Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Abcs of Financial Education: Experimental Evidence on Attitudes, Behavior, and Cognitive Biases

This paper uses a large scale field experiment in India to study attitudinal, behavioral, and cognitive constraints that stymie the link between financial education and financial outcomes. The study complements financial education with (i) participant classroom motivation with pay for performance on a knowledge test, (ii) intensity of treatment with personalized financial counseling, and (iii) behavioral nudges with financial goal setting. The analysis finds no impact of pay for performance but significant effects of both counseling and goal setting on real financial outcomes. These results identify important complements to financial education that can bridge the gap between financial knowledge and financial behavior change.
Ibrutinib for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia

ABSTRACT Introduction: Chemoimmunotherapy has improved outcomes in chronic lymphocytic leukemia, yet it is not curative, with very high relapse rates, and is associated with a significant risk of toxicities. Moreover, patients with higher-risk genetic abnormalities continue to experience poorer outcomes and lower survival. Recently, novel targeted therapies have been developed to increase efficacy and reduce toxicity. Areas covered: Ibrutinib is an oral irreversible inhibitor of Bruton’s tyrosine kinase, a mediator of B-cell receptor signaling, which plays a vital role in various B-cell neoplasms. The drug has been approved for the treatment of several hematological malignancies, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma, where large trials have shown outcomes never seen before even in high-risk patients. The safety profile appeared furthermore favorable, even in elderly and unfit patients. Expert opinion: Therapy with ibrutinib rarely provides MRD-negative complete remission; an indefinite maintenance is therefore needed, with the risk of developing adverse events (AE) or resistance resulting in treatment interruption or discontinuation. Novel, extremely promising, combination strategies, based on the association of ibrutinib with chemoimmunotherapy, anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody or other targeted agents, are currently being investigated, with the goal of achieving greater depth of remission, especially MRD-negativity, and removing the need for indefinite treatment.
Sex differences in the ventilatory and cardiovascular response to supine and tilted metaboreflex activation

Women have attenuated exercise pressor responses compared to men; however, their cerebrovascular and ventilatory responses have not been previously measured. Furthermore, recent evidence has shown that posture change can influence the response of the metaboreflex but this has only been tested in men. Young and healthy men (n = 14; age: 21 ± 2) and women (n = 11; age: 19 ± 1) underwent 40% MVC static handgrip exercise (HG) for 2 min followed by 3 min of post‐exercise circulatory occlusion (PECO) in the supine and 70° tilted postures. In supine position during HG and PECO only men had an increase in ventilation (Men: Baseline: 12.5 ± 1.7 L/min, HG: 18.6 ± 5.3 L/min, PECO: 17.7 ± 10.3 L/min; Women: Baseline: 12.0 ± 1.5 L/min, HG: 12.4 ± 1.2 L/min, PECO: 11.5 ± 1.3 L/min; Sex × Time interaction P = 0.037). In supine position during HG and PECO men and women had similar reductions in cerebrovascular conductance (Men: Baseline: 0.79 ± 0.13 cm/sec/mmHg, HG: 0.68 ± 0.18 cm/sec/mmHg, PECO: 0.61 ± 0.19 cm/s/mmHg; Women: Baseline: 0.87 ± 0.13 cm/sec/mmHg, HG: 0.83 ± 0.14 cm/sec/mmHg, PECO: 0.75 ± 0.17 cm/sec/mmHg; P < 0.015 HG/PECO vs. baseline). When comparing the response to PECO in the supine versus upright postures there was a significant attenuation in the increase in mean arterial pressure in both men and women (Supine posture: Men: +23.3 ± 14.5 mmHg, Women: +12.0 ± 7.3 mmHg; Upright posture: Men: +15.7 ± 14.1 mmHg, Women: +7.7 ± 6.7 mmHg; Main effect of sex P = 0.042, Main effect of posture P < 0.001). Our results indicate sexually dimorphic ventilatory responses to HG and PECO which could be due to different interactions of the metaboreflex and chemoreflex. We have also shown evidence of attenuated metaboreflex function in the upright posture in both men and women.
Chemical Weathering of Loess and Its Contribution to Global Alkalinity Fluxes to the Coastal Zone During the Last Glacial Maximum, Mid‐Holocene, and Present

