Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Easy-to-Implement Clinical-Trial Frailty Index Based on Accumulation of Deficits: Validation in Zoster Vaccine Clinical Trials

Purpose Despite being among those most in need of protection, frail older adults are often not well represented in clinical trials. Although frailty likely influences responses to treatments and vaccines, frailty may not be explicitly considered in trials even when frail participants are enrolled due to the perception that frailty is difficult to measure effectively and efficiently without adding to participant or data collection burden. We developed an easy-to-implement frailty index, the Clinical Trial-Frailty Index (CT-FI), based on baseline medical history and standard patient-reported outcomes using data from clinical trials of recombinant Zoster vaccine (the ZOE-50 and ZOE-70 studies). Our objective was to demonstrate that the CT-FI is a robust measure that may be used retrospectively or prospectively in clinical trials where sufficient patient data have been collected. Methods The CT-FI was based on baseline medical history and Quality of Life questionnaires (SF-36 and EQ-5D). Items meeting criteria for inclusion were scored from 0 to 1, then summed for each participant and divided by the total number of deficits considered. Validation analyses included descriptive verification of distribution and age- and sex-associations in relation to usual patterns of the frailty index, regressions in relation to outcomes hypothesized to be related to frailty, and resampling methods within the index. Results The CT-FI distribution was well represented by a gamma distribution with a range of 0–0.70. Deficit accumulation increased with chronological age and was higher for females. Multivariate Cox regression survival analysis showed that the CT-FI, age, and sex were significant predictors of mortality. Jackknife and Bootstrap resampling methods highlighted the robustness of the CT-FI, which was not sensitive to inclusion/exclusion of specific individual or groups of variables. Conclusion We have developed a reliable, robust and easy-to-implement CT-FI with potential retrospective or prospective application in other clinical trials.
Astrogliosis in aging and Parkinson’s disease dementia: a new clinical study with 11C-BU99008 PET

Abstract The role of astrogliosis in the pathology of brain aging and neurodegenerative diseases has recently drawn great attention. Imidazoline-2 binding sites represent a possible target to map the distribution of reactive astrocytes. In this study, we use 11C-BU99008, an imidazoline-2 binding sites-specific PET radioligand, to image reactive astrocytes in vivo in healthy controls and patients with established Parkinson’s disease dementia. Eighteen healthy controls (age: 45–78 years) and six patients with Parkinson’s disease dementia (age: 64–77 years) had one 11C-BU99008 PET-CT scan with arterial input function. All subjects underwent one 3 T MRI brain scan to facilitate the analysis of the PET data and to capture individual cerebral atrophy. Regional 11C-BU99008 volumes of distribution were calculated for each subject by the two-tissue compartmental modelling. Positive correlations between 11C-BU99008 volumes of distribution values and age were found for all tested regions across the brain within healthy controls (P < 0.05); furthermore, multiple regression indicated that aging affects 11C-BU99008 volumes of distribution values in a region-specific manner. Independent samples t-test indicated that there was no significant group difference in 11C-BU99008 volumes of distribution values between Parkinson’s disease dementia (n = 6; mean age = 71.97 ± 4.66 years) and older healthy controls (n = 9; mean age = 71.90 ± 5.51 years). Our data set shows that astrogliosis is common with aging in a region-specific manner. However, in this set-up, 11C-BU99008 PET cannot differentiate patients with Parkinson’s disease dementia from healthy controls of similar age.
FLEXIBLE INTRAMEDULLARY NAILS FOR FIXATION OF ADOLESCENT DIAPHYSEAL TIBIAL SHAFT FRACTURES

Background: Diaphyseal tibial shaft fractures are the second most common fracture in hospitalized children resulting from both high and low energy trauma. Operative treatment requires implants that do not violate open physes and have less complications rate than traditional treatment methods. Flexible intramedullary nails had gained popularity for treatment of paediatric diaphyseal tibial shaft fractures. Patients and Methods: 45 patients with diaphyseal tibial fracture were treated by flexible intramedullary nails. There were 30 male and 15 females. The youngest patient in our study was 10 years old while the oldest was 18 years old. Functional and radiological evaluations were done for all patients at the last follow up. Results: Most common mechanism of injury was road traffic accident followed by falling from height. 62.2 % of the cases had simple fracture (28 patient) while 26.7% of cases (12 patients) had type I open fractures and 11.1 % of the cases (5 patients) had type II open fractures. All fractures achieved full fracture union at a mean of 12 week with range from 10 to 18 week. Two cases suffered from nonunion that treated later on by bone grafting. One patient had postoperative fracture angulation. Conclusion: Flexible intramedullary nails can be used safely in adolescents with satisfactory results. It provides acceptable fracture redction and rapid healing with an acceptable rate of complications and return to unrestricted physical activity.
Reduction of Postharvest Losses of Strawberry Fruits from Gray Mold1

