Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The E ﬀ ects of Di ﬀ erent Degrees of Carbohydrate Restriction and Carbohydrate Replacement on Cardiometabolic Risk Markers in Humans—A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

: Low-carbohydrate diets (LCDs) often di ﬀ er in their diet composition, which may lead to conﬂicting results between randomized controlled trials. Therefore, we aimed to compare the e ﬀ ects of di ﬀ erent degrees of carbohydrate (CHO) restriction on cardiometabolic risk markers in humans. The experimental LCDs of 37 human trials were classiﬁed as (1) moderate-low CHO diets ( < 45–40 E%, n = 13), (2) low CHO diets ( < 40–30 E%, n = 16), and (3) very-low CHO diets ( < 30–3 E%; n = 8). Summary estimates of weighted mean di ﬀ erences (WMDs) in selected risk markers were calculated using random-e ﬀ ect meta-analyses. Di ﬀ erences between the LCD groups were assessed with univariate meta-regression analyses. Overall, the LCDs resulted in signiﬁcant weight loss, reduced diastolic blood pressure BP, and increased total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), without signiﬁcant di ﬀ erences between the three LCD groups. Higher low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) concentrations were found with the very-low CHO diets compared to the moderate-low CHO diets. Decreases in triacylglycerol (TAG) concentrations were more pronounced with the low and very-low CHO diets, compared to the moderate-low CHO diets. Substitution of CHO by mainly saturated fatty acids (SFAs) increased total cholesterol, LDL-C, and HDL-C concentrations. Except for LDL-C and TAGs, e ﬀ ects were not related to the degree of CHO restriction. Potential e ﬀ ects of nutrient exchanges should be considered when following LCDs.
TITLE: A two-stage phase II design with direct assignment option in stage II for initial marker validation

RUNNING Two-stage II design with direct assignment option ABSTRACT: Biomarkers are critical to targeted therapies as they may identify patients more likely to benefit from a treatment. Several prospective designs for biomarker directed therapy have been previously proposed, differing primarily in the study population, randomization scheme, or both. Recognizing the need for randomization yet acknowledging the possibility of promising but inconclusive results after a Stage I cohort of randomized patients, we propose a two-stage Phase II design on marker-positive patients that allows for direct assignment in a Stage II cohort. In Stage I, marker-positive patients are equally randomized to receive experimental treatment or control. Stage II has the option to adopt “direct assignment” whereby all patients receive experimental treatment. Through simulation, we studied the power and type I error rate (T1ER) of our design compared to a balanced randomized two-stage design, and performed sensitivity analyses to study the effect of timing of Stage I analysis, population shift effects and unbalanced randomization. Our proposed design has minimal loss in power (<1.8%) and increase in T1ER (<2.1%) compared to a balanced randomized design. The maximum increase in T1ER in the presence of a population shift was between 3.1-5%; the loss in power across possible timings of Stage I analysis was <1.2%. Our proposed design has desirable statistical properties with potential appeal in practice. The direct assignment option, if adopted, provides for an “extended confirmation phase” as an alternative to stopping the trial early for evidence of efficacy in Stage I. if the trial continues with randomization, then total accrual is N; and if the trial continues with the direct assignment option, then total accrual is 3N/4. randomization , instead of direct assignment, in Stage II; specifying an overall alpha level of α =0.10, response rate ratio of RRR=2.00, and with interim at one-half accrual.
Determination of the form factors for the decay B0→D*-l+νl and of the CKM matrix element

