Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Rasch analysis of the Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT)

Burnout as a concept indicative of a work-related state of mental exhaustion is recognized around the globe. Numerous studies showed that burnout has negative consequences for both individuals and organizations but also for society at large, especially in welfare states where sickness absence and work incapacitation are covered by social funds. This underlines the importance of a valid and reliable tool that can be used to assess employee burnout levels. Although the Maslach Burnout Inventory is by far the most frequently used questionnaire for assessing burnout, it is associated with several shortcomings and has been criticized on theoretical as well as empirical grounds. Thus, there is a need for an alternative questionnaire with a strong conceptual basis and proper psychometric qualities. This challenge has been taken up by introducing the Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT), according to which burnout is conceived as a work-related state of exhaustion among employees, characterized by extreme tiredness, reduced ability to regulate cognitive and emotional processes, and mental distancing. Given that the BAT is a new measure of burnout, its psychometric properties need to be evaluated. This paper focuses on an evaluation of the internal construct validity of the BAT using Rasch analysis in two random samples (n = 800, each) drawn from larger representative samples of the working population of the Netherlands and Flanders (Belgium). The BAT has sound psychometric properties and fulfils the measurement criteria according to the Rasch model. The BAT score reflects the scoring structure indicated by the developers of the scale and the BAT’s four subscales can be summarized into a single burnout score. The BAT score also works invariantly for women and men, younger and older respondents, and across both countries. Hence, the BAT can be used in organizations for screening and identifying employees who are at risk of burnout.
Association of Antioxidant Vitamins A, C, E and Carotenoids with Cognitive Performance over Time: A Cohort Study of Middle-Aged Adults

Carotenoids may strengthen the association of antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E with favorable cognitive outcomes over time, though a few prospective studies have examined this hypothesis. We evaluated the longitudinal data from 1251 participants in the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span (HANDLS) study (Age at visit 1 in 2004–2009 (v1): 30–65 years). Vitamins A, C, and E dietary intakes and total and individual dietary carotenoids were computed using two 24-h recalls at v1. Cognitive tests, covering global mental status and domains of memory/learning, attention, psychomotor speed, visuo-spatial, language/verbal, and executive function were conducted at v1 and/or v2 (2009–2013); mean ± SD follow-up: 4.66 ± 0.93 years. Mixed-effects linear regression models detected an interaction between vitamin E and total (and individual) carotenoids for three of 11 cognitive tests at v1, with only one meeting the statistical significance upon multiple testing correction whereby vitamin E was linked with greater verbal memory performance in the uppermost total carotenoid tertile (γ0a = +0.26 ± 0.08, p = 0.002), a synergism largely driven by carotenoid lycopene. Vitamins A and C showed no consistent interactions with carotenoids. In conclusion, we provide partial evidence for synergism between vitamin E and carotenoids in relation to better baseline cognitive performance, pending further studies with time-dependent exposures and randomized trials directly examining this synergism.
In vitro and in vivo antifungal activity of Cuminum cyminum essential oil against Aspergillus aculeatus causing bunch rot of postharvest grapes