Development of gray mold rot, caused by Botrytis cinerea Pers. ex Fr. , in strawberry fruits during expedited cross-country truck transport and marketing periods of ca. 7 days at 5°C resulted mostly from preharvest infections. Postharvest infections occurred occasionally when healthy fruits were appressed against the lesion of a diseased fruit. Under the same conditions, postharvest conidial inoculations failed to produce visible lesions unless massive inoculum was used. Improved quality control at harvest, prompt cooling, and reduction of transit temperatures appeared to offer opportunities for disease reduction.
Adherence to eHealth-Delivered Exercise in Adults with no Specific Health Conditions: A Scoping Review on a Conceptual Challenge

Adherence has emerged as a focal point and critical determinant of success for physical activity interventions. The term is used for both traditional and digital interventions, and for prescribed and nonprescribed activities. Many other terms for adherence are being used interchangeably, as there is no consensus on its precise conceptualization. This scoping review aimed to advance the definition of adherence to eHealth programs, specifically for the adult population with no specific health conditions. A total of 2983 papers, published between 1 January 2016 and 13 March 2022, were retrieved from different databases (including grey literature). Of those, 13 studies met the eligibility criteria and were included for review. The selected studies used a wide array of technologies and consisted mainly of exercise interventions. Most of the reviewed publications contemplated exercise adherence as a percentage of expected dose. Most (8 out of 13) studies neither assessed nor specified an expected use of the involved technology. Results suggest a need for homogeneity in the conceptualization of adherence to physical activity and exercise, including those interventions delivered digitally.
Non-Surgical and Rehabilitative Interventions in Patients with Frozen Shoulder: Umbrella Review of Systematic Reviews

Background Frozen shoulder (FS) is a painful condition characterized by progressive loss of shoulder function with passive and active range of motion reduction. To date, there is still no consensus regarding its rehabilitative treatment for pain management. Purpose The aim of this umbrella review of systematic reviews was to analyze the literature, investigating the effects of non-surgical and rehabilitative interventions in patients suffering from FS. Patients and Methods A review of the scientific literature was carried out from 2010 until April 2020 using the following search databases: PubMed, Medline, PEDro, Scopus and Cochrane Library of Systematic Reviews. A combination of terms was used for the search: frozen shoulder OR adhesive capsulitis AND systematic review OR meta-analysis AND rehabilitation NOT surgery NOT surgical intervention. We included systematic reviews that specifically dealt with adults with FS, treated with non-surgical approaches. All the systematic reviews and meta-analyses included in the study that met the inclusion criteria were assessed using the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews as a quality assessment tool. Results Out of 49 studies, only 14 systematic reviews respected the eligibility criteria and were included in this study. Their results showed an important heterogeneity of the studies and all of them agree on the lack of high-quality scientific work to prove unequivocally which rehabilitative treatment is better than the other. Due to this lack of gold standard criteria, there may be also a heterogeneity in the diagnosis of the reviews analyzed. Conclusion Non-surgical and rehabilitative interventions are undoubtedly effective in treating FS, but there is no evidence that one approach is more effective than the other regarding the methods reported. Future high-quality RCTs are needed to standardize the treatment modalities of each physiotherapy intervention to provide strong recommendations in favor.
Analysis respons to the implementation of nuclear installations safety culture using AHP-TOPSIS

An analysis of responses to the implementation of nuclear installations safety culture has been done using AHP (Analitic Hierarchy Process) - TOPSIS (Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution). Safety culture is considered as collective commitments of the decision-making level, management level, and individual level. Thus each level will provide a subjective perspective as an alternative approach to implementation. Furthermore safety culture is considered by the statement of five characteristics which in more detail form consist of 37 attributes, and therefore can be expressed as multi-attribute state. Those characteristics and or attributes will be a criterion and its value is difficult to determine. Those criteria of course, will determine and strongly influence the implementation of the corresponding safety culture. To determine the pattern and magnitude of the influence is done by using a TOPSIS that is based on decision matrix approach and is composed of alternatives and criteria. The weight of each criterion is determined by AHP technique. The data used are data collected through questionnaires at the workshop on safety and health in 2015. Reliability test of data gives Cronbah Alpha value of 95.5% which according to the criteria is stated reliable. Validity test using bivariate correlation analysis technique between each attribute give Pearson correlation for all attribute is significant at level 0,01. Using confirmatory factor analysis gives Kaise-Meyer-Olkin of sampling Adequacy (KMO) is 0.719 and it is greater than the acceptance criterion 0.5 as well as the 0.000 significance level much smaller than 0.05 and stated that further analysis could be performed. As a result of the analysis it is found that responses from the level of decision maker (second echelon) dominate the best order preference rank to be the best solution in strengthening the nuclear installation safety culture, except for the first characteristics, safety is a clearly recognized value. The rank of preference order is obtained sequentially according to the level of policy maker, management and individual or staff.
Evaluation of stress distribution in bolted steel angles under tension

