Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stakeholder Involvement in a Government-Funded Outcome Evaluation: Lessons from the Front Line

Abstract: This article describes the process behind a government-initiated outcome evaluation that involved stakeholders from funded projects in planning and decision making. It reviews the strengths, challenges, and limitations of the evaluation. Follow-up consultations with project staff involved in data collection for the evaluation identified strengths of the process as the opportunity for staff to get to know individual program participants through interviews and the good will established between staff, funders, and evaluators. Weaknesses included concerns about some of the questions asked of participants, the complexity of the evaluation design, and a failure to identify the implications of staff turnover and workload when deciding to employ front-line staff to collect evaluation data.
Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate Attenuates Leukocyte Infiltration in 67-kDa Laminin Receptor-Dependent and -Independent Pathways in the Rat Frontoparietal Cortex following Status Epilepticus

Status epilepticus (SE) evokes leukocyte infiltration in the frontoparietal cortex (FPC) without the blood-brain barrier disruption. Monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) and macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2) regulate leukocyte recruitments into the brain parenchyma. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is an antioxidant and a ligand for non-integrin 67-kDa laminin receptor (67LR). However, it is unknown whether EGCG and/or 67LR affect SE-induced leukocyte infiltrations in the FPC. In the present study, SE infiltrated myeloperoxidase (MPO)-positive neutrophils, as well as cluster of differentiation 68 (CD68)-positive monocytes in the FPC are investigated. Following SE, MCP-1 was upregulated in microglia, which was abrogated by EGCG treatment. The C–C motif chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2, MCP-1 receptor) and MIP-2 expressions were increased in astrocytes, which were attenuated by MCP-1 neutralization and EGCG treatment. SE reduced 67LR expression in astrocytes, but not endothelial cells. Under physiological conditions, 67LR neutralization did not lead to MCP-1 induction in microglia. However, it induced MIP-2 expression and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) phosphorylation in astrocytes and leukocyte infiltration in the FPC. Co-treatment of EGCG or U0126 (an ERK1/2 inhibitor) attenuated these events induced by 67LR neutralization. These findings indicate that the EGCG may ameliorate leukocyte infiltration in the FPC by inhibiting microglial MCP-1 induction independent of 67LR, as well as 67LR-ERK1/2-MIP-2 signaling pathway in astrocytes.
Pterostilbene and Probiotic Complex in Chemoprevention of Putative Precursor Lesions for Colorectal Cancer in an Experimental Model of Intestinal Carcinogenesis with 1,2-Dimethylhydrazine

Simple Summary The composition of the intestinal microbiota, chronic inflammation, and oxidative stress are factors related to the onset of colorectal cancer (CRC). Diet is the environmental factor most related to the development of non-hereditary CRC. Pterostilbene has great potential as an antitumor drug for CRC chemoprevention. Several strains of probiotics in multiple combinations, concentrations, and dosages have been studied for cancer prevention. The available evidence is insufficient to justify the chronic and simultaneous administration of pterostilbene and probiotics with Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium to a population at high risk of CRC. In vivo studies may contribute to the incorporation of dietary supplementation with the ability to reduce the incidence of CRC. The combination of substances should be stimulated with a view to potentiating the expected effect through action on different targets. Abstract Dietary supplementation with pterostilbene (PS) and/or a probiotic (PRO) may ameliorate the intestinal microbiota in disease conditions. This study aims to evaluate PS and PRO for the chemoprevention of putative precursor lesions for colorectal cancer (CRC) in an experimental model of intestinal carcinogenesis with 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (1,2-DMH). Sixty male Wistar rats were equally divided into five groups: Sham, 1,2-DMH, 1,2-DMH + PS, 1,2-DMH + PRO, and 1,2-DMH + PS + PRO. PRO (5 × 107/mL) was offered in water, and PS (300 ppm) was provided in the diet ad libitum. 1,2-DMH (20 mg/kg/week) was administered for 15 consecutive weeks. In the 25th week, proctocolectomy was conducted. PRO alone and PRO combined with PS were the best intervention strategies to improve experimental 1,2-DMH-induced CRC regarding several parameters of carcinogenesis. Our findings may contribute to the development of novel preventive strategies for CRC and may help to identify novel modulators of colon carcinogenesis.
Contrast-Induced Acute Kidney Injury and Endothelial Dysfunction: The Role of Vascular and Biochemical Parameters