Bunch rot in grapes is an aggressive disease and needs to be controlled during the postharvest period. We investigate the antifungal potential of Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim. , Zanthoxylum rhetsa, Cuminum cyminum, Coriandrum sativum, and Zingiber montanum (J. Koenig) Link ex A. Dietr. essential oils against Aspergillus aculeatus that cause bunch rot disease on postharvest grapes. C. cyminum essential oil exhibited stronger significantly inhibition percentage of 95.08% than other treatments in in vitro assay. Cumin aldehyde (33.94%) and α-terpinen-7-al (32.20%) were identified as major volatile compounds in C. cyminum oil. Antifungal potential of C. cyminum oil was then tested in conidia germination and in vitro tests compared to cumin aldehyde and α-terpinen-7-al. Their EC50 values against the conidial germination were also estimated. Significant reduction of conidia germination was also detected in C. cyminum essential oil and cumin aldehyde at a concentration of 1,000 and 100 μg/mL, respectively. EC50 values of the C. cyminum essential oil, cumin aldehyde, and α-terpinen-7-al were 67.28 μg/mL, 9.31 μg/mL, and 13.23 μg/mL, respectively. In vivo assay, the decrease of the disease severity (0.69%) and incidence (1.48%) percentage of A. aculeatus on grape berries treated at 1,000 μg/mL of C. cyminum essential oil was significantly greater than that obtained from other treatments after 10 days incubation. In addition, grape berries treated with C. cyminum essential oil decreased weight loss and retained fruit firmness. The changing of total soluble solids, total phenolic content, and antioxidant activity are also delayed in treated fruits. Therefore, essential oil of C. cyminum may be applied as a biological antifungal agent to control A. aculeatus in postharvest grapes without any negative effects on its quality.
The Protective and Long-Lasting Effects of Human Milk Oligosaccharides on Cognition in Mammals

Over the last few years, research indicated that Human Milk Oligosaccharides (HMOs) may serve to enhance cognition during development. HMOs hereby provide an exciting avenue in the understanding of the molecular mechanisms that contribute to cognitive development. Therefore, this review aims to summarize the reported observations regarding the effects of HMOs on memory and cognition in rats, mice and piglets. Our main findings illustrate that the administration of fucosylated (single or combined with Lacto-N-neoTetraose (LNnT) and other oligosaccharides) and sialylated HMOs results in marked improvements in spatial memory and an accelerated learning rate in operant tasks. Such beneficial effects of HMOs on cognition already become apparent during infancy, especially when the behavioural tasks are cognitively more demanding. When animals age, its effects become increasingly more apparent in simpler tasks as well. Furthermore, the combination of HMOs with other oligosaccharides yields different effects on memory performance as opposed to single HMO administration. In addition, an enhanced hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) response both at a young and at a mature age are reported as well. These results point towards the possibility that HMOs administered either in singular or combination forms have long-lasting, beneficial effects on memory and cognition in mammals.
STAT3 enhances radiation-induced tumor migration, invasion and stem-like properties of bladder cancer

Bladder cancer (BCa) is the most common cancer of the human urinary system, and is associated with poor patient prognosis and a high recurrence rate. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are the primary cause of tumor recurrence and metastasis, possessing self-renewal properties and resistance to radiation therapy. Our previous studies indicated that phosphorylated signal transduction and transcription activator 3 (STAT3) may be a potential biomarker to predict radiation tolerance and tumor recurrence in patients with BCa, following conventional radiotherapy. The aim of the present study was to investigate the underlying mechanism of STAT3 in the radio-resistance of BCa cells. It was found that fractionated irradiation promoted the activation of two STAT3-associated CSCs signaling pathways in BCa cells, namely suppressor of variegation 3–9 homolog 1/GATA binding protein 3/STAT3 and Janus kinase 2/STAT3. Surviving cells exhibited elevated migratory and invasive abilities, enhanced CSC-like characteristics and radio-resistance. Furthermore, knockdown of STAT3 expression or inhibition of STAT3 activation markedly decreased the self-renewal ability and tumorigenicity of radiation-resistant BCa cells. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that decreased STAT3 mRNA levels were associated with increased overall survival times in patients with BCa. Taken together, these data indicated that STAT3 may be an effective therapeutic target for inhibiting the progression, metastasis and recurrence of BCa in patients receiving radiotherapy.
Orthography of phonemes /l/ and / ɾ / in complex positions in children’s writing: a comparative analysis

