Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Pilot Randomised Control Trial of an Online Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Resilience Training Program for People with Multiple Sclerosis

Background: This pilot study explored the effectiveness and feasibility of an online version of a group acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) resilience training intervention for people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS), called e-READY for Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Methods: Fifty-six PwMS were randomized to intervention (n = 31) or waitlist control (WLC) (n = 25). The primary outcome, resilience, and secondary outcomes (quality of life (QoL), distress, psychological flexibility) were assessed at pre- and post-intervention and 12-week follow-up. Results: Intervention participants reported greater pre- to post-intervention improvements in anxiety (d = 0.56) and stress (d = 0.62) than WLC. Gains were maintained at follow-up. Confidence intervals revealed a trend for the intervention group to report greater improvements than WLC across all outcomes. Reliable Change Index data showed that, compared to WLC, there were trends for more intervention participants to evidence clinically significant improvements in physical health QoL. Recruitment response was weak, intervention retention was good, adherence to program progression guidelines was satisfactory, program usability satisfaction was high, and study protocol attrition at post-intervention and follow-up was low and high, respectively. Most participants viewed the intervention as enjoyable, helpful, and resilience-building, and would recommend it to other PwMS. Qualitative feedback validated the usefulness of intervention tools and digital delivery mode and bolstered resilience through improved ACT-related skills. Conclusions: Effectiveness and feasibility results from this proof-of-concept study provide preliminary support for the e-READY for MS program.
SPHIRD–Single Photon Counting Pixel Readout ASIC With Pulse Pile-Up Compensation Methods

This brief presents the design and measurement results of a prototype SPHIRD-1 ASIC in the CMOS 40 nm process. The chip is dedicated to high count rate single photon counting operation at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility with Extremely Brilliant Source. The core of the prototype IC is the matrix of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$64\times32$ </tex-math></inline-formula> pixels of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$50 \mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> pitch. Each pixel contains a Charge Sensitive Amplifier (CSA) with a fast discharge block and a detector leakage current compensation circuit. The CSA is connected to a set of three discriminators. The readout channel is equipped with additional circuits, which provide different pulse pile-up compensation methods. The priority of the analog front-end electronics is to process the input signal in a short time (the CSA output pulse time width is only 18 ns) and to keep low noise (the equivalent noise charge at the level of 188 el. rms) with a power consumption equals to <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$26 \mu \text{W}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>/pixel. The chip is optimized for operation with a monochromatic X-ray beam with an energy of up to 30 keV. The measurements prove the possibility of counting up to 11.5 Gcps/mm 2 based on a 10% dead time loss input rate parameter.
Random year intercepts in mixed models help to assess uncertainties in insect population trends

An increasing number of studies is investigating insect population trends based on time series data. However, the available data is often subject to temporal pseudoreplication. Inter‐annual variability of environmental conditions and strong fluctuations in insect abundances can impede reliable trend estimation. Temporal random effect structures in regression models have been proposed as solution for this issue, but remain controversial. We investigated trends in ground beetle abundance across 24 years using generalised linear mixed models. We fitted four models: A base model, a model featuring a random year intercept, a model featuring basic weather parameters, and a model featuring both random year intercept and weather parameters. We then performed a simple sensitivity analysis to assess the robustness of the four models with respect to influential years, also testing for possible spurious baseline and snapshot effects. The model structure had a significant impact on the overall magnitude of the estimated trends. However, we found almost no difference among the models in how the removal of single years (sensitivity analysis) relatively affected trend coefficients. The two models with a random year intercept yielded significantly larger confidence intervals and their p‐values were more sensitive during sensitivity analysis. Significant differences of the model with random year intercept and weather parameters to all other models suggest that the random year effects and specific weather effects are rather additive than interchangeable. We conclude that random year intercepts help to produce more reliable and cautious uncertainty measures for insect population trends. Moreover, they might help to identify influential years in sensitivity analyses more easily. We recommend random year intercepts in addition to any variables representing temporally variable environmental conditions, such as weather variables.
Magnetism and magnetoelectricity in the polar oxide α-Cu2V2O7

Single crystals of the orthorhombic polar oxide α-Cu2V2O7 with space group Fdd2 are synthesized and their physical properties are measured. Neutron powder diffraction is also performed on a polycrystal sample to extract the magnetic structure. The ground state is shown to be weakly ferromagnetic, that is, collinearly antiferromagnetic in the a-direction with a small remanent magnetization in the c-direction. When an external magnetic field is applied in the c-direction, further spin canting, accompanied by the induced electric polarization, occurs. It is demonstrated that the magnetoelectric effect in α-Cu2V2O7 is adequately described if spin-dependent hybridization due to spin-orbit coupling as well as magnetic domain effects are simultaneously taken into account. We discuss the implication of the present result in the search for materials with multiferroicity and/or magnetoelectricity.
Onset Time of Lumbar Erector Spinae Plane Block Compared with Its Thoracic Counterpart: Case Reports

