Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Observation on the Clinical Effect of Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy in Patients with Oligometastatic Tumors

Objective: To observe the efficacy and safety of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) in the treatment of extracranial oligometastases. Method: A retrospective analysis of 70 patients with extracranial oligometastasis of malignant tumors who underwent SBRT in our hospital (Shaanxi Provincial People’s Hospital) from January 2019 to December 2021 with ? 5 metastases, ? 3 metastatic organs, and metastases with diameters of ? 5 cm. According to the clinical data of patients, the dose-fractionation mode of SBRT is mainly determined according to the pathology of the primary tumor, the location of the metastatic tumor, and the important structures around the tumor. The local control, survival and adverse reactions were observed. Results: A total of 219 oligometastatic lesions in 70 patients were treated with SBRT. The median follow-up time was 24 months (12–40 months). The local control rate (LCR) of all target lesions assessed 3 months after radiotherapy was 94.1%; the 1-, 2-, and 3-year LCRs were 88.6%, 74.6%, and 64.9%, respectively. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 11.8 months (95% CI, 8.9–14.7 months), and the 1- and 2-year PFS rates were 48.6% and 32.6%, respectively; the median overall survival (OS) was 31.9 month (95% CI 26.0-37.8 months), the 1-year OS rate was 84.3%. The local control time, PFS, and OS of patients with metastases ? 3 cm were significantly better than those with metastases > 3 cm, and the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Acute adverse reactions after SBRT treatment in oligometastatic patients were mainly bone marrow suppression and gastrointestinal reactions, with incidence rates of 48.98% and 30.61%, respectively; chronic adverse reactions were mainly pain (bone, muscle), radiation enteritis, and radiation pneumonitis, with incidence rates of 38.57%, 30.00%, and 24.29%, respectively. The treatment-related adverse reactions were mainly grade 1, which were all improved after symptomatic treatment, except for one patient with bone metastases from lung cancer who had grade 4 myelosuppression. No grade 4 or 5 adverse events occurred in the other patients. Conclusion: The application of SBRT in the treatment of extracranial oligometastases is safe, effective, and has high tolerability.
CHILD CARE IN THE UNITED STATES: MARKETS, POLICY, AND EVIDENCE

IZA DP No. 15547 SEPTEMBER 2022 Child Care in the United States: Markets, Policy, and Evidence* Participation in non-parental child care arrangements is now the norm for preschool-age children in the U.S. However, child care services are becoming increasingly expensive for many families, and quality is highly uneven across providers and sectors, raising questions about the impact of child care costs and quality on parental employment and child development. The U.S. policy landscape is dominated by three policies that subsidize costs for low-income families or attempt to improve the safety and quality of providers: Child Care and Development Fund, regulations, and quality rating and improvement systems. In this paper, I provide a thorough review of the evidence on each policy, focusing on how they influence a wide range of family and provider outcomes. The paper begins with a detailed description of the structure and functioning of the child care market, using the most up-to-date data on families’ utilization of care services and provider characteristics. I then draw on a diverse set of studies across multiple fields to summarize the evidence on the impact of child care policy. In the final section of the paper, I offer recommendations for future research in each policy area. JEL Classification: H75, I24, I38, J24
The energetics and propagation dynamics of tropical summertime synoptic-scale disturbances

Abstract Periods of enhanced synoptic activity in the tropical western Pacific, Bay of Bengal-northeastern India, and African-Atlantic regions are identified by extended empirical orthogonal function analysis. Composite mete-orological fields for such active periods at various sites are constructed using European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) analyses for the northern summers of 1980–1987. These composite data form the basis for evaluating the contributions of different dynamical processes to local balances of beat, moisture, vorticity, enstrophy, and energy, so that the propagation dynamics and principal energy sources of the tropical disturbances may be studied in detail. In all three tropical regions considered here, the westward propagation of the synoptic-scale disturbances is attributed mostly to vorticity advection by both the time-mean flow and the transient fluctuations. In the western Pacific and Indian sectors, condensation heating associated with cumulus convection is seen .
Global energy intensity convergence using a spatial panel growth model

ABSTRACT In this paper, we empirically test the convergence of income and energy intensity for 61 countries using an augmented spatial growth model that includes energy and urbanization variables. We test an income convergence model to understand how energy use affects economic growth, and reveal that developing countries have energy constraints on their economic development. We show that energy is an essential component of economic growth in the early stages of development and that energy intensity converges between countries. It is consistent with the OLS estimation results that the convergence rate of energy intensity in developing countries of the spatial panel data model is still higher than in developed countries. However, the spatial panel data model shows that the gap between the two convergence rates is narrowed when spatial dependence is included. This implies that a country’s steady state is influenced by the neighbouring countries and emphasizes the importance of international cooperation policies for reducing energy intensity. Since the effects of economic variables on the reduction of energy intensity are different in developed and developing countries, a country-specific energy policy rather than an internationally uniform policy is required.
Pet Bereavement Among Pet Owners in Ghana

