Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Attention training technique delivered in groups as treatment for anxiety and depression in patients with coronary heart disease: study protocol for a waiting-list randomized controlled trial

Introduction Clinically significant symptoms of depression and anxiety in coronary heart disease (CHD) patients are common and associated with adverse outcomes. Psychological treatments have shown limited effectiveness and more effective treatments have been requested. Attention training technique (ATT), a component of metacognitive therapy, can potentially be effective as a stand-alone treatment for anxiety and depression. In an open study, ATT delivered face-to-face in a group format was feasible and potentially effective for improving depression and anxiety symptoms in CHD patients. The next progressive step is to test the effectiveness of ATT in a randomized controlled trial. This paper describes the methodology of this trial. Methods ATT-CHD is a randomized wait-list (WL) controlled study. Eligible CHD patients from two hospitals with Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)-Anxiety and/or HADS-Depression subscales scores ≥8 will be randomized into ATT (n = 32) or WL control (n = 32). After 6–8 weeks, WL patients will be allocated to ATT. Participants will be evaluated pre-, mid- and post-treatment, and at 6-months follow-up using changes in HADS as primary outcome. Secondary outcomes will be changes in psychiatric disorders, rumination, worry, type D-personality, metacognitions, insomnia, quality of life, and C-Reactive protein (CRP). Discussion To our knowledge, this will be the first WL-controlled randomized study testing the effectiveness of group-based ATT as treatment of symptoms of anxiety and depression in CHD patients. It will also explore correlations between changes in psychological distress and CRP. A qualitative analysis will reveal patients’ experience with ATT including processes that may facilitate or serve as barriers to effectiveness. Recruitment into the study commenced in December 2022. Ethics and dissemination The Regional Committees for Medical and Health Research Ethics (REK), Norway has granted approval for the study (ID 52002). The trial results will be published in peer-reviewed journals. According to Norwegian legislation, the Norwegian Data Protection Authority, and the Committee of Ethics, we are not allowed to share original study data publicly. Clinical trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT05621408 pre-inclusion. There were no significant changes of methods or outcomes after study start.
The effect of nitrogen doping and heat treatment on electrical resistivity of CVD SiC bulks

With the expansion of chip size, the challenge of achieving uniform etching becomes progressively more formidable. Implementing CVD SiC etching rings enhances etching uniformity effectively and offers notable attributes of high purity and prolonged operational lifespan. Controlling the resistivity of CVD SiC etching rings is essential to cater to diverse processes and equipment requirements. This investigation delves into the impact of nitrogen doping and heat treatment on the resistivity of CVD SiC bulks. Elevated nitrogen doping results in a heightened carrier concentration within CVD SiC. In modest doping cases, the grain boundary barrier height escalates with the doping concentration. However, in instances of higher doping concentrations, the grain boundary barrier diminishes with increasing doping concentration. Following heat treatment, there is a rise in the carrier concentration of the sample. Nonetheless, the surge in sample porosity precipitates a mobility reduction, yielding minimal variance in resistivity before and after heat treatment.
Serum Trimethylamine N-Oxide Level Is Positively Associated with Aortic Stiffness Measured by Carotid–Femoral Pulse Wave Velocity in Patients Undergoing Maintenance Hemodialysis

Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) is a biomarker that is effective in predicting major adverse cardiovascular (CV) events. Age-related vascular problems are significantly affected by aortic stiffness (AS), which is independently linked to CV morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to determine the association between serum TMAO levels and carotid–femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) in patients receiving hemodialysis (HD) therapy. In total, 115 patients with HD were enrolled in this study. The AS group included patients whose cfPWV was >10 m/s. Using high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry, the levels of serum TMAO were measured. The AS group included 42 (36.5%) patients, and compared with the non-AS group, the rates of diabetes, hypertension, older age, systolic blood pressure, serum glucose, and TMAO levels were high. In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, serum TMAO and age were independently linked with AS after correcting for the factors significantly associated with AS. Following multivariate stepwise linear regression analysis, serum TMAO in these individuals was found to be strongly correlated with cfPWV values (p < 0.001). In patients on chronic HD, serum TMAO level is an independent measure of AS and strongly correlated with cfPWV.
Cystatins: unravelling the biological implications for neuroprotection

Cystatins, a family of proteins known for their inhibitory role against cysteine proteases, have garnered significant attention in the field of neurodegeneration. Numerous genetic, experimental, and clinical studies concerning cystatin C suggest it plays an important role in the course of neurodegenerative diseases. Its beneficial effects are associated with cysteine protease inhibition, impact on β-amyloid aggregation, as well as regulation of cell proliferation, autophagy, and apoptosis. Cystatin isolated from chicken egg white, called ovocystatin, has been widely used in medical and pharmaceutical research due to its structural and biological similarities to human cystatin C. This article focuses on the potential use of cystatins, with special emphasis on easily obtained ovocystatin, in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as dementia. The current evidence on cystatin use has shed light on its mechanisms of action and therapeutic implications for neuroprotection and maintenance of cognitive functions.
Analysis of Vegetation Dynamics and Driving Mechanisms on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in the Context of Climate Change