The erector spinae plane block (ESPB) at the level of the fifth thoracic vertebra (T5) is a novel technique, first published in 2016, which was found to be effective in both acute and chronic pain control. The mechanism of action and spread of local anesthetic of the ESPB at the lumbar region are thought to differ from those of the thoracic ESPB; however, the difference in onset time has never been evaluated. As for the onset of lumbar ESPBs, we presented three cases: two received lumbar ESPBs (one with chronic low back pain and one with acute postoperative hip pain), and the third one with chronic back pain received a thoracic ESPB. We administered 30 mL of 0.3% ropivacaine in all three patients, but the analgesic effect did not reach its maximum until 3 and 1.5 h, respectively, in the lumbar ESPB cases. On the contrary, the thoracic ESPB case experienced noticeable pain relief within 30 min. The onset time was considerably longer than that reported in earlier reports on ESPBs, and the lumbar ESPB achieved its peak effect much later than the thoracic ESPB using the same formula of local anesthetic. While the delayed-onset lumbar ESPB may have some drawbacks for treating acute postoperative pain, it still could produce significant analgesia, once it took effect, when given to patients suffering from hip surgery with large incisions and intractable low back pain. The current data suggested that the onset time of a lumbar ESPB may be delayed compared with its thoracic counterpart. Therefore, the local anesthetic formula and injection timing should be adjusted for a lumbar ESPB when applied in the perioperative period to make the onset of the analgesic effect coincide with the immediate postoperative pain. Without this concept in mind, clinicians may consider a lumbar ESPB to be ineffective before it takes effect, and consequently treat the patients inadequately with this technique. Future randomized controlled trials should be designed according to our observations to compare lumbar ESPB with its thoracic counterpart regarding onset time.
The Novelty of mRNA Viral Vaccines and Potential Harms: A Scoping Review

Pharmacovigilance databases are showing evidence of injury in the context of the modified COVID-19 mRNA products. According to recent publications, adverse event reports linked to the mRNA COVID-19 injections largely point to the spike protein as an aetiological agent of adverse events, but we propose that the platform itself may be culpable. To assess the safety of current and future mRNA vaccines, further analysis is needed on the risks due to the platform itself, and not specifically the expressed antigen. If harm can be exclusively and conclusively attributed to the spike protein, then it is possible that future mRNA vaccines expressing other antigens will be safe. If harms are attributable to the platform itself, then regardless of the toxicity, or lack thereof, of the antigen to be expressed, the platform may be inherently unsafe, pending modification. In this work, we examine previous studies of RNA-based delivery by a lipid nanoparticle (LNP) and break down the possible aetiological elements of harm.
Supplementation of direct-fed microbial Enterococcus faecium 669 affects performance of preweaning dairy calves

Graphical Abstract Summary: Optimization of preweaning performance might have medium- to long-term effects on the dairy cow herd. Hence, the use of technologies that promote preweaning performance is warranted and deserves to be investigated. One such technology could be direct-fed microbials, which support health and performance of ruminants. To investigate this, we fed Enterococcus faecium 669 to preweaning dairy Holstein calves. Overall, feeding E. faecium 669 improved average daily gain and yielded heavier calves at weaning, and a tendency for a reduced occurrence of diarrhea was also observed. In summary, feeding E. faecium 669 was a feasible strategy to promote performance of preweaning dairy calves.
Foundational frameworks supporting selection of music and outcome measures in studies of cognition among older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI): An integrative review

ABSTRACT Introduction Foundational frameworks are formal theories or intervention rationales used to justify choices of and ensure congruence between variables. What are the characteristics of foundational frameworks in studies of music interventions designed to improve cognition among people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and are choices of music intervention and outcome measures congruent with them? This review addresses this question and allows practitioners to evaluate research-based clinical strategies and to transfer these protocols into effective practice. Method Experimental studies were included if they enrolled only people with MCI, focused exclusively on cognition and used music as a primary intervention. Thirteen studies met the full inclusion criteria and were selected based on consultation between the two authors. Searches were conducted between April and July 2020 and updated in August 2022. Integrative review methodology was used to extract, analyze and evaluate information pertaining to each research question, and included a quality appraisal. Results Results found that eight studies relied primarily on prior research to justify selection of music interventions. Twenty-five different outcome measures were used across all studies, and while music experiences appeared to be connected to the constructs represented in these measures, some connections were indirect or unclear. Finally, there was considerable variation in the depth and degree of congruence between explanatory frameworks and choices regarding music interventions and outcome measures. Discussion Findings from this review are important for the development of future theoretical models, clinical research, and evidence-based treatment protocols in this emerging area of practice.
Palbociclib Adherence and Persistence in Patients with Hormone Receptor Positive/Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 Negative (HR+/HER2-) Metastatic Breast Cancer