The stress distribution in the vicinity of connections in a bolted steel angle is non-uniform because of the coupled effects of connection eccentricity, shear lag and stress concentrations. Although, some researchers have attempted finite element analysis, stipulations in various codes and specifications regarding the design of angle tension members are primarily based on the experimental studies. Only a couple of previous studies has included geometric as well as material non-linear effects in such finite element analysis. This paper presents the state-of-the-art review of finite element techniques used in modelling the angle tension members with bolted connections. This review is followed by a non-linear finite element analysis so as to obtain the stress distributions in the vicinity of connections, at design loads. This stress distribution is then evaluated to draw several realistic conclusions.
Study the Effect of Some Engineering Factors on the Performance of an Integrated Aquaponic Unit

Aquaponic system is one of the modern systems that have been used to make the most of the water, in addition to integrating the agriculture of plants and fish together in one production system. It is an innovative, sustainable technology and environmentally friendly. The main objectives of this study are to evaluate the growth performance of Nile tilapia under the aquaponic system for a period of 42 days and to examine the effect of system type (aquaponic and hydroponic systems) and water flow rate of (0.5, 1.5 and 2.5 L/min) on the growth performance of lettuce plants grown in deep water culture technique (DWC) and nutrient film technique (NFT). The obtained results for fish indicated that fish weight, fish length and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were increased during the experimental periods. The results obtained for lettuce plants indicated that root length of the lettuce gradually increased with increasing water flow rates and growth period. the root growth rate was higher in aquaponic system than in hydroponic system. The nutrients consumption rate, water use efficiency and lettuce yield were increased with an increase in the water flow rate from 0.5 to 1.5 L/min and a decrease in the water flow rate from 1.5 to 2.5 L/min. The former parameters were higher in the hydroponic system than in the aquaponic system except for the rate of sodium consumption. The hydraulic loading rate was increased with increasing the water flow rate while the nutrient uptake time decreased with increasing the water
Effect of water temperature on concrete properties

This paper describes the effect of water temperature during casting and curing of concrete on concrete properties. The concrete specimens were casted and cured under different water temperatures and then the properties of concrete were tested. The tests include slump, compressive strength, rebound hammer, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) and water absorption. The results of this research show that high water temperature used in concrete production will reduce the strength and quality of concrete. Presence of hot water in concrete mixture leads to defects and failure in the concrete in the hardened state. It is concluded that concrete should be prepared by using water temperatures in the range between 20°C to 35°C in order to obtain good quality concrete.
Patients with Metachronous Peritoneal Metastatic Mucinous Colorectal Adenocarcinoma Benefit More from Cytoreductive Surgery (CRS) and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC) than Their Synchronous Counterparts

Simple Summary Mucinous adenocarcinoma develops in 10–20% of all colorectal cancer (CRC) cases. This subtype is characterized by its worse clinicopathological features, including but not limited to more advanced stages at the time of tumor diagnosis, it being more frequent in the proximal colon, it showing mutation more frequently in CRC-specific protooncogenes, and its impaired response rate to various oncological treatments. Although several studies have investigated the benefits of cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS + HIPEC) in peritoneal metastatic CRC, limited data exist on the effect of mucinous CRC. Therefore, a retrospective study was conducted, and the following novel results were obtained. CRS + HIPEC is advantageous for both mucinous and non-mucinous CRC in metachronous cases, but the same cannot be said for those patients with synchronous metastases: the survival of mucinous CRC patients with synchronous peritoneal metastases was significantly worse despite the use of CRS + HPEC treatment. Abstract Background: Mucinous adenocarcinoma is a frequent subtype in colorectal cancer (CRC). A higher initial T-stage, poorer differentiation, worse response to anti-tumor therapies, and shorter survival are characteristic of mucinous CRC. Moreover, the therapeutic benefit of cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS + HIPEC) in mucinous CRC has not been significantly investigated. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 218 CRC patients with synchronous or metachronous peritoneal metastases was conducted. Results: 129 and 89 patients had synchronous and metachronous metastases, and 36 (27.8%) and 22 (24.8%) of these were mucinous CRC, respectively. Mucinous CRC was more frequent in the proximal colon, with a higher T-stage and N-stage and with an average peritoneal carcinomatosis index that was 2 values higher. Disease-specific survival was significantly worse in the synchronous mucinous group (median survival: 22.4 months vs. 36.3 months, p = 0.0229). In contrast, no such difference was observed in the metachronous cohort (32.6 months vs. 34.4 months, p = 0.6490). Conclusions: In the case of synchronous peritoneal metastases originating from mucinous CRC, the positive effect of CRS+HIPEC cannot be verified, and the added value of this highly invasive treatment is therefore somewhat questioned. However, CRS + HIPEC is recommended for metachronous metastases, since no difference between the two CRC-subtypes could be verified.
Linking Perceived Corporate Social Responsibility and Employee Well-Being—A Eudaimonia Perspective

