Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Remote Perimetry in a Virtual Reality Metaverse Environment for Out-of-Hospital Functional Eye Screening Compared Against the Gold Standard Humphrey Visual Fields Perimeter: Proof-of-Concept Pilot Study

Background The growing global burden of visual impairment necessitates better population eye screening for early detection of eye diseases. However, accessibility to testing is often limited and centralized at in-hospital settings. Furthermore, many eye screening programs were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, presenting an urgent need for out-of-hospital solutions. Objective This study investigates the performance of a novel remote perimetry application designed in a virtual reality metaverse environment to enable functional testing in community-based and primary care settings. Methods This was a prospective observational study investigating the performance of a novel remote perimetry solution in comparison with the gold standard Humphrey visual field (HVF) perimeter. Subjects received a comprehensive ophthalmologic assessment, HVF perimetry, and remote perimetry testing. The primary outcome measure was the agreement in the classification of overall perimetry result normality by the HVF (Swedish interactive threshold algorithm–fast) and testing with the novel algorithm. Secondary outcome measures included concordance of individual testing points and perimetry topographic maps. Results We recruited 10 subjects with an average age of 59.6 (range 28-81) years. Of these, 7 (70%) were male and 3 (30%) were female. The agreement in the classification of overall perimetry results was high (9/10, 90%). The pointwise concordance in the automated classification of individual test points was 83.3% (8.2%; range 75%-100%). In addition, there was good perimetry topographic concordance with the HVF in all subjects. Conclusions Remote perimetry in a metaverse environment had good concordance with gold standard perimetry using the HVF and could potentially avail functional eye screening in out-of-hospital settings.
Integrating a Resilience Framework to Assess Implementation of a Novel HIV Care Re-Engagement Model in NYC

Supplemental Digital Content is Available in the Text. Background: The Bottom Up Project, a collaboration of clinical, community, and academic partners, consists of 7 major steps that leverage a health information exchange, a system for sharing patient health information, with real-time alerts to mobilize peer outreach workers to find and re-engage persons with HIV disconnected from care. Bottom Up faced implementation challenges in its start-up phase and produced effective responses leading to Project maturation, which we explore using a novel implementation science framework incorporating resilience. Methods: We conducted semistructured interviews with implementation staff (N = 6) and meeting minutes and protocols document reviews (N = 35). The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research and a novel resilience framework guided thematic and process analyses. The resilience framework consisted of the following 3 resilience types: absorptive to cope with adversity, adaptive to adjust as short-term solutions, and transformative to structurally change. Results: The Project experienced 20 major challenges, 2–5 challenges per step. Challenges were multilevel and of chronic and crisis intensities. Implementers overcame challenges by leveraging multilevel factors that were absorptive, adaptive (most common), and transformative. Discussion: Bottom Up matured by practicing consistency and flexibility. The Project maintained core operations while under crisis-level stress by strategically simplifying or “downshifting” activities. Transformational responses suggest that specific initiatives can catalyze organizational change. Conclusions: Bottom Up implementation demonstrates using diverse tactics to respond to challenges, thereby shaping Project development and in turn organizations. Applying resilience to Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research helps build awareness of active and dynamic processes promoting or impeding the growth and success of intervention-oriented Projects.
Possible evidence for a methane source in Enceladus' ocean

The internal ocean of Enceladus can be expected to present conditions favorable to the trapping of volatiles in clathrates. This process could influence the eventual composition of the ocean and therefore of the plumes emitted by the south polar region. Here we used a statistical thermodynamic model to assess which species detected in the plumes by the Cassini‐Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer experiment are trapped in clathrates. We treated Enceladus' internal ocean as a terrestrial subglacial lake with a mixture of dissolved volatiles indicated by plume gas measurements. We find that the conditions for clathrate formation are met in this ocean, except above 20 km or in hypothetical hot spots. The formation of multiple guest clathrates depletes methane below plume levels, suggesting that clathrates eventually dissociate (releasing methane) in the fissure that connects the ocean to the surface or that another mechanism (such as hydrothermal reactions) is compensating by adding methane into the ocean.
Importance of different electronic medical record components for chronic disease identification in a Swiss primary care database: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND Primary care databases collect electronic medical records with routine data from primary care patients. The identification of chronic diseases in primary care databases often integrates information from various electronic medical record components (EMR-Cs) used by primary care providers. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of selected chronic conditions using a large Swiss primary care database and to examine the importance of different EMR-Cs for case identification. METHODS Cross-sectional study with 120,608 patients of 128 general practitioners in the Swiss FIRE ("Family Medicine Research using Electronic Medical Records") primary care database in 2019. Sufficient criteria on three individual EMR-Cs, namely medication, clinical or laboratory parameters and reasons for encounters, were combined by logical disjunction into definitions of 49 chronic conditions; then prevalence estimates and measures of importance of the individual EMR-Cs for case identification were calculated. RESULTS A total of 185,535 cases (i.e. patients with a specific chronic condition) were identified. Prevalence estimates were 27.5% (95% CI: 27.3-27.8%) for hypertension, 13.5% (13.3-13.7%) for dyslipidaemia and 6.6% (6.4-6.7%) for diabetes mellitus. Of all cases, 87.1% (87.0-87.3%) were identified via medication, 22.1% (21.9-22.3%) via clinical or laboratory parameters and 19.3% (19.1-19.5%) via reasons for encounters. The majority (65.4%) of cases were identifiable solely through medication. Of the two other EMR-Cs, clinical or laboratory parameters was most important for identifying cases of chronic kidney disease, anorexia/bulimia nervosa and obesity whereas reasons for encounters was crucial for identifying many low-prevalence diseases as well as cancer, heart disease and osteoarthritis. CONCLUSIONS The EMR-C medication was most important for chronic disease identification overall, but identification varied strongly by disease. The analysis of the importance of different EMR-Cs for estimating prevalence revealed strengths and weaknesses of the disease definitions used within the FIRE primary care database. Although prioritising specificity over sensitivity in the EMR-C criteria may have led to underestimation of most prevalences, their sex- and age-specific patterns were consistent with published figures for Swiss general practice.
Feeding signals inhibit fluid‐satiation signals in the mouse lateral parabrachial nucleus to increase intake of highly palatable, caloric solutions