Introduction: Contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CIAKI) is one of the main causes of acute renal failure in hospitalized patients, following the administration of iodinated contrast medium used for CT scans and angiographic procedures. CIAKI determines a high cardiovascular risk and appears to be one of the most feared complications of coronary angiography, causing a notable worsening of the prognosis with high morbidity and mortality. Aim: To evaluate a possible association between the renal resistive index (RRI) and the development of CIAKI, as well as an association with the main subclinical markers of atherosclerosis and the main cardiovascular risk factors. Materials and Methods: We enrolled 101 patients with an indication for coronary angiography. Patients underwent an assessment of renal function (serum nitrogen and basal creatinine, 48 and 72 h after administration of contrast medium), inflammation (C reactive protein (CRP), serum calcium and phosphorus, intact parathormone (iPTH), 25-hydroxyvitaminD (25-OH-VitD), serum uric acid (SUA), total cholesterol, serum triglycerides, serum glucose and insulin). All patients also carried out an evaluation of RRI, intima-media thickness (IMT), interventricular septum (IVS) and the ankle-brachial index (ABI). Results: 101 patients (68 male), with a mean age of 73.0 ± 15.0 years, were enrolled for the study; 35 are affected by type 2 diabetes mellitus. A total of 19 cases of CIAKI were reported (19%), while among diabetic patients we reported an incidence of 23% (8 patients). In our study, patients with CIAKI had significantly higher RRI (p < 0.001) and IMT (p < 0.001) with respect to the patients who did not develop CIAKI. Furthermore, patients with CIAKI had significantly higher CRP (p < 0.001) and SUA (p < 0.006). Conclusions: We showed a significant difference in RRI, IMT, SUA and CRP values between the population developing CIAKI and patients without CIAKI. This data appears relevant considering that RRI and IMT are low-cost, non-invasive and easily reproducible markers of endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis.
INTERNAL ATMOSPHERIC GRAVITY WAVES AT IONOSPHERIC HEIGHTS

Irregularities and irregular motions in the upper atmosphere have been detected and studied by a variety of techniques during recent years, but their proper interpretation has yet to be established. It is shown here that many or most of the observational data may be interpreted on the basis of a single physical mechanism, namely, internal atmospheric gravity waves.A comprehensive picture is envisaged for the motions normally encountered, in which a spectrum of waves is generated at low levels of the atmosphere and propagated upwards. The propagational effects of amplification, reflection, inter-modulation, and dissipation act to change the spectrum continuously with increasing height, and so produce different types of dominant modes at different heights. These changes, coupled with an observational selection in some cases, lead to the various characteristics revealed by the different observing techniques. The generation of abnormal waves locally in the ionosphere appears to be possible, and it seems able .
Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of the General Population toward the Old-New Outbreak of Cholera in a Developing Country