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (TP) is susceptible to climate change and human activities, which brought about drastic alterations in vegetation on the plateau. However, the trends and driving mechanisms of vegetation changes remain unclear. Therefore, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was used to analyze the spatiotemporal distribution of vegetation and the consistency of dynamic trends in the TP from 2000 to 2020 in this study. The independent contributions and interactive factors of natural and human activities on vegetation changes were investigated through the Geodetector model. The drivers of vegetation under different dry–wet zones and precipitation gradients were quantitatively separated, and the internal mechanisms of vegetation changes were discussed from multiple perspectives. The results showed that from 2000 to 2020, the NDVI had an overall increasing trend, with an increasing rate of 0.0027 a−1, and the spatial pattern was different, increasing gradually from the northwest to the southeast. Consistent improvement occurred in the central and southeastern parts of the TP, while the western and northern parts consistently deteriorated. The annual mean precipitation had the greatest explanatory power for vegetation changes (0.781). The explanatory power of the integrated effects between two factors was greater than that of individual factors. The integrated effects between annual mean precipitation and other driving factors had the strongest explanatory power on vegetation variations. The driving mechanisms of vegetation dynamics varied among different dry–wet zones, and the vegetation growth was more sensitive to the response of precipitation in arid and semi-arid climate zones. This study enhances our understanding of the intrinsic mechanisms of vegetation changes on the plateau, which can provide a reference for ecological conservation, and has implications for further prediction and assessment of vegetation ecosystem stability.
When the brand is your bread and butter: review, synthesis, and directions for future exploration of salespeople-brand relationships

Abstract Brand relationships influence human attitudes, intentions, and behaviors. While past research has generously explored this idea in the customer context, less research has explored the role brand relationships play in the context of frontline employees or salespeople. While much of the customer literature can be used to inform our understanding of salesperson-brand relationships, there are nuances of being an employee, and specifically a salesperson, that have left many research questions unanswered. Consequently, a state of the literature in this domain is warranted to better understand how future research can grow this critical stream. The current research identifies, reviews, and synthesizes 52 salesperson-brand relationship articles. A comprehensive summary of common brand constructs (e.g. brand identification, brand attachment) is employed and supplemented with a social network analysis. To encourage more research in the salesperson-brand domain, we then summarize common themes that pervade the literature and identify a plethora of future opportunities in both established domains (e.g. brand relationships increase effort) and new frontiers (e.g. exploring the dark side of salespeople-brand relationships).
IZAPA'S INDUSTRIAL HINTERLAND: THE EASTERN SOCONUSCO MANGROVE ZONE DURING ARCHAIC AND FORMATIVE TIMES

Abstract Archaeological survey and excavations in the mangrove-estuary zone south of Izapa have generated an understanding of how the environment and human exploitation patterns changed during the Archaic and Formative periods. Archaic-period archaeological remains are not present, but the sedimentary record shows that Archaic people were clearing the coastal-plain forest for agricultural purposes. This activity augmented delivery of sediments to the littoral zone, which expanded the mangrove forest and created a productive environment that could be colonized by Early Formative villagers by around 1600 cal b.c. Population growth during the Early Formative created conditions that favored emergence of specialized pyro-industries, especially salt production, by around 1000 cal b.c. Production intensity increased thereafter, especially during the Late Formative period, coincident with the apogee of Izapa. Salt production became more episodic during the Terminal Formative period, when interior populations were declining to a nadir after cal a.d. 250.
FACTORS AFFECTING THE INTEGRITY OF THE AUDITEE FINANCIAL STATEMENT WITH THE MEDIATION VARIABLE: AUDIT QUALITY

The integrity of the auditee's financial reports is still an issue and a concern, because there are many cases of manipulation of accounting data. This is caused by various factors, both internal factors and external factors. This study only focuses on external factors, namely audit quality, which will be used as a mediating variable. The research objective is to find out empirical evidence of the effect of auditor integrity, auditor experience, obedience pressure, professional development on audit quality, audit quality on the integrity of auditee's financial statements, audit quality can mediate the relationship between auditor integrity, auditor experience, obedience pressure, professional development on integrity audited financial reports. This study uses primary data and is measured by a Likert scale of 5. The sample uses a nonprobability sampling technique and the accidental sampling method with a total of 100 auditors in DKI Jakarta. Data analysis using Partial Least Square (PLS). The results of this study indicate that auditor integrity, obedience pressure and professional development have a significant positive effect on audit quality, auditor experience has no significant effect on audit quality, audit quality has a significant positive effect on the integrity of the auditee's financial statements. Auditor integrity, obedience pressure and professional development have a significant positive effect on the integrity of the auditee's financial statements qthrough audit quality, but the auditor's experience has no significant effect on the integrity of the auditee's financial statements through audit quality.
The normal to diffuse phase transition crossover from thermal expansion analysis in calcium modified lead titanate