Chemogenetic activation of oxytocin receptor‐expressing neurons in the parabrachial nucleus (OxtrPBN neurons) acts as a satiation signal for water. In this research, we investigated the effect of activating OxtrPBN neurons on satiation for different types of fluids. Chemogenetic activation of OxtrPBN neurons in male and female transgenic OxtrCre mice robustly suppressed the rapid, initial (15‐min) intake of several solutions after dehydration: water, sucrose, ethanol and saccharin, but only slightly decreased intake of Ensure®, a highly caloric solution (1 kcal/mL; containing 3.72 g protein, 3.27 g fat, 13.42 g carbohydrates, and 1.01 g dietary fibre per 100 mL). OxtrPBN neuron activation also suppressed cumulative, longer‐term (2‐h) intake of lower caloric, less palatable solutions, but not highly caloric, palatable solutions. These results suggest that OxtrPBN neurons predominantly control initial fluid‐satiation responses after rehydration, but not longer‐term intake of highly caloric, palatable solutions. The suppression of fluid intake was not because of anxiogenesis, but because OxtrPBN neuron activation decreased anxiety‐like behaviour. To investigate the role of different PBN subdivisions on the intake of different solutions, we examined FOS as a proxy marker of PBN neuron activation. Different PBN subdivisions were activated by different solutions: the dorsolateral PBN similarly by all fluids; the external lateral PBN by caloric but not non‐caloric solutions; and the central lateral PBN primarily by highly palatable solutions, suggesting PBN subdivisions regulate different aspects of fluid intake. To explore the possible mechanisms underlying the minimal suppression of Ensure® after OxtrPBN neuron activation, we demonstrated in in vitro slice recordings that the feeding‐associated agouti‐related peptide (AgRP) inhibited OxtrPBN neuron firing in a concentration‐related manner, suggesting possible inhibition by feeding‐related neurocircuitry of fluid satiation neurocircuitry. Overall, this research suggests that although palatable beverages like sucrose‐ and ethanol‐containing beverages activate fluid satiation signals encoded by OxtrPBN neurons, these neurons can be inhibited by hunger‐related signals (agouti‐related peptide, AgRP), which may explain why these fluids are often consumed in excess of what is required for fluid satiation.
Epilithic Lichen Communities in High Arctic Greenland: Physical, Environmental, and Geological Aspects of Their Ecology in Inglefield Land (78°–79°N)

Abstract The present investigation of High Arctic epilithic lichens and their substrate is based on field observations in Inglefield Land, North-West Greenland, mainly in 1999, with subsidiary observations from 1995. Eighteen rock samples, all glacial erratics, were specifically selected on the basis of macroscopic mineralization features such as iron and copper staining, vein and breccia structures, and ore minerals. The samples are representative of the crystalline shield, and their lithologies can be matched with exposures in Inglefield Land. Seven lichen communities are recognized, viz. Pleopsidium chlorophanum c. , Xanthoria elegans var. splendens c. , Dimelaena oreina–Physcia caesia–Xanthoria elegans c. , Xanthoria elegans–Umbilicaria virginis c. , Orphniospora moriopsis c. , Porpidia flavicunda c. , and Tremolecia atrata c. The studied material on the 18 samples reveals no conspicuous correlation between metal concentrations in the rock samples and the lichen communities and, broadly speaking, it can be stated that the lichens reflect more the properties of the rock surface, such as, for example, nitrogen- and iron-bearing weathering crusts, than the mineralogical composition of the rocks. However, there is a very close affinity between the Orphniospora moriopsis community and one variety of syenitic rocks with elevated magnetite and phosphorus.
Short-term Outcome of Peroral Endoscopic Myotomy Performed by the Same Endoscopist on Achalasia and Nonachalasia Esophageal Motility Disorders