Background: In October 2022, the first case of cholera since 1993 was recorded in Lebanon. This study aimed to develop and validate a tool to explore the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) toward cholera infection and its prevention among the general population in Lebanon and identify the associated factors related to the KAP assessment to guide prevention and awareness strategies. The nation’s already precarious healthcare system might become overwhelmed by the response to the cholera outbreak. Therefore, evaluating the level of cholera-related KAP among the Lebanese population is crucial since it directly affects the disease’s treatment, control, and prevention. Methods: This online cross-sectional study was carried out between October and November 2022 during the cholera outbreak in Lebanon. Snowball sampling was used to recruit 448 adults living in Lebanon. Results: The suggested KAP scales had adequate structural and convergent validity and were internally consistent. The disease knowledge was inversely associated with the reluctance to receive educational information (β = −1.58) and cigarette smoking (β = −1.31) but positively associated with the female gender (β = 1.74) and awareness of vaccine availability and efficacy (β = 1.34). For attitude, healthcare professionals were less frightened than others (β = 2.69). Better practices were related to better knowledge (β = 0.43), while inadequate practices were associated with getting information from social media (β = −2.47). Conclusions: This study could identify notable gaps in the knowledge, attitudes, and practices, which varied according to participant characteristics. Cholera incidence can be reduced by improved community education and training, increased access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene amenities, and changes in behavior. These findings warrant additional actions by public health stakeholders and governmental authorities to promote better practices and curb disease transmission.
Short-term Load Forecasting Based on EMD and SVM

The power load is inherently non-stationary time series,and has a certain periodicity and randomness by itself,so it is difficult to construct the forecasting model.The traditional models are constructed on the basis of the supposition that the load series are linear and stationary,which cannot predict accurately the real non-stationary load series.In order to predict the short-term power load effectively and level up the forecast precision,a hybrid forecasting method based on Empirical Mode Decomposition(EMD) and Support Vector Machine(SVM) is presented in this paper.EMD can decompose non-stationary signals into some smooth and stationary intrinsic mode functions(1MF) with different frequency in the different scale space by the sifting process.Which is regarded as new adaptive wavelet decomposition method.SVM,a novel machine learning method based on the structural risk minimization(SRM) principle,is powerful for the problem with small sample,nonlinearity,high dimension and local minima.According to the outstanding feature of EMD algorithm,firstly,the power load time series is decomposed into a series of stationary intrinsic mode functions in different scale space via EMD sifting procedure.The local features of original load series are prominent in the intrinsic mode functions so that it is more obvious to observe the cycle,random and trend parts of the original load sequence.Secondly,according to the change regulation of each of all resulted intrinsic mode functions,the right parameter and kernel functions are chosen to build different SVM respectively to forecast each intrinsic mode functions.At last,these forecasting results of each IMF are combined with SVM to obtain final forecasting result.The simulation results show that the hybrid method based on EMD and SVM has faster speed,higher precision and greater generalization ability than that of the single SVM method and that of the BP neural network method, which proves that it is an effective method.
Bayesian analysis for time series of count data

Time series involving count data are present in a wide variety of applications. In many applications, the observed counts are usually small and dependent. Failure to take these facts into account can lead to misleading inferences and may detect false relationships. To tackle such issues, a Poisson parameter-driven model is assumed for the time series at hand. This model can account for the time dependence between observations through introducing an autoregressive latent process. In this thesis, we consider Bayesian approaches for estimating the Poisson parameterdriven model. The main challenge is that the likelihood function for the observed counts involves a high dimensional integral after integrating out the latent variables. The main contributions of this thesis are threefold. First, I develop a new single-move (SM) Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method to sample the latent variables one by one. Second, I adopt the idea of the particle Gibbs sampler (PGS) method (Andrieu et al., 2010) into our model setting and compare its performance with the SM method. Third, I consider Bayesian composite likelihood methods and compare three different adjustment methods with the unadjusted method and the SM method. The comparisons provide a practical guide to what method to use. We conduct simulation studies to compare the latter two methods with the SM method. We conclude that the SM method outperforms the PGS method for small sample size, while they perform almost the same for large sample size. However, the SM method is much faster than the PGS method. The adjusted Bayesian composite methods provide closer results to the SM than the unadjusted one. The PGS and the selected adjustment method from simulation studies are compared with the SM method via a real data example. Similar results are obtained: first, the PGS method provides results very close to those of the SM method. Second, the adjusted composite likelihood methods provide closer results to the SM than the unadjusted one.
Prompt-γ production of 220 MeV/u 12C ions interacting with a PMMA target

