Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Investigation on the Multiparameter of Hydrate‐Bearing Sands Using Nano‐Focus X‐Ray Computed Tomography

In this study, a nano‐focus X‐ray computed tomography (X‐CT) is used to observe the formation of methane hydrate in sands on pore scale and to quantify hydrate saturation, pore structure parameters, and permeability of hydrate‐bearing sands. A new analytical technique is developed to improve the identification of water‐hydrate boundary. Three hydrate accumulation habits (i.e., floating, contacting, and cementing) in pore spaces are observed. When there is no methane bubble, hydrate distribution evolves from floating to contacting and then to cementing as hydrate saturation increases. In contrast, only contacting and cementing distribution patterns appear in the pores with methane bubbles. Based on the surface extraction and defect detection from 3‐D images, both the gas/water/hydrate distributions and the pore structure characteristics are investigated. The results show that the porosity, the maximal pore volume, and maximal diameter decrease as hydrates accumulate in the pores. However, the maximal pore surface, the total pore number, and the large pores (>100 voxels) number increase gradually until the hydrate saturation reaches 35%, when they turn to decrease rapidly. The pore structure parameters show detailed changes of hydrate and water on pore scale. The incompressible Navier‐Stokes equations are used to calculate absolute permeability of hydrate‐bearing sands based on X‐ray computed tomography digital images. It indicates that the microdistribution of the hydrate has a significant effect on the permeability calculation. The fluid streamlines obtained through simulation are used to track the water transport paths.
Impact of cycling and walking on adiposity and healthcare costs among adults: longitudinal study

Abstract: Leisure-time physical activity seems relevant to prevent the development of chronic diseases and obesity. However, not much is known about the economic burden of these healthy behaviors, mainly in longitudinal designs. This study aimed to analyze the impact of walking and cycling on leisure-time on adiposity and healthcare costs among adults. This longitudinal study was conducted at a medium-size Brazilian city and included 198 participants with no missing data attended in the Brazilian Unified National Health System. Cycling and walking were assessed by a questionnaire with a face-to-face interview at four time-points (baseline, 6-month, 12-month, and 18-month). Healthcare costs were assessed using medical records. Adiposity markers included waist circumference and body fatness. Over the follow-up period, participants who were more engaged in cycling presented lower body fatness (p-value = 0.028) and healthcare costs (p-value = 0.038). However, in the multivariate model, the impact of cycling on costs was not significant (p-value = 0.507) due to the impact of number of chronic diseases (p-value = 0.001). Cycling on leisure-time is inversely related to adiposity in adults, whereas its role on preventing chronic diseases seems the main pathway linking it to cost mitigation.
Validation of the ND-PAE Diagnosis in Children with Heavy Prenatal Alcohol Exposure

This study evaluated criteria for Neurobehavioral Disorder Associated with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure (ND-PAE). Kable et al. (2022) assessed the validity of this diagnosis in a sample with low exposure to alcohol. The current study expanded this assessment to a sample with a wider age range and heavier alcohol exposure. Data were collected from participants (5-17y) with prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) and typically developing controls at six Collaborative Initiative on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders sites using neuropsychological assessment and caregiver reports. Impairment was tested at 1SD, 1.5SD, and 2SD below the normative average and a modification of the adaptive functioning requirement was tested. Testing impairment at 1SD resulted in the highest endorsement rates in both groups. Our findings replicated the study by Kable et al. and show that current criteria captured a high rate of those with PAE and that requiring fewer adaptive functioning criteria resulted in higher sensitivity to PAE.
Perspectives of Canadian health leaders on the relationship between medical assistance in dying and palliative and end-of-life care services: a qualitative study

Background: Medical assistance in dying (MAiD) was legalized in Canada in 2016, but coordination of MAiD and palliative and end-of-life care (PEOLC) services remains underdeveloped. We sought to understand the perspectives of health leaders across Canada on the relationship between MAiD and PEOLC services and to identify opportunities for improved coordination. Methods: In this quantitative study, we purposively sampled health leaders across Canada with expertise in MAiD, PEOLC, or both. We conducted semi-structured interviews between April 2021 and January 2022. Interview transcripts were coded independently by 2 researchers and reconciled to identify key themes using content analysis. We applied the PATH framework for Integrated Health Services to guide data collection and analysis. Results: We conducted 36 interviews. Participants expressed diverse views about the optimal relationship between MAiD and PEOLC, and the desirability of integration, separation, or coordination of these services. We identified 11 themes to improve the relationship between the services across 4 PATH levels: client-centred services (e.g., educate public); health operations (e.g., cultivate compassionate and proactive leadership); health systems (e.g., conduct broad and inclusive consultation and planning); and intersectoral initiatives (e.g., provide standard practice guidelines across health care systems). Interpretation: Health leaders recognized that cooperation between MAiD and PEOLC services is required for appropriate referrals, care coordination, and patient care. They identified the need for public and provider education, standardized practice guidelines, relationship-building, and leadership. Our findings have implications for MAiD and PEOLC policy development and clinical practice in Canada and other jurisdictions.
Body image perception and physical activity behavior among adult population: Application of trans-theoretical model of behavior change