conflitos da criança com o sistema ortográfico, investigou-se o registro ortográfico de dois dos fonemas que remetem à classe das líquidas: /l/ e /ɾ/. Objetivo: (1) comparar a acurácia ortográfica, nas posições silábicas de ataque complexo e de coda, da grafia dos fonemas /l/ e /ɾ/; (2) verificar, dentre os erros, seus tipos mais frequentes. Método: Foram analisadas 53 produções textuais de crianças do 1º ano do ciclo I do ensino fundamental (EF) de uma escola pública do interior de São Paulo. Para responder aos objetivos, inicialmente foram separadas todas as ocorrências dos fonemas /l/ e /ɾ/ na posição de ataque complexo e de coda silábica. Posteriormente, os registros foram categorizados como acertos e erros. Os erros foram, ainda, classificados como omissão, transposição e substituição. Resultados: No ataque silábico complexo e na coda silábica, foi encontrado maior número de acertos quando comparado com o número de erros. Quanto aos tipos de erros, no ataque complexo, todos corresponderam a omissões; já na coda, as omissões prevaleceram, seguidas das substituições e das transposições. Conclusão: Os resultados sugerem que a percepção que a criança tem das relações entre fonemas e grafemas não depende diretamente dessas relações, já que essa correspondência pode ser afetada por outros aspectos fonológicos desconsiderados nessas relações, como as posições silábicas. ABSTRACT and may mark the child’s conflicts with the orthographic system, we investigated the orthographic record of two phonemes that refer to the class of liquids: /l/ and /ɾ/. Objective: (1) to compare the orthographic accuracy, in the complex onset and coda syllable positions, of the phonemes spelling /l/ and /ɾ/; (2) to verify, among the errors, their most frequent typesr. Method: We analyzed 53 textual productions of children of the 1st year of the cycle I of the elementary school of a public school in a city of the state of São Paulo. To respond to the objectives, initially all occurrences of the phonemes /l/ and /ɾ/ were separated in the complex onset position and coda syllabic position. Then, the records were categorized as hits and errors. Errors were also classified as omission, transposition and substitution. Results: In the complex syllabic onset and syllable coda, a higher number of hits was found when compared to the number of errors. As for the types of errors, in the complex onset position, all corresponded to omissions; in the coda, omissions prevailed, followed by substitutions and transpositions. Conclusion: The results suggest that the child’s perception of the relations between phonemes and graphemes does not depend directly on these relations, since this correspondence may be affected by other phonological aspects disregarded in these relations, such as syllable positions.
Differences in Adolescent Experiences of Polyvictimization and Suicide Risk by Sexual Minority Status.

Sexual minority adolescents (SMA) report more suicide risk behaviors than heterosexual adolescents. Polyvictimization (co-occurrence of multiple types of victimization) may be an important, underresearched correlate of this disparity. With the 2017 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey (N = 13,179), national estimates of polyvictimization and suicide risk were assessed among high school students by sexual minority status (SM vs. heterosexual), and multivariate relationships between sexual minority status, polyvictimization, and suicide risk were tested. Additionally, risk profiles of those who experienced polyvictimization (2 + types of victimization; n = 1,932) were compared across sexual minority status. Results confirm that SMA are more likely to experience polyvictimization than heterosexual adolescents (31.8% v. 12.9%, respectively); however, also indicate that polyvictimization does not fully explain elevated suicide risk among SMA.
Ongoing declines of woodland birds: Are restoration plantings making a difference?