Background: Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) is a relatively new but increasingly therapeutic option for achalasia. In recent years, POEM has been used for nonachalasia esophageal motility disorders (NAEMDs), such as diffuse esophageal spasm, esophagogastric junction outlet obstruction, and hypercontractile disorder, with some clinical success. No studies thus far compare the outcomes of these two groups. We perform the first head-to-head comparison of outcomes after POEM in patients with achalasia and NAEMD. Patients and Methods: A retrospective analysis of all patients undergoing POEM at one university hospital by a single expert endoscopist from July 2021 to December 2022 was performed. All patients were symptomatic, and the presence of esophageal motility disorders was confirmed using multiple diagnostic modalities. These patients were then divided into 2 groups, achalasia and NAEMD, based on the underlying diagnosis. Statistical analysis of different clinical outcomes, including effectiveness and safety, was performed. Results: Thirty-seven patients (mean age: 59.55, females: 22) underwent POEM in the study period. Twenty patients had achalasia and 17 patients had NAEMD. The median myotomy length was 5.5 cm for the achalasia group and 10 cm for the NAEMD group. This excluded patients with esophagogastric junction outlet obstruction in which the median myotomy length was 3 cm. The procedure time, the duration of hospital stays, the rates of same-day discharge, and complications were similar between the two. Short-term outcomes of POEM for the two groups were similar with improvement in 94% of patients in the achalasia group and 93.75% in the NAEMD group. Conclusion: Contrary to prior observations, our study highlights that POEM is equally effective in achieving clinical improvement in patients with NAEMD as achalasia over 6 months of follow-up. In addition, POEM has a comparable safety profile in both patient groups making it a feasible therapeutic option for these debilitating and challenging disorders.
Test–retest reliability and predictive utility of a macroscale principal functional connectivity gradient

Mapping individual differences in brain function has been hampered by poor reliability as well as limited interpretability. Leveraging patterns of brain‐wide functional connectivity (FC) offers some promise in this endeavor. In particular, a macroscale principal FC gradient that recapitulates a hierarchical organization spanning molecular, cellular, and circuit level features along a sensory‐to‐association cortical axis has emerged as both a parsimonious and interpretable measure of individual differences in behavior. However, the measurement reliabilities of this FC gradient have not been fully evaluated. Here, we assess the reliabilities of both global and regional principal FC gradient measures using test–retest data from the young adult Human Connectome Project (HCP‐YA) and the Dunedin Study. Analyses revealed that the reliabilities of principal FC gradient measures were (1) consistently higher than those for traditional edge‐wise FC measures, (2) higher for FC measures derived from general FC (GFC) in comparison with resting‐state FC, and (3) higher for longer scan lengths. We additionally examined the relative utility of these principal FC gradient measures in predicting cognition and aging in both datasets as well as the HCP‐aging dataset. These analyses revealed that regional FC gradient measures and global gradient range were significantly associated with aging in all three datasets, and moderately associated with cognition in the HCP‐YA and Dunedin Study datasets, reflecting contractions and expansions of the cortical hierarchy, respectively. Collectively, these results demonstrate that measures of the principal FC gradient, especially derived using GFC, effectively capture a reliable feature of the human brain subject to interpretable and biologically meaningful individual variation, offering some advantages over traditional edge‐wise FC measures in the search for brain–behavior associations.
The Mediating Role of Fear of COVID-19 in the Association between COVID-19–Related Work Stressors and Subjective Well-being

The study's findings underscore the necessity of recognizing and addressing fear of infection in early childhood professionals during a pandemic. By addressing fear-related work stressors and promoting supportive conditions, interventions can enhance the well-being of ECPs, offering valuable guidance for clinical practice improvements for this essential workforce. Objective COVID-19 has changed work conditions and instilled fear. However, research overlooked the contributing factors to fear of COVID-19 and its impact on well-being. We addressed this research gap and focused on the essential workforce of child care. Methods Three samples of early childhood professionals (ECPs) (NT1 = 423, NT2 = 142, NT3 = 584) were gathered in Germany between June 2020 and May 2021. We tested via path analysis whether (1) fear of COVID-19 relates to well-being, (2) COVID-19–related work stressors relate to fear of COVID-19, and (3) fear of COVID-19 mediates the relationship of work stressors and well-being. Results Findings of NT1 and NT3 lent support, while results of NT2 differed. Conclusions This study underlines the importance of adapting the work conditions during pandemics to reduce the fear of infection and thus preserve ECPs’ well-being.
Approximate information maximization for bandit games