Background The human body changes during life, but research on how sociodemographic characteristics and physical activity (PA) related to all aspects of body image are still unclear and there is conflict in the relevant results. This study aims to examine gender-specific body image perception and physical activity in relation to BMI and sociodemographic characteristics among health employees who worked in health and medical care centers. Methods The study was a population-based cross-sectional survey of 170 health employees (55 men and 115 women) in Binaloud, Iran. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire, which consisted of a self-administered Multidimensional Body-Self Image Questionnaire (MBSRQ) and stages of change scales. The full version of Marcus-TTM based on the stages of physical activity changes was used based on 5 items related to regular physical activity behavior and intentions. Results There were no significant differences between men and women in total body image score, body area satisfaction, and attitude. Disease orientation (p = 0.02) and health orientation (p = 0.05) were the only significant differences between men and women. The number of children, level of education, BMI, and PA had a stronger influence on body image concerns and body dissatisfaction. PA and 7 of the 10 subclasses of MBSRQ (appearance evaluation, fitness evaluation, fitness orientation, health evaluation, health orientation, and illness orientation) showed a significant difference (P<0.05) between participants in the five TTM stages. Conclusion The ideal body image and body satisfaction may differ by the number of children, level of education, gender, BMI, and PA. Evidence from this study supports that participants’ stages of change affect their physical activity and body image perception. This result suggests a need for conducting work/home place intervention to promote adults’ body image perception and body area satisfaction based on the usage-specific stage under consideration.
Auxological, Clinical, and MRI Abnormalities in Pediatric Patients With Isolated Growth Hormone Deficiency

Objective: This study aimed to assess the auxological, clinical, and MRI features of pediatric patients with isolated growth hormone deficiency (GHD) by analyzing the demographic and clinical characteristics of the study cohort. Methods: A cohort of 115 pediatric patients diagnosed with isolated GHD was included. The patients were evaluated at a tertiary center in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Collected data included demographic information and auxological evaluations, such as height standard deviation (SD), height centile, weight SD, weight centile, and bone age SD. Neuroradiological assessments, particularly magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the hypothalamic-pituitary region, were collected to identify any structural abnormalities contributing to GHD. Results: A total of 67 (SD 58.3) were males. The mean age was 9.55 years (SD 3.45). The mean bone age was 7.37 years (SD 3.24), indicating delayed bone development. Height measurements reflected a significant growth impairment, with a mean height SD of -2.45 (SD 1.12). Out of the 115 pediatric patients in the study cohort, 84 (73%) underwent neuroradiological assessments using brain MRI. Among these, 12% were found to have MRI abnormalities. The prevalence of MRI abnormality in the subgroup with severe growth hormone deficiency was higher, reaching 21%. The peak growth hormone (GH) in the growth hormone stimulation test was 6.38 ng/mL (SD 3.24). There was a significant difference in the peak GH levels between the subgroup of patients with normal MRI findings (mean 6.02 ng/mL, SD 2.47) and those with abnormal MRI findings (mean 3.2 ng/mL, SD 2.8) (p=0.01). Conclusion: Children with isolated GHD exhibited significant growth impairment and clinical characteristics consistent with the disorder. Neuroradiological abnormalities are common among patients with severe growth hormone deficiency; therefore, radiological assessment including MRI of the pituitary gland is recommended in patients with severe isolated growth hormone deficiency.
Dynamic fading memory and expectancy effects in the monkey primary visual cortex

In order to investigate the involvement of primary visual cortex (V1) in working memory (WM), parallel, multisite recordings of multiunit activity were obtained from monkey V1 while the animals performed a delayed match-to-sample (DMS) task. During the delay period, V1 population firing rate vectors maintained a lingering trace of the sample stimulus that could be reactivated by intervening impulse stimuli that enhanced neuronal firing. This fading trace of the sample did not require active engagement of the monkeys in the DMS task and likely reflects the intrinsic dynamics of recurrent cortical networks in lower visual areas. This renders an active, attention-dependent involvement of V1 in the maintenance of working memory contents unlikely. By contrast, population responses to the test stimulus depended on the probabilistic contingencies between sample and test stimuli. Responses to tests that matched expectations were reduced which agrees with concepts of predictive coding.
Improving genetic risk modeling of dementia from real-world data in underrepresented populations