Woodland birds are a species assemblage of conservation concern, and their persistence in fragmented agricultural landscapes is dependent on both the preservation of existing woodland remnants and the implementation of restoration plantings. However, little is known about the habitat-use and persistence of birds in fragmented agricultural landscapes. We present a detailed, population-oriented study of woodland birds in temperate eucalypt woodland restoration plantings and remnant woodland patches in the South-west Slopes bioregion of New South Wales, Australia. First, we undertook a three-year mark-recapture project to assess annual survival and site fidelity in restoration plantings and woodland remnants. We supplemented our recapture efforts with resightings of colour-banded individuals. Second, we tracked individual birds of two species - superb fairywren (Malurus cyaneus) and willie wagtail (Rhipidura leucophrys) - and documented snapshots of their home ranges and movement patterns during the breeding season. Annual survival in the woodland bird assemblage was lower than expected (51%). Home ranges of the superb fairywren were positively correlated with patch size, and were constrained by patch edges in linear sites. Superb fairywrens and willie wagtails were more likely to travel longer distances between substrates while foraging in linear sites. Willie wagtails engaged in significant gap-crossing (up to 400 m) between adjacent habitat patches. Our findings indicate that 1) patch isolation and certain patch configurations place resident birds at an energetic disadvantage, and 2) in our study area, woodland bird populations are continuing to decline. We recommend landscape-scale habitat restoration programs aim to address ongoing population declines. Studies such as ours conducted over longer time periods would provide a deeper understanding of habitat-use and population processes of woodland birds in fragmented agricultural landscapes.
Response to the Comment on "Efficacy and Safety of Complete Mesocolic Excision in Patients With Colon Cancer: Three-year Results from a Prospective, Nonrandomized, Double-blind, Controlled Trial".

C Local recurrence (LR) received less attention but potentially suffered from more controversies in colon cancer than in rectal cancer. Apart from the impact of surgery, the LR rate of colon cancer was also affected by other factors such as severity of disease or adjuvant treatment. More than 10% of colon cancer patients experienced LR in previous studies, which was different from Dr Trilling’s cited study. This is probably due to the different definitions of LR. As mentioned in the literature cited by Dr. Trilling, ‘‘The typical sites of LR are divided into 4 groups: the anastomotic site, mesentery or nodal basin, retroperitoneum, and peritoneum. Peritoneal carcinomatosis is a rare pattern of recurrence after potentially curative resection, accounting for 3% to 6% of LR. ’’ The LR rate mentioned in this article did not include all types of LR, and only analyzed patients with metastatic peritoneal implants. In our opinion, multiple peritoneal tumor lesions in the abdominal cavity should be considered as metastases because these metastatic lesions may not necessarily be related to the surgery. Even if these lesions are not found in the initial operation, it does not rule out the presence of tiny peritoneal lesions before surgery. In our study, LR was defined as any recurrence in the surgical field. As mentioned in our previous response letter, we established that 9.0% of patients in the noncomplete mesocolic excision (NCME) 4.
Using dynamic monitoring of choices to predict and understand risk preferences

Significance Choices that consist of risky versus certain options are pervasive and consequential, leading many researchers to investigate when and which individuals select risk over certainty. The present research takes an alternative approach and measures computer mouse movements to assess how people arrive at these decisions. We show that measuring mouse movements while participants are deciding between a risky gamble and a certain payout powerfully detects their conflict about the options, and that this conflict strongly predicts their risk preferences. Further, mouse movements are predictive of risk preferences even when choice outcomes are not. The present research thus demonstrates the unique utility of dynamic measures of choice, as well as the predictive and theoretical importance of conflict in risky decision-making. Navigating conflict is integral to decision-making, serving a central role both in the subjective experience of choice as well as contemporary theories of how we choose. However, the lack of a sensitive, accessible, and interpretable metric of conflict has led researchers to focus on choice itself rather than how individuals arrive at that choice. Using mouse-tracking—continuously sampling computer mouse location as participants decide—we demonstrate the theoretical and practical uses of dynamic assessments of choice from decision onset through conclusion. Specifically, we use mouse tracking to index conflict, quantified by the relative directness to the chosen option, in a domain for which conflict is integral: decisions involving risk. In deciding whether to accept risk, decision makers must integrate gains, losses, status quos, and outcome probabilities, a process that inevitably involves conflict. Across three preregistered studies, we tracked participants’ motor movements while they decided whether to accept or reject gambles. Our results show that 1) mouse-tracking metrics of conflict sensitively detect differences in the subjective value of risky versus certain options; 2) these metrics of conflict strongly predict participants’ risk preferences (loss aversion and decreasing marginal utility), even on a single-trial level; 3) these mouse-tracking metrics outperform participants’ reaction times in predicting risk preferences; and 4) manipulating risk preferences via a broad versus narrow bracketing manipulation influences conflict as indexed by mouse tracking. Together, these results highlight the importance of measuring conflict during risky choice and demonstrate the usefulness of mouse tracking as a tool to do so.
Rbm38 Reduces the Transcription Elongation Defect of the SMEK2 Gene Caused by Splicing Deficiency