Loess sediments are windblown silt deposits with, in general, a carbonate grain content of up to 30%. While regionally, loess was reported to increase weathering fluxes substantially, the influence on global weathering fluxes remains unknown. Especially on glacial‐interglacial time scales, loess weathering fluxes might have contributed to land‐ocean alkalinity flux variability since the loess areal extent during glacial epochs was larger. To quantify loess weathering fluxes, global maps representing the loess distribution were compiled. Water chemistry of rivers draining recent loess deposits suggests that loess contributes over‐proportionally to alkalinity concentrations if compared to the mean of alkalinity concentrations of global rivers (~4,110 µeq L−1 for rivers draining loess deposits and ~1,850 µeq L−1 for the total of global rivers), showing comparable alkalinity concentration patterns in rivers as found for carbonate sedimentary rocks. Loess deposits, covering ~4% of the ice‐ and water‐free land area, increase calculated global alkalinity fluxes to the coastal zone by 16%. The new calculations lead to estimating a 4% higher global alkalinity flux during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) compared to present fluxes. The effect of loess on that comparison is high. Alkalinity fluxes from silicate‐dominated lithological classes were ~28% and ~30% lower during the LGM than recent (with loess and without loess, respectively), and elevated alkalinity fluxes from loess deposits compensated for this. Enhanced loess weathering dampens due to a legacy effect changes in silicate‐dominated lithologies over the glacial‐interglacial time scale.
Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeted therapies in mesothelioma

ABSTRACT Introduction Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is an aggressive malignancy arising from the mesothelial cells lining the pleura and other serosal membranes. It is associated with an extremely poor prognosis and has limited therapeutic options. Areas covered Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is known to be highly overexpressed in mesothelioma with reported EGFR overexpression between 44 to 97%. Given this, several anti-EGFR agents have been trialed in mesothelioma. In this review, we provide an overview of the current available data on anti-EGFR therapies in MM and future directions of investigation with these targeted agents in MM. Expert opinion While many anti-EGFR therapies have failed to show significant efficacy in the management of MM, the pathway is biologically active and its abrogation preclinically points toward it being a valid target. Toward targeting the pathway, many novel EGFR-based therapies are still being investigated. Current ongoing research of interest in MM include EGFR-targeted nanotechnology approach for drug delivery, antibodies targeting the extracellular EGFR and potentially anti-EGFR antibody drug conjugates.
Use of Combat Casualty Care Data to Assess the US Military Trauma System During the Afghanistan and Iraq Conflicts, 2001-2017.

Importance Although the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts have the lowest US case-fatality rates in history, no comprehensive assessment of combat casualty care statistics, major interventions, or risk factors has been reported to date after 16 years of conflict. Objectives To analyze trends in overall combat casualty statistics, to assess aggregate measures of injury and interventions, and to simulate how mortality rates would have changed had the interventions not occurred. Design, Setting, and Participants Retrospective analysis of all available aggregate and weighted individual administrative data compiled from Department of Defense databases on all 56 763 US military casualties injured in battle in Afghanistan and Iraq from October 1, 2001, through December 31, 2017. Casualty outcomes were compared with period-specific ratios of the use of tourniquets, blood transfusions, and transport to a surgical facility within 60 minutes. Main Outcomes and Measures Main outcomes were casualty status (alive, killed in action [KIA], or died of wounds [DOW]) and the case-fatality rate (CFR). Regression, simulation, and decomposition analyses were used to assess associations between covariates, interventions, and individual casualty status; estimate casualty transitions (KIA to DOW, KIA to alive, and DOW to alive); and estimate the contribution of interventions to changes in CFR. Results In aggregate data for 56 763 casualties, CFR decreased in Afghanistan (20.0% to 8.6%) and Iraq (20.4% to 10.1%) from early stages to later stages of the conflicts. Survival for critically injured casualties (Injury Severity Score, 25-75 [critical]) increased from 2.2% to 39.9% in Afghanistan and from 8.9% to 32.9% in Iraq. Simulations using data from 23 699 individual casualties showed that without interventions assessed, CFR would likely have been higher in Afghanistan (15.6% estimated vs 8.6% observed) and Iraq (16.3% estimated vs 10.1% observed), equating to 3672 additional deaths (95% CI, 3209-4244 deaths), of which 1623 (44.2%) were associated with the interventions studied: 474 deaths (12.9%) (95% CI, 439-510) associated with the use of tourniquets, 873 (23.8%) (95% CI, 840-910) with blood transfusion, and 275 (7.5%) (95% CI, 259-292) with prehospital transport times. Conclusions and Relevance Our analysis suggests that increased use of tourniquets, blood transfusions, and more rapid prehospital transport were associated with 44.2% of total mortality reduction. More critically injured casualties reached surgical care, with increased survival, implying improvements in prehospital and hospital care.
Neuromuscular and Perceptual Responses to Sub-Maximal Eccentric Cycling