ABSTRACT There is a well-established culture of bereavement after human loss in Africa. However, bereavement after pet loss has not been previously evaluated. This study aimed to assess pet bereavement among pet owners in Ghana. It involved a cross-sectional survey: an online structured questionnaire was administered to 390 pet owners in Ghana. The Pet Bereavement Questionnaire was used to measure the bereavement experience after pet loss. Results indicated that the majority (76.4%) of pet owners had experienced relatively strong bereavement in the form of grief, guilt, and anger. The level of pet bereavement was not significantly related to the gender (p = 0.260), employment status (p = 0.462), or marital status (p = 0.387) of the owners but was significantly associated (p < 0.05) with their age (p = 0.041) and type of animal kept (p = 0.002). In conclusion, pet bereavement among pet owners in Ghana is a significant issue. Critical care and attention should be given to owners who suffer the loss of their pets.
Stability of Newtonian and viscoelastic dynamic contact lines

The stability of the moving contact line is examined for both Newtonian and viscoelastic fluids. Two methods for relieving the contact line singularity are chosen: matching the free surface profile to a precursor film of thickness b, and introducing slip at the solid substrate. The linear stability of the Newtonian capillary ridge with the precursor film model was first examined by Troian et al. [Europhys. Lett. 10, 25 (1989)]. Using energy analysis, we show that in this case the stability of the advancing capillary ridge is governed by rearrangement of fluid in the flow direction, whereby thicker regions develop that advance more rapidly under the influence of a body force. In addition, we solve the Newtonian linear stability problem for the slip model and obtain results very similar to those from the precursor film model. Interestingly, stability results for the two models compare quantitatively when the precursor film thickness b is numerically equal to the slip parameter α. With the slip model, it is .
The Pattern of Heparin Dosing as Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis in Adult Underweight Patients Admitted to Critical Care Units at a Tertiary Hospital

Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is one of the causes of hospital-related deaths in critically ill patients. Guidelines recommended VTE prophylaxis with standardized, fixed doses for most patients. The underweight population has limited data to guide the appropriate drug and dosing regimen. Objective: The aim of this study was to describe the pattern of VTE prophylaxis dose regimens for underweighted critically ill adult patients and the prevalence of associated VTE and bleeding. Methods: This study is a retrospective cohort study, conducted at the King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It included all critical patients admitted to the intensive care units (ICUs) and were above 14 years old with weight less than 50 kg or body mass index (BMI) of 18.5 kg/m2 or less, and were on heparin as VTE prophylaxis for more than 72 h from January 2016 until January 2020. Results: After screening 270 patients, only 40 patients were included in this study according to our inclusion and exclusion criteria. Only six patients (15%) received VTE prophylaxis as an adjusted dose of heparin 2500 U Q12, while the rest of the patients were taking standard dosing of heparin; 5000 U Q12 was given to 21 (52.50%) patients, and 5000 U Q8 was given to 13 (32.50%) patients. None of the adjusted doses developed any complications such as VTE or bleeding. There was no significant difference compared with the standard dose group. Conclusions: In this study, we described the pattern of heparin doses as VTE prophylaxis in underweight patients. We also compared the standard dosing and adjusted dosage of VTE prophylaxis on underweight patients and any complications. There was no significant difference in the complications outcome or benefits between the two groups.
Detrimental Effects of Almost Immeasurably Small Freestream Nonuniformities Generated by Wind-Tunnel Screens

Measurements are presented that were obtained during the course of a series of flow quality improvements to a small stand-alone wind tunnel that has been modified for boundary-layer transition studies. The objective of establishing a Blasius boundary layer with a high degree of spanwise uniformity has been frustrated by the persistence of Klebanoff modes, i.e., weak streamwise vortices within the layer. The vortices originate at the leading edge and appear to be caused by almost immeasurably small nonuniformities in the freestream introduced by the wind-tunnel screens. The vortices cause a spanwise thickening and thinning of the layer. Contours of the background unsteadiness in a spanwise plane through the layer show locally concentrated regions with elevated levels that are associated with the vortices. These contours are used as a sensitive indicator for the flow quality improvements. Although far from forming a complete parametric study, the observations should act as a valuable guide for others. For example, spanwise variations in the porosity of the screens were discovered by traversing each screen between a laser and a photo detector. Significant improvement in the spanwise uniformity of the layer was obtained by sorting the screens based on these results
Linear matrix inequality–based observer design methods for a class of nonlinear systems with delayed output measurements