We present a combined measurement of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix element j V cb j and of the parameters (cid:1) 2 , R 1 (cid:4) 1 (cid:5) , and R 2 (cid:4) 1 (cid:5) , which fully characterize the form factors for the B 0 ! D (cid:1)(cid:2) ‘ (cid:3) (cid:2) ‘ decay in the framework of heavy-quark effective ﬁeld theory. The results, based on a selected sample of about 52 800 B 0 ! D (cid:1)(cid:2) ‘ (cid:3) (cid:2) ‘ decays, recorded by the BABAR detector, are (cid:1) 2 (cid:6) 1 : 157 (cid:7) 0 : 094 (cid:7) 0 : 027 , R 1 (cid:4) 1 (cid:5) (cid:6) 1 : 327 (cid:7) 0 : 131 (cid:7) 0 : 043 , R 2 (cid:4) 1 (cid:5) (cid:6) 0 : 859 (cid:7) 0 : 077 (cid:7) 0 : 021 , and F (cid:4) 1 (cid:5)j V cb j (cid:6) (cid:4) 34 : 7 (cid:7) 0 : 4 (cid:7) 1 : 0 (cid:5) (cid:8) 10 (cid:2) 3 . The ﬁrst error is the statistical and the second is the systematic uncertainty. Combining these measurements with the previous BABAR measurement of the form factors, which employs a different ﬁt technique on a partial sample of the data, we improve the statistical precision of the result, (cid:1) 2 (cid:6) 1 : 191 (cid:7) 0 : 048 (cid:7) 0 : 028 , R 1 (cid:4) 1 (cid:5) (cid:6) 1 : 429 (cid:7) 0 : 061 (cid:7) 0 : 044 , R 2 (cid:4) 1 (cid:5) (cid:6) 0 : 827 (cid:7) 0 : 038 (cid:7) 0 : 022 , and F (cid:4) 1 (cid:5)j V cb j (cid:6) (cid:4) 34 : 4 (cid:7) 0 : 3 (cid:7) 1 : 1 (cid:5) (cid:8) 10 (cid:2) 3 . Using lattice calculations for the axial form factor F (cid:4) 1 (cid:5) , we extract j V cb j (cid:6) (cid:4) 37 : 4 (cid:7) 0 : 3 (cid:7) 1 : 2 (cid:7) 1 : 2 1 : 4 (cid:5) (cid:8) 10 (cid:2) 3 , where the third error is due to the uncertainty in F (cid:4) 1 (cid:5) . We also present a measurement of the exclusive branching fraction, B (cid:6) (cid:4) 4 : 69 (cid:7) 0 : 04 (cid:7) 0 : 34 (cid:5) % . DOI:
University of Birmingham Neuroimaging findings in disruptive behavior disorders

Decades of research have shown that youths with disruptive behaviour disorders (DBD) are a heterogeneous population. Over the past 20 years, researchers have distinguished youths with DBD as those displaying high (DBD/HCU) versus low (DBD/LCU) callous-unemotional (CU) traits. These traits include flat affect and reduced empathy and remorse, and are associated with more severe, varied and persistent patterns of antisocial behaviour and aggression. Conduct problems in youths with HCU and LCU are thought to reflect distinct causal vulnerabilities, with antisocial behaviour in youths with DBD/HCU reflecting a predominantly genetic aetiology, whilst antisocial behaviour in youths with DBD/LCU is associated primarily with environmental influences. Here we selectively review recent functional (fMRI) and structural (sMRI) magnetic resonance imaging research on DBD, focusing particularly on the role of CU traits. Firstly, fMRI studies examining the neural correlates of affective stimuli, emotional face processing, empathy, theory of mind, morality, and affective decision-making in DBD are discussed. This is followed by a review of the studies investigating brain structure and structural connectivity in DBD. Next, we highlight the need to further investigate females and the role of sex differences in this population. We conclude the review by identifying potential clinical implications of this research.
Quality of life of children with bronchial asthma and their caregivers: A hospital-based study

Objectives: This study aims to describe the health-related quality of life (QOL) and their associated factors in children with bronchial asthma as well as their caregivers in Mansoura, Egypt. Methods: This cross-section hospital-based study included 171 dyad of children with physician diagnosed asthma and their caregivers attending the outpatients’ clinics of three hospitals. Data were collected using the Arabic versions of the pediatric asthma quality of life questionnaire (PAQLQ) and the pediatric asthma caregiver’s quality of life questionnaire (PACQLQ). Asthma severity was assessed using Global Initiative for Asthma guidelines. Results: The overall mean scores of the PAQLQ and its activity, emotion, and symptom domains were 4.7, 4.3, 4.9, and 4.7; respectively. The overall mean scores of the total PACQLQ and its activity and emotion domains were 4.2, 5.4, and 4.0; respectively. Children with low socioeconomic status (SES) had a significantly lower total, activity and emotion domains of PAQLQ scores. Low and very low SES of the family, uncontrolled, and severe asthma are associated with low QOL of both asthmatic child and his caregivers. Conclusions: Early control of severe asthma will contribute to a better QOL of affected children and their caregivers.
Intermittent Behavior in the AMOC‐AMV Relationship