Objective Eccentric (ECC) cycle-ergometers have recently become commercially-available, offering a novel method for rehabilitation training. Many studies have reported that ECC cycling enables the development of higher levels of muscular force at lower cardiorespiratory and metabolic loads, leading to greater force enhancements after a training period. However, fewer studies have focused on the specific perceptual and neuromuscular changes. As the two latter aspects are of major interest in clinical settings, this review aimed to present an overview of the current literature centered on the neuromuscular and perceptual responses to submaximal ECC cycling in comparison to concentric (CON) cycling. Design Narrative review of the literature. Results At a given mechanical workload, muscle activation is lower in ECC than in CON while the characteristics of the musculo-articular system (i.e., muscle-tendon unit, fascicle, and tendinous tissue length) are quite similar. At a given heart rate or oxygen consumption, ECC cycling training results in greater muscular hypertrophy and strength gains than CON cycling. On the contrary, CON cycling training seems to enhance more markers of muscle aerobic metabolism than ECC cycling performed at the same heart rate intensity. Data concerning perceptual responses, and neuromuscular mechanisms leading to a lower muscle activation (i.e., neural commands from cortex to muscular system) at a given mechanical workload are scarce. Conclusion Even though ECC cycling appears to be a very useful tool for rehabilitation purposes the perceptual and neural commands from cortex to muscular system during exercise need to be further studied.
The first Paratropididae (Araneae, Mygalomorphae) from Colombia: new genus, species and records

Abstract The family of mygalomorph spiders Paratropididae Simon, 1889 is here reported for the first time for Colombia, where it is represented by three genera (Anisaspis, Paratropis, Stormtropisgen. n.) and eight species. One genus, Stormtropis, and six species constitute new taxa that are here diagnosed, described and illustrated. The geographical distribution of Paratropispapilligera FO Pickard-Cambridge, 1896 and Paratropiselicioi Dupérré, 2015 are also redescribed and expanded on the basis of new material examined. The diagnosis of the subfamily Paratropidinae, Paratropis Simon, 1889 and Anisaspis Simon, 1892 are emended including the variations of the new species. Likewise, a geographic distribution map for the entire family and a taxonomic key for the males of Paratropidinae are included. Other biogeographic, morphological, and taxonomic aspects are discussed.
The Slow Component of Oxygen Uptake and Efficiency in Resistance Exercises: A Comparison With Endurance Exercises