This article deals with observer design for a class of nonlinear systems subject to delayed output measurements. Using an observer structure borrowed from Targui et al., we propose novel linear matrix inequality conditions ensuring the asymptotic convergence of the estimation error towards zero. We demonstrate analytically that the established linear matrix inequalities are less conservative than that of Targui et al., from a feasibility viewpoint, in the sense that they tolerate larger values of the upper bounds of the delay while guaranteeing the asymptotic convergence of the observer. Such linear matrix inequality conditions are obtained due to the use of a specific Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional, the Young inequality in a judicious way and a reformulation of the Lipschitz condition in a convenient way. We provide two illustrative examples to support the efficiency and superiority of the proposed linear matrix inequality–based techniques.
Perception of Burnout Syndrome in Healthcare Workers in East Java during Covid-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused health workers to work in situations where there is a lot of pressure and a high risk of COVID-19 infection. Even when the case and transmission of COVID-19 has decreased, health workers still have to work on vaccines and other routine service work. This working situation causes health workers to have a high risk of experiencing burnout syndrome (BOS). The consequences of BOS are exhaustion, decrease in work performance to patients, and inability to complete the given task. Fortunately, with early detection of BOS, the impact of BOS can be reduced. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify the BOS perception of health workers. This research was conducted in Kepanjen City which has the most COVID-19 referral hospitals in Malang Regency. This research uses quantitative methods with survey types. Respondents in this study are 562 health workers who are still actively working in three Malang District Hospitals. The research instrument used a BOS scale that was developed by researchers based on the theory of Maslach and Leiter (α = .866). The data analysis technique was carried out using descriptive tests by comparing the hypothetical and empirical mean and SD. The results showed that the BOS rate of health workers in Malang Regency during the COVID-19 pandemic tended to be high. Keywords: health workers, burnout syndrome, COVID-19
A Thematic Review on Using Food Delivery Services during the Pandemic: Insights for the Post-COVID-19 Era

The food delivery service is the most typical and visible example of online-to-offline (O2O) commerce. More consumers are using food delivery services for various reasons during the COVID-19 pandemic, making this business model viral worldwide. In the post-pandemic era, offering food delivery services will become the new normal for restaurants. Although a growing number of publications have focused on consumer behavior in this issue, no review paper has addressed current research and industry trends. Thus, this paper aims to review the literature published from 2020 to the present (October 2022) on consumers’ use of food delivery services during the pandemic. A thematic review was conducted, with 40 articles searched from Scopus and Web of Science being included. Quantitative findings showed current research trends, and thematic analyses formed eight themes of factors influencing consumer behavior: (1) technical and utilitarian factors, (2) system-related attributes, (3) emotional and hedonic factors, (4) individual characteristics, (5) service quality, (6) risk-related factors, (7) social factors, and (8) food-related attributes. The paper also emphasizes COVID-19-related influences and suggests promising future research directions. The results offer insights into industry practices and starting points for future research.
Magnetically Guided Intracartilaginous Delivery of Kartogenin Improves Stem Cell-Targeted Degenerative Arthritis Therapy

Background Degenerative joint disease or osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of disability worldwide. Intra-articular injection is the mainstay nonsurgical treatment for OA. However, dense cartilage and a lack of vasculature often limit the ability of drugs to reach cell or tissue targets at the concentrations necessary to elicit the desired biological response. Kartogenin (KGN), a small molecular compound, possesses a strong capacity to promote chondrogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). However, the rapid clearance of KGN from the intra-articular cavity limits its feasibility. Materials and Methods We constructed a magnetically guided biodegradable nanocarrier system (MNP) which enabled intracartilaginous delivery of KGN to promote chondrogenic differentiation by MSCs embedded within the articular matrix. Moreover, in preclinical models of OA, KGN-loaded MNPs exhibited increased tissue penetration and retention within the joint matrix under external magnetic guidance. Results Histological examination showed that compared with KGN alone, KGN-loaded MNPs enhanced chondrogenic differentiation and improved the structural integrity of both articular cartilage and subchondral bone. Conclusion This study demonstrates a practical method for intracartilaginous delivery using engineered nanocarriers, thus providing a new strategy to improve the efficacy of molecular therapeutic agents in the treatment of OA.
Know thyself: bipolar disorder and self-concept