The connection between the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) and the Atlantic multidecadal variability (AMV) is inspected in a suite of pre‐industrial integrations from the 6th phase of the Coupled Model Inter‐comparison Project (CMIP6), using a change‐point detection method to identify different AMOC‐AMV co‐variability regimes. A key finding of this study is that models robustly simulate multi‐decadal windows where the AMV and the AMOC are essentially uncorrelated. These regimes coexist with longer periods with relatively high correlation. Drops and recoveries of correlation are found to be often abrupt and confined in a temporal window of the order of 10 years. Phenomenological evidence suggests that the no‐correlation regimes may be explained by drops in the variance of the AMOC: a less variable meridional heat transport leads to a suppressed co‐variability of the AMV, leaving a larger role for non‐AMOC drivers, consistent with a non‐stationary AMOC‐stationary noise interpretative framework.
HbSC disease: A time for progress

HbSC disease, the second most common sickle hemoglobinopathy in people of African descent, is caused by compound heterozygosity for sickle hemoglobin (HbS; p.glu7val) and C hemoglobin (HbC; p.glu7lys). One in 800 African Americans have HbSC disease; nearly a quarter of the population of western Nigeria and northern Ghana carry the HbC gene. Compared with the rapidly expanding treatment landscape for sickle cell anemia and HbS-β thalassemia (HbS-only phenotypes), HbSC disease-focused treatment is neither available nor the subject of clinical trials (ClinTrials.gov).
The effects of vegetation distribution pattern on overland flow

Soil erosion is a major environmental problem. Vegetation, on the other hand, plays an important role in controlling soil erosion. The goal of the study is to examine the effects of the distribution pattern of vegetation on water flow. The vegetation parameters involved included the direction of plant rows, plant stem diameter and row spacing. To study how vegetation affects the flow of water on slopes, flume simulation experiments were conducted using three different plant row directions, three different plant diameters and three row spacing. Experimental slope is fixed, slope ratio of 1.0%. The hydraulic characteristics of the slope under the three vegetation distribution patterns are explored. The results showed that the pattern of vegetation distribution significantly affected the resistance of vegetation to water flow and pattern on this slope. When the angle (θ) between plant row and water flow directions decreased, the plant diameter (d) increased, or the row spacing (a × a) decreased, the Darcy–Weisbach resistance coefficient (f) for water flow became larger. Simultaneously, the Reynolds and Froude numbers (Re and Fr) both became smaller. In experimental procedure condition, the change rate of f, Re and Fr were analysed by linear regression, the θ decreased every 10°, the average increase rate of f was 6.6%, the average decrease rate of Re and Fr were 2.0 and 3.0%. The d increased every 0.001 m, the average increase rate of f was 41.6%, the average decrease rate of Re and Fr were 11.2 and 12.2%. The a × a decreased every 0.01 m, the average increase rate of f was 45.2%, the average decrease rate of Re and Fr were 11.7 and 10.7%. The flow depth h increased every 0.01 m, the average increase rate of f and Re were 13.6 and 25.2%, and the average decrease rate of Fr was 10.4%. The experimental procedure results will be valuable for not only revealing the hydraulic characteristics of flow over vegetation land, but also the optimisation of the distribution of vegetation on a slope.
Using Educational Digital Storytelling to Enhance Multilingual Students’ Writing Skills in Higher Education