Introduction There is a lack of information regarding the slow component of oxygen uptake (VO2sc) and efficiency/economy in resistance exercises despite the crucial role played in endurance performance. Purpose this study aimed to compare the VO2sc, efficiency/economy, metabolic, cardiorespiratory responses, rating of perceived effort and mechanical fatigue between cycling and half-squat (HS) exercises during a constant-load test at lactate threshold (LT1) intensity. Methods Twenty-one healthy men were randomly assigned in a crossover design to perform cycle-ergometer or HS tests. The order of the two cycle ergometer tests was an incremental test for determining load-intensity in watts (W) at LT1, followed by a constant-load test at the LT1 intensity. For the three HS tests, the order was a 1RM test to determine the load (kg) corresponding to the 1RM percentages to be used during the second test, incremental HS exercise to establish the load (kg) at the LT1 intensity, and finally, a constant-load HS test at the LT1 intensity. A rest period of 48 h between each test was established. During the HS and cycle-ergometer constant-load tests, cardiorespiratory and metabolic responses were recorded. Lower limbs fatigue was determined by a jump test before and after the constant-load tests. Results A significant exercise mode × time interaction effect was detected in VO2, heart rate, energy expenditure (EE), gross efficiency (GE), and economy (p < 0.05). A significant and sustained VO2 raise was confirmed in HS exercise (p < 0.05) and a steady-state VO2 was revealed in cycle-ergometer. A higher GE and economy were obtained in HS test than in cycle-ergometer exercise (p < 0.001). In both exercises, a non-significant decrease was observed in GE and economy (p > 0.05). Lower limbs fatigue was only detected after constant-load HS test. Conclusion Although the VO2, heart rate and EE responses were higher in cycling exercise, the constant-load HS test induced a greater VO2sc and EE raise than the cycling test in a predominantly aerobic metabolism. These results could explain a decrease observed in jump performance only after HS test. GE and economy could benefit from the eccentric phase of the HS exercise.
Comparison and Verification of Point‐Wise and Patch‐Wise Localized Probability‐Matched Mean Algorithms for Ensemble Consensus Precipitation Forecasts

When applied to precipitation on large forecast domains, the probability‐matched ensemble mean (PM mean) can exhibit biases and artifacts due to using distributions from widely varying precipitation regimes. Recent studies have investigated localized PM (LPM) means, which apply the PM mean over local areas surrounding individual points or local patches, the latter requiring far fewer computational resources. In this study, point‐wise and patch‐wise LPM means are evaluated for 18–24‐hr precipitation forecasts of a quasi‐operational ensemble of 10 Finite‐Volume Cubed‐Sphere (FV3) forecast members. Point‐wise and patch‐wise LPM means exhibited similar forecast performance, outperforming PM and simple means in terms of fractions skill score and variance spectra while exhibiting superior bias characteristics when light smoothing was applied. Based on the results, an LPM mean using local patches of 60 × 60 km and calculation domains of 180 × 180 km is well suited for operational warm‐season precipitation forecasting over the contiguous United States.
Assessing Uncertainty from Point Forecasts

The paper develops a model for combining point forecasts into a predictive distribution for a variable of interest. Our approach allows for point forecasts to be correlated and admits uncertainty on the distribution parameters given the forecasts. Further, it provides an easy way to compute an augmentation factor needed to equate the dispersion of the point forecasts to that of the predictive distribution, which depends on the correlation between the point forecasts and on the number of forecasts. We show that ignoring dependence or parameter uncertainty can lead to assuming an unrealistically narrow predictive distribution. We further illustrate the implications in a newsvendor context, where our model leads to an order quantity that has higher variance but is biased in the less costly direction, and generates an increase in expected profit relative to other methods. The e-companion is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2017. 2936. This paper was accepted by Vishal Gaur, operations management.
Post-operative computed tomography scan – reliable tool for quality assessment of complete mesocolic excision