The radiation used in particle therapy treatments produces secondary particles, either neutral or charged, when interacting with the patient body. The particles that exit from the body can be used to provide a fast feedback on the treatment plans. Here we report the measurements of prompt-γ ray fluxes produced by the interaction of a 220 MeV/u carbon ion beam at GSI, Darmstadt, with a polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) target. The photons were detected by means of an array of LYSO crystals, allowing for a measurement of time of flight and released energy. Different angular configurations were explored, placing the prompt-γ detector at 60°, 90°, and 120° with respect to the primary beam direction. The prompt-γ energy spectra have been obtained for the different angular configurations after having taken into account the detector resolution by means of an unfolding procedure tuned with a dedicated Monte Carlo simulation. The integrated fluxes (over the full 4π solid angle), in the 2–10 MeV prompt-γ ray energy range, at 60°, 90° and 120°, are measured as Φγ(60°) = (6.7±1.7) × 10−3 sr−1, Φγ(90°) = (6.3±2.1) × 10−3 sr−1 and Φγ(120°) = (4.4±1.1) × 10−3 sr−1 respectively.
Association between the Ile164 β2 Adrenergic Receptor Polymorphism and Fatigue in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Introduction: In the present work, the frequency of inherited polymorphisms of the beta 2 adrenergic receptor (β2AR) gene and their association with fatigue in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was examined. Methods: An allele-specific polymerase chain reaction was used to determine the common variants of the β2AR at position 16, 27, and 164 in 92 German RA outpatients. Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ-DI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ-30), Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20) were utilized. Results: 34.7% of German RA patients were diagnosed with associated fatigue. Fatigued patients were more likely to carry the Ile allele at position 164 (OR 7.33, 95% CI 1.09–59.8, p = 0.049). Comparing these risk factors’ contribution to different fatigue dimensions revealed that Ile164 carriers only had significantly higher MFI-20 mean values for general fatigue (p = 0.014) while the clinical difference among other MFI subscales was the largest for mental fatigue (carrier: 8.23, SD: 4.22, noncarrier: 5.67, SD: 1.56, p = 0.089, Cohen’s d = 0.629). Disease activity, perceived stress, and depression were also associated with fatigue with higher mean values for DAS28CRP (p = 0.038), PSQ (p < 0.001), and BDI-II (p < 0.001) in fatigued patients. Physical fatigue was correlated with disease activity (p = 0.009) and depression (p = 0.001) while mental fatigue showed associations with depression (p = 0.001) and perceived stress (p = 0.028). Conclusion: The discovery study indicates that the Ile164 polymorphism might in contrast to other β2AR polymorphisms affect fatigue levels in RA patients. This association was observed especially with mental fatigue. Further replication studies are warranted to determine further role of β2AR polymorphisms in RA patients.
Variation in Implementing Dementia-Friendly Community Initiatives: Advancing Theory for Social Change

Dementia-friendly communities (DFC) have emerged as a global movement to make communities more supportive and inclusive of people living with dementia (PLWD) and their care partners. This study contributes to a nascent body of research on DFC initiatives by building theory on their local implementation. Based on an analysis of data from semi-structured interviews with 23 leaders of initiatives in Massachusetts (United States), we aimed to identify key dimensions of variation in the implementation of DFC initiatives. We found that all initiatives engaged in a common set of activities, such as the facilitation of training about dementia and improving services for PLWD. Although initiatives mostly engaged in these activities in ways that targeted the community at large, in some instances, they concentrated their efforts on enhancing the dementia-friendliness of their own organizations. We describe ways in which financial, social, and human capital operate as key factors that influence the initiatives’ primary focus (i.e., the community at large or their own organization). Our findings suggest the importance of helping DFC initiative leaders more explicitly specify the focal ecological level of their efforts throughout the trajectory of their work, especially in the context of resource considerations. Results also indicate ways in which DFC initiative efforts at one systems level can support those at other levels over time.
Palliative Care in a Specialized Palliative Cancer Care Unit in Portugal: A Complex Reality