Educational Digital Storytelling (EDS) is a powerful technology-enhanced learning approach that enables learners to develop 21st century skills. Students often complain about their digital illiteracy, academic writing challenges, and lack of interaction in classes. In the current case study, 50 multilingual and multicultural ESL student-teachers were involved in the creation of digital stories in an undergraduate module. Students used Canva to create their own digital stories which included text, images, videos, podcasts, and infographics. The overall aim was to improve their academic performance and motivation towards learning, and explore their attitudes towards this new dynamic learning-oriented instructional strategy. The current semi-experimental study tried to challenge monolingual bias and promote a more integrated and inclusive approach to learning as both efficient and desirable in preparing university students for constructive involvement with various cultural perspectives promoting the creation of global networks. Findings from both quantitative (paired and independent samples t-tests of test scores) and qualitative (anonymous feedback, lecturer observations and focus group discussions) data analyses indicated that learners improved their writing performance, critical thinking skills, self-confidence, and intercultural awareness. Students stated that they felt proud of their final products (digital stories) and that the EDS intervention was rewarding. However, some non-traditional students reported facing challenges with the use of technology. Learners expressed their wish to experiment more with digital stories and use them in other modules. Implications for teaching and learning practices in the Higher Education academic environment and suggestions for the successful implementation of EDS at the tertiary level are provided.
Electrochemotherapy with intravenous bleomycin for patients with cutaneous malignancies, across tumour histology: a systematic review

Abstract Background Electrochemotherapy (ECT) is an established treatment for primary and secondary cutaneous tumours. The method combines chemotherapy with electroporation, thus increasing the cytotoxic effect of the chemotherapeutic drug. Bleomycin is the drug of choice for ECT, as it is already well established as a treatment for several cancer types and has the largest increase in efficacy after electroporation, enhancing the cytotoxic effect several hundred fold. The response rates of ECT have over the past 30 years been high and consistent. Case based reports point out that the efficacy possibly can be maintained even when the dose of bleomycin is reduced. Consequently in 2018, studies began investigating reducing the bleomycin dose. Aim The purpose of this review is to summarise all data published using intravenous bleomycin for cutaneous malignancies and is to our knowledge the first review to examine the use of a reduced bleomycin dose in ECT. Methods This study is a systematic review. Fifty-five clinical studies investigating ECT with intravenous bleomycin for patients with cutaneous malignancies were included. Results Studies published from 1993 to 2021 investigating the effect of ECT include 3729 patients and indicate a consistent and high response with a mean objective response rate (ORR) of 81.5%. Interestingly, studies using lower doses of bleomycin observe a similar ORR (85.5%), opening the possibility that a lower dose may not be inferior. Conclusion This study gives an overview of published studies on ECT with intravenous bleomycin for patients with cutaneous malignancies, including the use of a reduced bleomycin dose, as preparation for a randomised study.
Physiochemical and Electrical Properties of Refined, Bleached and Deodorized Palm Oil under High Temperature Ageing for Application in Transformers

This paper presents a high temperature ageing study of refined, bleached, and deodorized palm oil (RBDPO) olein at 170 °C in the presence of air. In total, two types of RBDPO were examined. The physiochemical and dielectric properties of RBDPO were measured and analysed. We found that the moisture and viscosities for both RBDPO increased as the ageing progressed, whereas the acidities fluctuated at very low levels at less than 0.005 mg KOH/g. The ageing on the AC breakdown voltages of both RBDPO were not affected throughout the ageing processes. The dielectric dissipation factors and relative permittivities for both RBDPO increased as the resistivities decreased with the ageing time.
Position‐sensorless adaptive positioning control system for IPMSMs

Position-sensorless positioning control system of interior permanent magnet synchronous motors (IPMSMs) has been energetically researched for high reliability and cost reduction. To achieve fast response of positioning servo systems, accurate parameters of IPMSMs are required. The parameters vary due to temperature and/or ageing, which results in degradation of the positioning control performance. Thus, this study proposes a position-sensorless adaptive positioning control system for IPMSMs using the dynamic certainty equivalence principle for stable parameter identification. In addition, comb filters are used for fast estimation instead of low-pass filters. Experiments are demonstrated to validate the effectiveness and the feasibility of the proposed method.
Combining world-system and world polity approaches to analyze international environmental governance: a case study of forest governance in Chile