Purpose To assess adherence and persistence with palbociclib therapy in patients with HR+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer (mBC) in a US real-world setting. Methods This retrospective study evaluated palbociclib dosing, adherence, and persistence using commercial and Medicare Advantage with Part D claims data from the Optum Research Database. Adult patients with mBC who had continuous enrollment 12 months prior to mBC diagnosis and initiated first-line palbociclib with aromatase inhibitor (AI) or fulvestrant between 02/03/2015 and 12/31/2019 were included. Demographic and clinical characteristics, palbociclib dosing and dose changes, adherence (medication possession ratio [MPR]), and persistence were measured. Adjusted logistic and Cox regression models were used to examine demographic and clinical factors associated with adherence and discontinuation. Results Patients (n = 1066) with a mean age of 66 years were included; 76.1% received first-line palbociclib+AI and 23.9% palbociclib+fulvestrant. Most patients (85.7%) initiated palbociclib at 125 mg/day. Of the 34.0% of patients with a dose reduction, 82.6% reduced from 125 to 100 mg/day. Overall, 80.0% of patients were adherent (MPR), and 38.3% discontinued palbociclib during a mean (SD) follow-up of 16.0 (11.2) and 17.4 (13.4) months, for palbociclib+fulvestrant and palbociclib+AI, respectively. Annual income below $75,000 was significantly associated with poor adherence. Older age (age 65–74 years (hazard ratio [HR] 1.57, 95% CI, 1.06, 2.33), age ≥75 years (HR 1.61, 95% CI: 1.08, 2.41)) and bone-only metastatic disease (HR 1.37, 95% CI, 1.06, 1.76) were significantly associated with palbociclib discontinuation. Conclusion In this real-world study, >85% of patients started palbociclib at 125 mg/day and 1 in 3 had dose reductions during the follow-up. Patients were generally adherent and persistent with palbociclib. Older age, bone-only disease, and low-income levels were associated with early discontinuation or non-adherence. Further studies are needed to understand the associations of clinical and economic outcomes with palbociclib adherence and persistence.
TRADITIONAL GOAT PRODUCTION AND INCOME GENERATION OF GOAT FARMERS IN ZANGON-KATAF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA

The study was conducted in Zangon-Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Nigeria. Multi-stage random sampling procedure was used to select 50 farmers used for the study. Structured questionnaire was used to collect data required for the study. Data collected were analyzed using qualitative and quantitative techniques. The result established that goat farmers in the study area were relatively young with a mean age of 38 years. Literacy level and household size were high. Enterprise variables established that the farmers were experienced and that goat production was an income generating enterprise with positive net profit and a mean net income of N2,719.00, that is, $7.769 at N350 per doller. Return on investment (ROI) was established to be positive with a value 0.13 implying that goat production in the study area was profitable. The constraints to goat production in the study area were poor road network, pest and diseases, among others. It was recommended that, campaign and sensitization of the profitability of goat production should be carried out. Also, non-governmental organizations, government and financial institutions should assist goat producers by providing funds in form of soft loan, credit facilities and needed capital to improve their financial base and increase their production capability.
Mössbauer Studies of the SrTiO3:Fe57System

Mossbauer studies of the SrTiO 3 : Fe 57 system used as an absorber have shown that iron enters the SrTiO 3 lattice substitutionally at the Ti 4+ site in its high-spin ferric state and is usually associated with a charge-compensating oxygen vacancy in agreement with the EPR evidence. On firing these samples in hydrogen, the quadrupole-split spectrum of Fe 3+ associated with an oxygen vacancy transforms into a zeeman-split spectrum with hf field and isomer shift characteristic of iron metal, indicating the formation of colloidal iron. Vacuum firing of the original air-fired samples tends to convert part of the Fe 3+ ions into Fe 2+ through the creation of more oxygen vacancies. The stages through which atomically dispersed Fe 3+ ions are converted into colloidal iron on hydrogen firing and vice versa have been indicated.
Long-Term Mortality after New-Onset Atrial Fibrillation in COVID-19