In recent decades, there has been a shift at the organizational and individual level from merely pursuing financial goals to bearing corporate social responsibility (CSR) and towards finding meaning in one’s work. In light of this, there is a need for a comprehensive understanding of the influence of CSR on employees’ eudaimonic well-being. Firstly, a conceptualization of job-related eudaimonic well-being was proposed. The data provided evidence that job-related eudaimonic well-being comprises aspects such as job self-efficacy, meaningful work, job autonomy, job-related aspiration, job involvement, and positive relationships with others. Second, based on the literature and qualitative data, this study examined and shed light on the relationship between employee perceptions of CSR and eudaimonic well-being in the work context. A theoretical framework was established to illustrate this relationship. I find that companies’ CSR commitment to stakeholders as perceived by employees positively affects employees’ eudaimonic well-being at work. Specifically, employees perceive internal CSR practices to positively influence work meaningfulness, job autonomy, job involvement, and job aspiration. Additionally, the results show that employees seem to experience closer job involvement when they perceive their business as engaging in CSR for customers, community stakeholders, and the environment. The influence of perceived CSR on the eudaimonic well-being of employees can be affected by boundary conditions, namely leadership’s role and companies’ motives for engaging in CSR. I propose avenues for future research and offer practical guidelines for managers.
Validating the MUSIC Model of Academic Motivation Inventory: Evidence for the Short Forms of the College Student Version

The purpose of this study was to investigate the validity evidence for the use of the 19-item and 20-item short forms of the MUSIC Model of Academic Motivation Inventory (College Student version) with undergraduate students. These shorter forms of the MUSIC Inventory could be beneficial to teachers and researchers. Our analysis included inventory responses from 2951 undergraduate students in 32 courses at a large public university in the Southeastern United States. Validity evidence for the scores was based on our examination of three types of validity inference: scoring, generalization, and extrapolation. We compared the short and long forms of the MUSIC Inventory using descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s alpha values, Pearson’s correlation coefficients, and fit indices from factor analyses. We were able to confirm all five of the validation hypotheses, thus demonstrating that the short forms of the MUSIC Inventory can provide scores that are valid for use with undergraduate students.
Real Talk: A Realist Dialogic Approach in a Realist Evaluation

Realist evaluation is a method increasingly adopted to provide an understanding of how and why a program works, for whom, and under what circumstances. Initial program theories (IPT) are the crucial starting point of any realist evaluation, however descriptions about how they are developed in practice remain under-reported in the published literature. This article argues for the value of genuine research-group conversations using David Bohm’s concept of dialogue in realist research. We label it the realist dialogic approach. We draw out the relational qualities as well as the contextual circumstances of dialogue through our development of IPT and interview guides for a research study on the implementation and scaling of a large-system value-based program to transform complex health services. We selected the relevant middle-range theories, conducted a literature review, and drew on informal discussions with key stakeholders, to develop IPT through research-group conversations. The benefits of this approach were: 1) development of rigorous, novel, deep and well-tailored IPT, 2) detailed understanding of the complex intervention under investigation and development of rapport and networks with participants, 3) empirically grounded Context-Mechanism-Outcome (CMO) configurations, predicated on suitable abstract and contextually-contingent middle-range theories, and 4) productive research team interactions which supported the entire research process. The challenges of this approach include: 1) establishing and retaining a sense of humility across the research team, 2) contextual circumstances can hinder dialogic relationship, and 3) time and resource heavy. This paper uses middle-range theory and ethnographic insights to advance the existing practice of realist evaluations and offer transferable lessons to other scholars considering similar approaches. Moreover, we content that the use of middle-range theory to extend the methodological literature is a novel contribution to realist work.