57.9 [21.4]; without LST, 66.7 [20.3]), primarily driven by dissatisfaction with treatment effectiveness. The most common classes of prescription medications used were stimulants (61.3%), wake-promoting agents (28.0%), and antidepressants (18.7%); non-prescription measures used to manage symptoms included caffeine (73.3%), planned naps (34.7%), and individual accommodations (32.0%). Conclusion Overall, participants with idiopathic hypersomnia, with or without LST, had substantial symptom burden despite most of the study population taking off-label medications and using nonprescription measures to manage symptoms.
Severity reduction and private market distortion effects of voluntary and mandatory public annuity plans

Many economies have recently adopted the defined-contribution retirement financing system, but one disadvantage of this system is that retirees have to bear longevity risk. As a result, several economies have also introduced the public annuity plans. We analyze the similarities and differences between voluntary public annuity with ceiling (VPAc) plan and mandatory public annuity with flexibility (MPAf) plan that are empirically observed. Introducing either plan reduces the severity of adverse selection in public annuities, but further distorts the private annuity market. These two plans have systematically different effects on retirees’ utility levels: the good health group is adversely affected and the average health group benefits. On the other hand, the poor health group benefits from the VPAc plan but may be adversely affected under the MPAf plan.