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) has been described as a common cardiovascular manifestation in patients suffering from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and has been suggested to be a potential risk factor for a poor clinical outcome. Methods: In this observational study, all patients hospitalized due to COVID-19 in 2020 in the Cantonal Hospital of Baden were included. We assessed clinical characteristics, in-hospital outcomes as well as long-term outcomes with a mean follow-up time of 278 (±90) days. Results: Amongst 646 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 (59% male, median age: 70 (IQR: 59–80)) in 2020, a total of 177 (27.4%) patients were transferred to the intermediate/intensive care unit (IMC/ICU), and 76 (11.8%) were invasively ventilated during their hospitalization. Ninety patients (13.9%) died. A total of 116 patients (18%) showed AF on admission of which 34 (29%) had new-onset AF. Patients with COVID-19 and newly diagnosed AF were more likely to require invasive ventilation (OR: 3.5; p = 0.01) but did not encounter an increased in-hospital mortality. Moreover, AF neither increased long-term mortality nor the number of rehospitalizations during follow-up after adjusting for confounders. Conclusions: In patients suffering from COVID-19, the new-onset of AF on admission was associated with an increased risk of invasive ventilation and transfer to the IMC/ICU but did not affect in-hospital or long-term mortality.
A new framework for the assessment of model probabilities of the different crystal plasticity models for lamellar grains in α+β Titanium alloys

This paper presents a novel framework for assessing the relative accuracy of the different slip transfer criterion in modeling the constitutive response of the lamellar morphology grains in α−β Titanium alloys. The main steps involved in the proposed framework include: (i) rigorous statistical evaluation of the salient morphological characteristics of the lamellar grains using image processing techniques, (ii) modeling the effects of dislocation slip transfer as additive penalties to the critical resolved shear strengths of the different slip systems in each phase, (iii) consideration of multiple geometric slip transfer criteria for the numerical evaluation of the different penalty terms, and (iv) the Bayesian calibration of the material parameters in the constitutive descriptions using spherical nanoindentation experimental data on a polycrystalline Ti-6Al-4V sample. Step (iv) described above involves the construction and refinement of a Gaussian process (GP) surrogate model for the indentation measurements, which is trained on crystal plasticity finite element simulations incorporating the constitutive descriptions selected in Steps (ii) and (iii). The GP surrogates are then combined with Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampling techniques to calibrate the parameters in the various constitutive models studied in this work. Additionally, we have computed the posterior model probabilities for all the constitutive models considered and identified the most plausible slip transfer criterion. This specific constitutive model is then utilized to present a homogenized crystal plasticity model for the lamellar morphology. The proposed framework presents a robust scale-bridging protocol for incorporating the uncertain information obtained from lower scales.
Plastid Phylogenomic Analyses Reveal a Cryptic Species of Ligusticopsis (Apiaceae, Angiosperms)

Ligusticopsis litangensis is identified and described as a cryptic species from Sichuan Province, China. Although the distribution of this cryptic species overlaps with that of Ligusticopsis capillacea and Ligusticopsis dielsiana, the morphological boundaries between them are explicit and have obviously distinguishable characters. The main distinguishing features of the cryptic species are as follows: long conical multi-branched roots, very short pedicels in compound umbels, unequal rays, oblong-globose fruits, 1–2 vittae per furrow and 3–4 vittae on the commissure. The above-mentioned features differ somewhat from other species within the genus Ligusticopsis, but generally coincide with the morphological boundaries defined for the genus Ligusticopsis. To determine the taxonomic position of L. litangensis, we sequenced and assembled the plastomes of L. litangensis and compared them with the plastomes of 11 other species of the genus Ligusticopsis. Notably, both phylogenetic analyses based on ITS sequences and the complete chloroplast genome robustly supported that three accessions of L. litangensis are monophyletic clade and then nested in Ligusticopsis genus. Moreover, the plastid genomes of 12 Ligusticopsis species, including the new species, were highly conserved in terms of gene order, gene content, codon bias, IR boundaries and SSR content. Overall, the integration of morphological, comparative genomic and phylogenetic evidence indicates that Ligusticopsis litangensis actually represents a new species.
Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy study of Kapton thin foils

Variable energy positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (VE-PALS) experiments on polyimide material Kapton are reported. Thin Kapton foils are widely used in a variety of mechanical, electronic applications. PALS provides a sensitive probe of vacancy-related defects in a wide range of materials, including open volume in polymers. Varying the positron implantation energy enables direct measurement of thin foils. Thin Kapton foils are also commonly used to enclose the positron source material in conventional PALS measurements performed with unmoderated radionuclide sources. The results of depth-profiled positron lifetime measurements on 7.6 μm and 25 μm Kapton foils are reported and determine a dominant 385(1) ps lifetime component. The absence of significant nanosecond lifetime component due to positronium formation is confirmed.