Abstract Local polarization exists in ferroelectric materials with diffuse phase transition even above the temperature at which the dielectric permittivity reaches its maximum (TM). The net polarization only cancels above the so-called Burns temperature (Td). In this work, polarization vs. temperature curves of Pb1−xCaxTiO3 (PCT) ceramics, with 0.35 ≤ x ≤ 0.55, were determined from experimental data of thermal expansion, considering strain and polarization relations and assuming that the electrostriction coefficient is constant in the paraelectric state. The Burns temperature was determined and compared to TM for each composition, and the achieved results indicate that a crossover from normal to diffuse phase transition occurs at x∼0.475.
Voting and protest tendencies associated with changes in service delivery

ABSTRACT Existing literature highlights the complexities of the relationship between voting, protest action and service delivery within Southern African democracies. We explore the relationship between these variables for South Africa by generating a new dataset from various sources. Although this relationship has been explored before, the existing evidence is mixed. The results from this study therefore bring a fresh perspective, especially at a time during which the political power of the incumbent African National Congress has been declining. We find that improvements in service delivery are not significantly associated with an increase in votes for the incumbent party, indicating that accountability is not the main motivation for South Africans’ voting decisions. However, we find a statistically significant negative correlation between protest action and service delivery, providing evidence of the increasing importance of protest action as a form of political accountability in South Africa.
Real-world predictors of survival in patients with extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer in Manitoba, Canada: a retrospective cohort study

Background Extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) is an incurable cancer with poor prognosis in which characteristics predictive of long-term survival are debated. The utility of agents such as immune checkpoint inhibitors highlights the importance of identifying key characteristics and treatment strategies that contribute to long-term survival and could help guide therapeutic decisions. Objective This real-world analysis examines the characteristics, treatment patterns, and clinical outcomes of patients receiving chemotherapy without immunotherapy for ES-SCLC in Manitoba, Canada. Methods A retrospective cohort study assessed patient characteristics, treatment, and survival duration (short: <6 months; medium: 6–24 months; long: >24 months) using the Manitoba Cancer Registry and CancerCare Manitoba records. Eligible patients were aged >18 years with cytologically confirmed ES-SCLC diagnosed between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2018, and received cytotoxic chemotherapy (CT). The one-, two-, and five-year probabilities of overall survival (OS) were assessed relative to patient, disease, and treatment characteristics using Kaplan-Meier methods and Cox proportional hazards models. Results This analysis included 537 patients. Cisplatin was used in 56.1% of patients, 45.6% received thoracic radiotherapy (RT), and few received prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI). In the overall cohort, one-, two- and five-year OS rates were 26%, 8%, and 3%, respectively. For patients with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status (ECOG PS) 0, OS rates at one, two, and five years were 43%, 17%, and 10%, respectively, vs. 27%, 8%, and 2% for those with ECOG PS 1–2, and 16%, 3%, and 3% for those with ECOG PS 3–4. In long-term survivors, ECOG PS scores were lower and abnormal laboratory test results were less frequent. Overall, 74.4% of long-term survivors received thoracic RT and 53.5% received PCI. Known poor prognostic factors – including brain/liver metastases, high lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), abnormal sodium, and low hemoglobin levels – were less common but still seen in long-term survivors. Conclusion Although rare, patients with ES-SCLC may experience long-term survival with CT ± thoracic RT ± PCI. Factors predicting long-term survival include traditional prognostic factors such as ECOG PS, LDH level, and receipt of thoracic RT or PCI. These findings support current treatment algorithms for ES-SCLC and provide baseline survival estimates to assess the real-world impact of adding immune checkpoint inhibitors in the future.
ON OSCILLATION OF SECOND-ORDER LINEAR NEUTRAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS WITH DAMPING TERM

This paper is concerned with the oscillatory behavior of solutions to a class of second-order linear neutral differential equations with damping term. New sufficient conditions for the oscillation of all solutions are established that are not covered by existing results in the literature. Examples are also provided to illustrate the theorems. AMS Subject Classification: 34C10, 34K11
Lymphatic Defects in Zebrafish sox18 Mutants Are Exacerbated by Perturbed VEGFC Signaling, While Masked by Elevated sox7 Expression