BACKGROUND: Genetic risk modeling for dementia offers significant benefits, but studies based on real-world data, particularly for underrepresented populations, are limited. METHODS: We employed an Elastic Net model for dementia risk prediction using single-nucleotide polymorphisms prioritized by functional genomic data from multiple neurodegenerative disease genome-wide association studies. We compared this model with APOE and polygenic risk score models across genetic ancestry groups, using electronic health records from UCLA Health for discovery and All of Us cohort for validation. RESULTS: Our model significantly outperforms other models across multiple ancestries, improving the area-under-precision-recall curve by 21-61% and the area-under-the-receiver-operating characteristic by 10-21% compared to the APOEand the polygenic risk score models. We identified shared and ancestry-specific risk genes and biological pathways, reinforcing and adding to existing knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: Our study highlights benefits of integrating functional mapping, multiple neurodegenerative diseases, and machine learning for genetic risk models in diverse populations. Our findings hold potential for refining precision medicine strategies in dementia diagnosis.
A new method to separate precipitation phases

Abstract. Separating the solid precipitation from liquid precipitation in an existing historical precipitation observation data series is a key problem in the monitoring and study of climate anomaly and long-term change of extreme precipitation events in difference phases. In this study, based on the comprehensive analysis of the historical daily temperature, precipitation data, and weather phenomenon records in the northern areas of Mainland China (north of 30° N), the threshold temperature of rainfall and snowfall in historical precipitation data for a complex and diverse geographical and climatic region were determined. A statistical model was established, and a method of separating solid precipitation from liquid precipitation was proposed. The main conclusions include: (1) in northern China, the actual threshold temperature range of the daily mean temperature of rain and snow determined based on weather phenomenon records was between −1.2–6.3 °C, with a difference of 7.5 °C among areas, and a mean threshold value of 2.81 °C for the whole region. The actual threshold temperature in the northern Tibetan Plateau was the highest (generally higher than 4 °C). The low threshold temperature values appeared in eastern Northeast China, North China, and northern Xinjiang Autonomous Region, which were less than 2 °C. (2) The actual threshold temperature decreased with increase in longitude east of 105° E; meanwhile, it was more dispersed in the areas west of 105° E. The actual threshold temperature was generally higher and more variable in the low latitude areas, while it was lower and more concentrated in the high latitude; the threshold temperature was lower in the low-altitude areas and higher in the high-altitude areas, and it generally increased with altitude. (3) There was a negative correlation between the actual threshold temperature and the annual precipitation; the actual threshold temperature was higher in the areas with less precipitation, and lower in the areas with more precipitation. The actual threshold temperature was negatively correlated with the annual average relative humidity, and was generally low in humid areas with relatively large humidity and vice versa. (4) The multivariate regression fitting model developed in this paper based on latitude, altitude, and annual precipitation was able to simulate the actual threshold temperature of the precipitation phase in northern China well. According to the calculated threshold temperature based on the model, the relative deviation of snow days and snowfall are smaller, and the stations with less than 10 % of relative deviation reached 95.1 % and 90.7 %, respectively. The results of this study can be used for the separation of solid and liquid precipitation events in the areas without sufficient weather phenomenon records or metadata.
Short-Term Psychodynamic Psychotherapy for Somatic Disorders

Background: Somatic symptom disorders are common, disabling and costly. Individually provided short-term psychodynamic psychotherapies (STPP) have shown promising results. However, the effectiveness of STPP for somatic symptom disorders has not been reviewed. Methods: We undertook a systematic review of randomized controlled trials and controlled before and after studies. The outcomes included psychological symptoms, physical symptoms, social-occupational function, healthcare utilization and treatment continuation. Results: A total of 23 studies met the inclusion criteria and covered a broad range of somatic disorders. Thirteen were RCTs and 10 were case series with pre-post outcome assessment. Of the included studies, 21/23 (91.3%), 11/12 (91.6%), 16/19 (76.2%) and 7/9 (77.8%) reported significant or possible effects on physical symptoms, psychological symptoms, social-occupational function and healthcare utilization respectively. Meta-analysis was possible for 14 studies and revealed significant effects on physical symptoms, psychiatric symptoms and social adjustment which were maintained in long-term follow-up. Random-effect modeling attenuated some of these relationships. There was a 54% greater treatment retention in the STPP group versus controls. Conclusion: STPP may be effective for a range of medical and physical conditions underscoring the role of patients’ emotional adjustment in overall health. Future research should include high-quality randomized and clinical effectiveness studies with attention to healthcare use and costs.
Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology: Part 2 Current Issues in Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology. Part 2: Anxiety and Obsessive–compulsive Disorders, Autism, Tourette's and Schizophrenia Anxiety Disorders