ABSTRACT This paper addresses an important yet neglected existential issue sometimes faced by persons with bipolar disorder (BD): confusion about the extent to which what one is like is influenced by BD. Although such confusion is common in psychiatric illnesses, BD raises idiosyncratic difficulties due to its intricate interactions with personality, cognition and behavior. The fluctuating mood phases of BD can generate inconsistency in one's self-experience and sense of self. One way to resolve this confusion would be to coherently account for BD within one's overall self-concept. To facilitate this task, this paper introduces a heuristic taxonomy of different relationships wherein BD can be viewed in light of self-related beliefs. The relationships are as follows: (1) BD contributes to the self, (2) BD scaffolds the self, (3) BD gradually becomes part of the self and (4) BD is not part of the ‘real self’. As the individual presentation of BD varies extensively, the type of relationship one feels holds true depends on one's personal experience of managing and living with the disorder. These relationships act as an organizing framework for one's self-related beliefs about how to account for the effects of BD on personality, behavior, cognitive patterns and other self-expressions.
A high-dimensional test for the k-sample Behrens–Fisher problem

In this paper, the problem of testing the equality of the mean vectors of k populations with possibly unknown and unequal covariance matrices is investigated in high-dimensional settings. The null distributions of most existing tests are asymptotically normal which inevitably imposes strong conditions on covariance matrices. However, we assume here only mild additional conditions on the proposed test, which offers much flexibility in practical applications. Additionally, the Welch–Satterthwaite -approximation we adopted can automatically mimic the shape of the null distribution of the proposed test statistic, while the normal approximation cannot achieve the adaptivity. Finally, an extensive simulation study shows that the proposed test has better performance on both size and power compared with existing methods.
Effect of Extrusion Process on Proximate Composition of Water Yam Based Noodles Analogue – A Response Surface Analysis

Response surface methodology was used to investigate the effect of extrusion process on proximate composition of noodles analogue from water yam, yellow maize, and African yam bean flour mixture. Flour blend from water yam, yellow maize, and African yam bean were produced and was used to extrude noodles analogue using a brabender single screw laboratory extruder (Duisburg DCE 330 model) fitted with 3.0mm die nozzle diameter. A central composite rotatable design with three variables, namely barrel temperature, feed moisture content and screw speed and five level coded – a, -1, 0, +1,, +a, was used and data analyzed by regression analysis. Results showed that proteins of noodles analogue ranged from 12.40 to 22.16%; fat content ranged from 2.98 to 6.07%; fibre content ranged from 1.80 to 2.52%; ash content ranged from 6.21 to 9.50%; moisture content ranged from 11.05 to 12.47% and carbohydrate content ranged from 48.31% to 63.65% respectively. The coefficients of determinations (R2) were high and ranged from 0.9106 to 0.9747 at 5% level. The response surface plot suggested that the models developed had a good fit and the CCRD was effective in explaining the effect of the process conditions on noodles analogue as influenced by barrel temperature, feed moisture content, and screw speed of the extruder. The data obtained from the study could be used for control of product characteristics. The study indicated that improved noodles analogue produced from available and cheap roots, cereal and legumes such as water yam, yellow maize, and African yam bean can be produced for possible projection for the commercial production of noodles analogue.
On the homotopy theory for Lie ∞–groupoids,
with an application to integrating L∞–algebras

Lie $\infty$-groupoids are simplicial Banach manifolds that satisfy an analog of the Kan condition for simplicial sets. An explicit construction of Henriques produces certain Lie $\infty$-groupoids called `Lie $\infty$-groups' by integrating finite type Lie $n$-algebras. In order to study the compatibility between this integration procedure and the homotopy theory of Lie $n$-algebras introduced in the companion paper arXiv:1809.05999, we present a homotopy theory for Lie $\infty$-groupoids. Unlike Kan simplicial sets and the higher geometric groupoids of Behrend and Getzler, Lie $\infty$-groupoids do not form a category of fibrant objects (CFO), since the category of manifolds lacks pullbacks. Instead, we show that Lie $\infty$-groupoids form an `incomplete category of fibrant objects' in which the weak equivalences correspond to `stalkwise' weak equivalences of simplicial sheaves. This homotopical structure enjoys many of the same properties as a CFO, such as having, in the presence of functorial path objects, a convenient realization of its simplicial localization. We further prove that the acyclic fibrations are precisely the hypercovers, which implies that many of Behrend and Getzler's results also hold in this more general context. As an application, we show that Henriques' integration functor is an exact functor with respect to a class of distinguished fibrations which we call `quasi-split fibrations'. Such fibrations include acyclic fibrations as well as fibrations that arise in string-like extensions. In particular, integration sends $L_\infty$ quasi-isomorphisms to weak equivalences, quasi-split fibrations to Kan fibrations, and preserves acyclic fibrations, as well as pullbacks of acyclic/quasi-split fibrations.