Mutations in the transcription factor-coding gene SOX18, the growth factor-coding gene VEGFC and its receptor-coding gene VEGFR3/FLT4 cause primary lymphedema in humans. In mammals, SOX18, together with COUP-TFII/NR2F2, activates the expression of Prox1, a master regulator in lymphatic identity and development. Knockdown studies have also suggested an involvement of Sox18, Coup-tfII/Nr2f2, and Prox1 in zebrafish lymphatic development. Mutants in the corresponding genes initially failed to recapitulate the lymphatic defects observed in morphants. In this paper, we describe a novel zebrafish sox18 mutant allele, sa12315, which behaves as a null. The formation of the lymphatic thoracic duct is affected in sox18 homozygous mutants, but defects are milder in both zygotic and maternal-zygotic sox18 mutants than in sox18 morphants. Remarkably, in sox18 mutants, the expression of the closely related sox7 gene is elevated where lymphatic precursors arise. Sox7 could thus mask the absence of a functional Sox18 protein and account for the mild lymphatic phenotype in sox18 mutants, as shown in mice. Partial knockdown of vegfc exacerbates lymphatic defects in sox18 mutants, making them visible in heterozygotes. Our data thus reinforce the genetic interaction between Sox18 and Vegfc in lymphatic development, previously suggested by knockdown studies, and highlight the ability of Sox7 to compensate for Sox18 lymphatic dysfunction.
Regulation of Soluble E-Cadherin Signaling in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Cells by Nicotine, BDNF, and β-Adrenergic Receptor Ligands

The ectodomain of the transmembrane protein E-cadherin can be cleaved and released in a soluble form referred to as soluble E-cadherin, or sE-cad, accounting for decreased E-cadherin levels at the cell surface. Among the proteases implicated in this cleavage are matrix metalloproteases (MMP), including MMP9. Opposite functions have been reported for full-length E-cadherin and sE-cad. In this study, we found increased MMP9 levels in the media of two non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines, A549 and H1299, treated with BDNF, nicotine, or epinephrine that were decreased upon cell treatment with the β-adrenergic receptor blocker propranolol. Increased MMP9 levels correlated with increased sE-cad levels in A549 cell media, and knockdown of MMP9 in A549 cells led to downregulation of sE-cad levels in the media. Previously, we reported that A549 and H1299 cell viability increased with nicotine and/or BDNF treatment and decreased upon treatment with propranolol. In investigating the function of sE-cad, we found that immunodepletion of sE-cad from the media of A549 cells untreated or treated with BDNF, nicotine, or epinephrine reduced activation of EGFR and IGF-1R, decreased PI3K and ERK1/2 activities, increased p53 activation, decreased cell viability, and increased apoptosis, while no effects were found using H1299 cells under all conditions tested.
Learning from Lecture and Homework: The Case for Studying Intersections of Milieu

ABSTRACT In an online asynchronous vector calculus course, we observed exam answers solved with a formula from online homework instead of the formula from lecture. Our exploratory study investigated (1) why students learned from homework instead of lecture for this topic and (2) their epistemological frames (e-frames) for lecture and homework. Per (1), reasons included studying homework as more efficient than reviewing lectures, difficulty understanding the lecture, and incomplete lecture notes. Per (2), some students see lecture as explaining mathematical meaning and giving them tools to do homework. Students primarily see homework as a space to learn procedures. The results are significant for several reasons. First, they connect homework and lecture learning, rather than treating them separately (as in prior research). A key contribution of the work is both the empirical documentation that students’ lecture and homework learning influence one another, and the implication from this that researchers should attend to learning at the intersections of milieu. A second significance of the work is the preliminary documentation of students’ e-frames for lecture and homework. Characterizing e-frames is important because improvements in student learning may come in part from helping students shift their beliefs about learning and about mathematics as a discipline.
Efficient Precoding and Power Allocation Techniques for Maximizing Spectral Efficiency in Beamspace MIMO-NOMA Systems

Beamspace MIMO-NOMA is an effective way to improve spectral efficiency. This paper focuses on a downlink non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) transmission scheme for a beamspace multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system. To increase the sum rate, we jointly optimize precoding and power allocation, which presents a non-convex problem. To solve this difficulty, we employ an alternating algorithm to optimize the precoding and power allocation. Regarding the precoding subproblem, we demonstrate that the original optimization problem can be transformed into an unconstrained optimization problem. Drawing inspiration from fraction programming (FP), we reconstruct the problem and derive a closed-form expression of the optimization variable. In addition, we effectively reduce the complexity of precoding by utilizing Neumann series expansion (NSE). For the power allocation subproblem, we adopt a dynamic power allocation scheme that considers both the intra-beam power optimization and the inter-beam power optimization. Simulation results show that the energy efficiency of the proposed beamspace MIMO-NOMA is significantly better than other conventional schemes.