Part 1 of this two-part consideration of child and adolescent psychopharmacology focused on attention–deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression and bipolar disorder (Coghill, 2003). This second paper concentrates on current pharmacological approaches to the treatment of anxiety disorders, obsessive–compulsive disorders, autism, Tourette syndrome and schizophrenia. The aim is to describe some recent advances in child and adolescent psychopharmacology in a format that will be of practical benefit to child and adolescent psychiatrists and will also highlight gaps in knowledge. Despite being the most common psychiatric illness in childhood, affecting between 5% and 18% of children, anxiety disorders remain poorly understood. They can cause serious disruption to children's lives and are often persistent over time, leading to increased risks of anxiety disorders, major depression, substance misuse and educational underachievement in later life (Pine et al, 1998). The use of drug treatments in the management of child and adolescent anxiety disorders remains contentious , with many clinicians arguing that these disorders are most appropriately treated with psychosocial interventions. However, as success rates for cognitive–behavioural psychotherapy fall in the range of 70–80%, significant numbers of children require further intervention. The first drugs to be studied in the treatment of childhood anxiety were benzodiazepines and tricyclic antidepressants. Although the results of studies using a range of benzodiazepines were generally positive with respect to efficacy, they revealed a wide range of adverse events. These side-effects, together with the theoretical risk of tolerance, dependence and withdrawal symptoms, mean that benzodiazepines should be considered only when other pharmacological approaches have failed, and they should be prescribed for weeks rather than months, with dose adjustments being made gradually, both when starting and when tapering off treatment (Velosa & Riddle, 2000). There have been several randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of tricyclic antidepressants in the treatment of paediatric anxiety. Unfortunately, the Dave Coghill is senior lecturer in child and adolescent psychiatry in the He is also an honorary consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist in the Tayside Department of Child and Family Psychiatry. His main interests and research are in the neuropsychopharmacology of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and the psychopharmacology of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders. He is currently chair of the Royal College of Psychiatrists' Faculty of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Standing Group on Psychoactive Medication. He has received consultancy fees and travel costs by Janssen-Cilag and Eli Lilly. This paper reviews the evidence base supporting the use of pharmacological treatments for …
Differences in Sleep EEG Coherence and Spindle Metrics in Toddlers With and Without Language Delay: A Prospective Observational Study

Background: Sleep plays a crucial role in early language development, and sleep disturbances are common in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Examining sleep microarchitecture in toddlers with and without language delays can offer key insights into neurophysiological abnormalities associated with atypical neurodevelopmental trajectories and potentially aid in early detection and intervention. Methods: Here, we investigated electroencephalogram (EEG) coherence and sleep spindles in 16 toddlers with language delay (LD) compared with a group of 39 typically developing (TD) toddlers. The sample was majority male (n = 34, 62%). Participants were aged 12-to-22 months at baseline, and 34 (LD, n=11; TD, n=23) participants were evaluated again at 36 months of age. Results: LD toddlers demonstrated increased EEG coherence compared to TD toddlers, with differences most prominent during slow-wave sleep. Within the LD group, lower expressive language skills were associated with higher coherence in REM sleep. Within the TD group, lower expressive language skills were associated with higher coherence in slow-wave sleep. Sleep spindle density, duration, and frequency changed between baseline and follow-up for both groups, with the LD group demonstrating a smaller magnitude of change than the TD group. The direction of change was frequency-dependent for both groups. Conclusions: These findings indicate that atypical sleep EEG connectivity and sleep spindle development can be detected in toddlers between 12 and 36 months and offers insights into neurophysiological mechanisms underlying the etiology of neurodevelopmental disorders. Trial registration: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT01339767; Registration date: 4/20/2011
Evaluation of the effect of several moisturizing creams using the low frequency electrical susceptance approach

Abstract Moisturizers are cosmetic compounds designed to increase the moisture content of the skin. There are many types of these products in the market making it difficult for consumers to select the most effective moisturizer according to their age and gender. Hence, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of different moisturizers on skin hydration as well as to figure out any dependencies of the effects of these products on age or gender-related differences. We investigated the short-term moisturizing effects of five different skin moisturizers on 60 participants by using a low frequency electrical instrument. Skin surface susceptance was recorded and compared before and after the application of moisturizers. Statistically significant differences were observed in the moisturizing effect among different types of products. However, with respect to gender and age differences, there were insignificant differences in the effects of the moisturizers. Results of this study suggest that some types of moisturizers that exist in the markets are not as effective as required, which calls for a further evaluation of the moisturizers before entering markets and offering them for sale. In addition, findings suggest that gender or age differences are perhaps not important to consider in the application of moisturizers.