ABSTRACT This paper analyzes an important facet in international environmental governance: the development and implementation of Chile’s national forestry strategy. As a national program designed to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, and to enhance the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests, and forest carbon stocks (i.e., a national REDD+ program), Chile’s national forestry strategy demonstrates the norm diffusion and institutional structuration commonly exhibited in world polity approaches to global and transnational sociology. Yet, world-system analysis of Chile’s forest conservation program highlights the role of power and positionality along the global division of labor in its implementation. The organized hypocrisy of the Chilean state leads to means-ends decoupling in which the practices of the global institutional order are faithfully executed but have an opaque relationship to climate governance goals. This paper, then, joins a growing scholarship that combines these divergent approaches to highlight advances in environmental governance born from connection to the global institutional order of environmentalism while simultaneously explaining structural issues that hinder efforts to achieve global climate targets.
Ultrasonographic Study of the Effects of Essential Hypertension on the Luminal Diameter and Doppler Velocimetric Indices of the Abdominal Aorta in Adults

Objective: To investigate the effects of essential hypertension on the luminal diameter (caliber) and Doppler velocimetric indices of the abdominal aorta (AA) in adult patients with systemic hypertension. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective descriptive comparative study of 254 participants (127 with essential hypertension and 127 age/sex-matched controls). Their anthropometric parameters, fasting blood pressure, lipid profile, fasting blood sugar, and triplex sonography of the suprarenal and infrarenal abdominal aorta (Peak systolic velocity, PSV; End-diastolic velocity, EDV; Resistive Index, RI; and luminal diameter) were evaluated. Results: The mean age of the male subjects was 64.02 ± 10.02 years, while the mean age of the male controls was 63.14 ± 10.52 years (P > 0.05). The mean age of female subjects was 61.23 ± 10.09 years, while the mean age of the female controls was 61.76 ± 10.26 years (P > 0.05). The age group 60 – 69 years had the highest number of subjects and controls. The mean duration of hypertension in the subjects was 12.5 ± 5.2 years. The suprarenal and infrarenal abdominal aortic diameters (AAD) were higher in males than age-matched female counterparts. AAD increased with age mostly in hypertensive male subjects. PSV (in males) and RI (in both sexes) were elevated in hypertensive subjects compared to controls, while EDV (in both sexes) was significantly lower in subjects than controls. Multivariate linear regression showed that age and diastolic blood pressure were significant independent predictors for both suprarenal and infrarenal AADs. Conclusion: Systemic hypertension causes structural and hemodynamic changes in the abdominal aorta which are detectable on triplex sonography.
Unfolding of Novel Independent Missense Mutations in VAMP2 and AGRN and Their Collective Role in Global Developmental Delay: A Case Report

Vesicle-associated membrane protein 2 (VAMP2) and Agrin (AGRN) are crucial proteins in neurotransmission. VAMP2 is a vesicular protein that facilitates the exocytosis of neurotransmitters. At the same time, AGRN plays a critical role in the maintenance and function of neuromuscular junctions. Mutations in the signaling pathway of VAMP2 and AGRN impair proper signaling between the presynaptic and postsynaptic neurons, and can result in neurodevelopmental conditions known as global developmental delay (GDD). This study highlights a presentation of GDD in a patient with concurrent mutations in VAMP2 and AGRN. A three-year-old female child presented with GDD characterized by hypotonia, intellectual disability, and dysphagia. Physical exam exhibited signs of developmental delay and severe muscle weakness. EEG findings were suggestive of a hypsarrhythmia pattern. The ophthalmological evaluation showed partial optic atrophy bilaterally. Therapeutic interventions included Keppra and Topamax, which proved ineffective. The patient’s outcome was inconclusive as care was transferred to another facility. This case study reports the novel appearance of two concurrent mutations: p.Gln76Pro associated with VAMP2 and p.Gln970Glu associated with AGRN. Mutations in VAMP2 lead to a dysfunctional SNARE complex and inhibit exocytosis of neurotransmitters into the synaptic cleft. Mutations in AGRN impair the ability to form and activate postsynaptic nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Improper signaling between presynaptic and postsynaptic neurons is an important determinant of GDD. We hope that accounting for this mutational pattern will contribute to understanding synapse assembly and help unravel the complex interplay of factors involved in the pathology of neuromuscular disorders and GDD.