Pre-mRNA splicing is an essential mechanism for ensuring integrity of the transcriptome in eukaryotes. Therefore, splicing deficiency might cause a decrease in functional proteins and the production of nonfunctional, aberrant proteins. To prevent the production of such aberrant proteins, eukaryotic cells have several mRNA quality control mechanisms. In addition to the known mechanisms, we previously found that transcription elongation is attenuated to prevent the accumulation of pre-mRNA under splicing-deficient conditions. However, the detailed molecular mechanism behind the defect in transcription elongation remains unknown. Here, we showed that the RNA binding protein Rbm38 reduced the transcription elongation defect of the SMEK2 gene caused by splicing deficiency. This reduction was shown to require the N- and C-terminal regions of Rbm38, along with an important role being played by the RNA-recognition motif of Rbm38. These findings advance our understanding of the molecular mechanism of the transcription elongation defect caused by splicing deficiency.
Influence of Dietary Habits and Mediterranean Diet Adherence on Sleep Quality during Pregnancy. The GESTAFIT Project

We examined the association of the dietary habits and the Mediterranean diet (MD) adherence with sleep quality during pregnancy. A food frequency questionnaire and the Mediterranean Food Pattern were employed to assess dietary habits and MD adherence, respectively. Sleep quality was assessed with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) global score (n = 150; mean age 32.9 ± 4.6 years). A higher consumption of fruits was associated with better sleep quality at the 16th gestational week (g.w.; p < 0.05). A greater olive oil consumption and a higher MD adherence were associated with better sleep quality at the 16th and 34th g.w. (all, p < 0.05). Contrarily, a higher red meat and subproducts consumption was associated with worse sleep quality at the 34th g.w. (p < 0.05). The group with the highest adherence to the MD (Tertile 3) showed better sleep quality than the group with the lowest adherence (Tertile 1) at the 16th and 34th g.w. (both, p < 0.05). A higher adherence to the MD, a greater intake of fruits and olive oil and a lower intake of red meat and subproducts were associated with better sleep quality along the pregnancy course, especially among sedentary women.
Incidence and risk factors for venous thrombosis among patients with inflammatory bowel disease in China: a multicenter retrospective study

Background/Aims Risk of venous thrombosis is increased in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); data on Asian IBD patients is limited and status quo of thrombosis screening and prophylaxis are unknown. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the incidence, screening, prophylaxis, and risk factors for venous thrombosis among Asian IBD patients. Methods Medical files of patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) from 17 hospitals across China between 2011 and 2016 were reviewed for venous thrombosis, use of screening and prophylaxis. A case-control study was performed among hospitalized patients with venous thrombosis and their age-, sex-matched IBD controls hospitalized around the same period; disease characteristics and known provoking factors of venous thrombosis were recorded. Risk factors were analyzed in both univariate and logistic regression analyses. Results A total of 8,459 IBD patients were followed for 12,373 person-year. Forty-six patients (0.54%) had venous thrombosis, yielding an incidence of 37.18 per 10,000 person-year. Incidence increased with age, especially among CD. Less than 20% of patients received screening tests and 35 patients (0.41%) received prophylaxis. Severe disease flare was an independent risk factor for venous thrombosis (odds ratio [95% confidence interval]: CD, 9.342 [1.813– 48.137]; UC, 5.198 [1.268–21.305]); past use of steroids and extensive involvement were 2 additional risk factors in CD and UC, respectively. Conclusions Incidence of venous thrombosis in China was 37.18 per 10,000 person-year (0.54%). Use of screening and prophylaxis were rare. Severe disease flare was an independent risk factor for thrombosis among hospitalized patients.