Introduction The goal of palliative care (PC) is to improve the quality of life of patients and their families through the involvement of a multidisciplinary team. PC improves symptom control and end-of-life care. Despite the fact that the benefits of PC have long been acknowledged, Portugal's demands are currently unmet. The majority of patients have been identified as having a high level of complexity and are referred for symptom management and end-of-life care. Study aim The study aimed to analyze the sociodemographic, disease and hospitalization characteristics of the patients admitted to a specialized PC unit. Materials and methods We conducted a retrospective, single-center study of palliative care patients admitted to a Portuguese oncology institute’s acute palliative care unit during a three-month period. Patients' information such as social demographics, clinical data, patient and family member’s psychological, social, nutritional and spiritual counseling and knowledge on diagnosis and therapy objectives were collected from physician’s records and analyzed using SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 23.0 (IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows). Results A total of 41 patients were included, with a mean age of 66.4 years. Spouses were the primary caregivers. There was no indication for targeted therapy in any of the patients. Prior to hospitalization, 58.5% did not receive follow-up by PC. The most frequently reported symptoms were pain (75.6%), tiredness (68.3%), anorexia (61%) and emotional distress (58.5%). Patients were referred to counseling for psychological (43.3%), spiritual (19.5%), nutritional (58.5%) and social services (34.1%). During hospitalization, 75% of patients died; out of which, 70.9% were not previously followed up on by the PC team. Conclusion PC patients are complex, with multiple clinical-psychological-social-spiritual issues, and their management in non-PC wards can be challenging. Since the use of a multidisciplinary approach can improve patients’ and families’ quality of life, it is critical to train, expand and integrate the PC teams into the existing teams, allowing patients a better quality of life until they pass.
‘Undoing gender’ or selection effects?: fathers’ uptake of leave and involvement in housework and childcare in South Korea

ABSTRACT A number of studies have documented a positive (causal) relationship between fathers’ uptake of parental leave and a more equitable division of unpaid labour in Western contexts, primarily where men contribute to a fair share of unpaid work and fathers’ uptake of leave is common. South Korea offers an apt and contrasting setting to explore this relationship, with its highly gendered division of unpaid labour and low use of fathers’ leave, despite recent increases. This study finds that fathers who have taken (long) leave contribute more to housework as well as both developmental and routine childcare than fathers with neither leave plan nor experience. For housework and developmental childcare, this difference is mostly explained by already involved fathers self-selecting into leave. For routine childcare, there is limited evidence to suggest that very long leave of one year or longer could potentially make fathers more involved. In short, the gender equalising impact of fathers’ uptake of parental leave in Korea appears to be restricted mainly to long leave and routine childcare, if there exists any significant effect at all. Overall, this paper suggests that the gender equalising effect of fathers’ leave may vary depending on the stage of the gender revolution.
Subcritical convection in a rapidly rotating sphere at low Prandtl numbers

We study non-linear convection in a low Prandtl number fluid ($Pr = 0.01-0.1$) in a rapidly rotating sphere with internal heating. We use a numerical model based on the quasi-geostrophic approximation, in which variations of the axial vorticity along the rotation axis are neglected, whereas the temperature field is fully three-dimensional. We identify two separate branches of convection close to onset: (i) a well-known weak branch for Ekman numbers greater than $10^{-6}$, which is continuous at the onset (supercritical bifurcation) and consists of a superposition of thermal Rossby waves, and (ii) a novel strong branch at lower Ekman numbers, which is discontinuous at the onset. The strong branch becomes subcritical for Ekman numbers of the order of $10^{-8}$. On the strong branch, the Reynolds number of the flow is greater than $10^3$, and a strong zonal flow with multiple jets develops, even close to the non-linear onset of convection. We find that the subcriticality is amplified by decreasing the Prandtl number. The two branches can co-exist for intermediate Ekman numbers, leading to hysteresis ($Ek = 10^{-6}$, $Pr = 0.01$). Non-linear oscillations are observed near the onset of convection for $Ek = 10^{-7}$ and $Pr = 0.1$.