Entropy maximization and free energy minimization are general physical principles for modeling the dynamics of various physical systems. Notable examples include modeling decision-making within the brain using the free-energy principle, optimizing the accuracy-complexity trade-off when accessing hidden variables with the information bottleneck principle (Tishby et al., 2000), and navigation in random environments using information maximization (Vergassola et al., 2007). Built on this principle, we propose a new class of bandit algorithms that maximize an approximation to the information of a key variable within the system. To this end, we develop an approximated analytical physics-based representation of an entropy to forecast the information gain of each action and greedily choose the one with the largest information gain. This method yields strong performances in classical bandit settings. Motivated by its empirical success, we prove its asymptotic optimality for the two-armed bandit problem with Gaussian rewards. Owing to its ability to encompass the system's properties in a global physical functional, this approach can be efficiently adapted to more complex bandit settings, calling for further investigation of information maximization approaches for multi-armed bandit problems.
Linkage between the Arctic Oscillation and winter extreme precipitation over central-southern China

In this study, we analyzed the relationship between the Arctic Oscillation (AO) and extreme precipitation events over China during boreal winters from 1954 to 2009. The extreme precipitation events are defined as those with daily precipitation above the 80th (or 90th) per- centiles. The AO shows a significantly positive correlation with the frequency of extreme precipi- tation events over China during January to February. Of all 287 stations in China, 238 stations have positive correlation coefficients and 82 stations are positively significant above the 95% con- fidence level. These stations that have significantly positive correlation are mainly located over central-southern China. The correlation between the AO and the average frequency of extreme precipitation events over central-southern China is 0.49, which is significant at the 99% confi- dence level. This correlation is still significant even when the El Nino/Southern Oscillation signal is excluded from the time series. In association with the AO-precipitation extreme linkage, the Middle East jet stream (MEJS) and the southern branch trough (SBT) over the Bay of Bengal covary consistently. A positive AO phase is accompanied by a stronger than normal MEJS and a deepened SBT. The deepened SBT enhances synoptic scale disturbances in vertical motions in the low to middle troposphere over central-southern China. More moisture transport by the deepened SBT and active synoptic scale disturbances in vertical motion over central-southern China would provoke more extreme precipitation events there.
Mapping Physical Conditions in Neighboring Hot Cores: NOEMA Studies of W3(H2O) and W3(OH)

The complex chemistry that occurs in star-forming regions can provide insight into the formation of prebiotic molecules at various evolutionary stages of star formation. To study this process, we present millimeter-wave interferometric observations of the neighboring hot cores W3(H2O) and W3(OH) carried out using the NOEMA interferometer. We have analyzed distributions of six molecules that account for most observed lines across both cores and have constructed physical parameter maps for rotational temperature, column density, and velocity field with corresponding uncertainties. We discuss the derived spatial distributions of these parameters in the context of the physical structure of the source. We propose the use of HCOOCH3 as a new temperature tracer in W3(H2O) and W3(OH) in addition to the more commonly used CH3CN . By analyzing the physically derived parameters for each molecule across both W3(H2O) and W3(OH), the work presented herein further demonstrates the impact of physical environment on hot cores at different evolutionary stages.
The $N_f \,C_F^3$ contribution to the non-singlet splitting function at four-loop order

We report a new result for the $N_f \,C_F^3$ contribution to the four-loop anomalous dimensions of non-singlet, twist-two operators in Quantum Chromodynamics. This result is obtained through computations of off-shell operator matrix elements. Employing integration-by-parts reductions and differential equations with respect to a tracing parameter allowed us to derive analytic results valid for arbitrary Mellin moment $n$.
Testing the Consistency of Performance Scores Reported for Binary Classification Problems

Binary classification is a fundamental task in machine learning, with applications spanning various scientific domains. Whether scientists are conducting fundamental research or refining practical applications, they typically assess and rank classification techniques based on performance metrics such as accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity. However, reported performance scores may not always serve as a reliable basis for research ranking. This can be attributed to undisclosed or unconventional practices related to cross-validation, typographical errors, and other factors. In a given experimental setup, with a specific number of positive and negative test items, most performance scores can assume specific, interrelated values. In this paper, we introduce numerical techniques to assess the consistency of reported performance scores and the assumed experimental setup. Importantly, the proposed approach does not rely on statistical inference but uses numerical methods to identify inconsistencies with certainty. Through three different applications related to medicine, we demonstrate how the proposed techniques can effectively detect inconsistencies, thereby safeguarding the integrity of research fields. To benefit the scientific community, we have made the consistency tests available in an open-source Python package.