BACKGROUND Quality control in colon cancer surgery is an ongoing debate ever since standardization proved to be highly efficient in improving survival in rectal cancer. Complete mesocolic excision (CME) is widely acclaimed as the new gold-standard in colon cancer resections, thus it is imperative to establish quality criteria of CME in order to make it easily understood and verified by surgeons worldwide. One simple and reproducible tool could be the measurement of arterial stumps postoperatively and a straightforward way to test its reliability is to test it in a comparative study between CME and non-CME surgery. AIM To validate arterial stump measurement as a surgical quality tool by comparing CME with conventional radical colectomies. METHODS This was a retrospective study, carried out on a prospective database. We collected data from two groups of patients, divided according to standard CME with D2 central vascular ligation (group A) and non-standardized surgery (group B). The two groups were compared with regard to the arterial stump length after right- and left-sided colectomies for colon cancer. The actual stump lengths of the ileocolic artery (ICA) and inferior mesenteric artery (IMA) were compared with their theoretical best D2 position of predicted ligation levels (D2PLLs) for calculating the potential for improvement. Measurements on follow-up computed tomography scans were carried out by three observers. Pathological data were recorded (specimen length, lymph node yield) and correlated with stump length. RESULTS We analysed 58 colectomies. The stump lengths (mean ± SD) in group A were 16.97 ± 4.77 mm for ICA and 31.70 ± 15.71 mm for IMA, whereas group B had 49.93 ± 20.29 mm for ICA and 67.24 ± 28.71 mm for IMA. Shorter lengths were obtained in group A, by a mean difference of 35.66 mm (χ2 = 27.38, P < 0.001), which was significant for all types of colectomies. Except for a 5.85 ± 4.71 mm difference for right colectomies, all the ligations from group A significantly reached their potential height (0.26 ± 12.18 mm from D2PLL; χ2 = 0.005, P = 0.944). Apart from three left colectomies, group B failed to reach D2PLL, by a mean difference of 32.14 ± 26.15 mm (χ2 = 21.77, P < 0.001). The calculated improvement potentials were significantly shorter in group A than in group B, by a mean of 31.88 mm (χ2 = 22.13, P < 0.001). The large spread of results in group B showed that there is significant variability (P = 0.004) when compared to standard surgery. Significant correlations were found between stump length, specimen length and number of lymph nodes (P = 0.018 and P = 0.008 respectively). No statistical difference was found between observers’ measurements (P = 0.866). CONCLUSION Arterial stump monitoring is a significant step in defining surgical quality, as longer stumps contain residual mesocolic tissue and correlate with major prognostic factors.
Effects of vermicompost, vermi-tea and chemical fertilizer on morpho-physiological characteristics of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) in Suleymanpasa District, Tekirdag of Turkey

Nutrients deficiency is a major threat to tomato growth. The effects of nutrients can be mitigated by vermicompost, vermi-tea and chemical fertilizers. To combat the nutrients deficiency, an experiment was conducted in Riverm Kompost Vermikompost Tarım Hay. Mak. San. ve Ltd. Şti. Suleymanpasa, Tekirdag, Turkey under field conditions. In field four different states of fertilizers [F0: Control (No fertilizer application); Fvc: Solid vermicompost @ 6 ton/ha; Fvt: vermi-tea @ 5%; Fc: Chemical fertilizers (N&P) @ 140-120 kg/ha were applied in tomato variety Kuzeyköy. The plants were harvested 45 days after sowing and the evaluation was done based on various morphological (leaf length, plant height, leaf breadth, number of leaf, days taken for flowering, primary branches per plant, stem diameter, fruit diameter, number of fruits per plant, petiole length, ) and physiological parameters (relative water contents (RWC), and membrane stability index (MSI)). The obtained results indicated that vermi-fertilizers and chemical fertilizer significantly increased all of the above-said parameters of tomato as compared to control but the foliar application of 5% vermi-tea treatment showed maximum morphological and physiological performance of
Association of Personality on Changes in Weekday Sitting Time: Cross-Sectional and Prospective Evaluation

Background The purpose of this study was to examine the prospective association of personality typology on changes in sitting (sedentary) time. Methods Young adults (N = 126; Mage = 21.6 yrs) completed self-report assessments of personality and sitting time at baseline and at an approximate 5-month follow-up. At baseline, personality was assessed via the Neuroticism-Extraversion-Openness Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) questionnaire. At both baseline and the follow- up period, sitting time was self-reported using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) short form. Results Both extraversion (β = −5.8; 95% CI: −11.7, 0.21; p = 0.05) and conscientiousness (β = −5.7; 95% CI: −11.3, −0.2; p = 0.04) were inversely associated with baseline sitting time. Regarding the prospective results, the only personality trait associated with changes in sitting time was openness to experience. Independent of changes in physical activity as well as other potential confounders, for every 1 unit increase in openness to experience, there was an associated 6.6 min/day increased change score in sitting time over the 5-month follow-up period (β = 6.6; 95% CI: 0.13, 13.0; p = 0.04). Conclusion Personality was differentially associated with sitting time based on the study design, with the personality trait of openness to experience being prospectively associated with increases in sitting time.