Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Background: Plate fixation and intramedullary nail/Knowles pin fixation methods are commonly used to treat displaced midshaft clavicle fractures. However, the differences between these 2 methods are unclear. Objective: This meta-analysis aimed to compare plate fixation and intramedullary nail/Knowles pin fixation for displaced midshaft clavicle fractures. Methods:We searched PubMed, EBM reviews, and Ovid Medline online for studies related to comparison of plate fixation versus intramedullary nail/Knowles pin fixation for displaced midshaft clavicle fracture from inception to June 30, 2019. Relevant literature search, data extraction, and quality assessment will be performed by 2 researchers independently. The methodological quality of all included studies was appraised using the Cochrane system for randomized trials. The RevMan 5.2 software was used for heterogeneity assessment, generating funnel-plots, data synthesis, sensitivity analysis, and determining publication bias. The fixedeffects or random-effects model was used to calculate mean difference (MD)/relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: This meta-analysis included 839 patients from 12 randomized controlled trials. We found that compared to plate fixation, intramedullary nail/Knowles pin fixation yielded a higher shoulder constant score [MD= 2.43, 95%CI ( 3.46 to 1.41), P< . 00001] and lower disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand (DASH) score [MD = 2.98, 95%CI (0.16–5.81), P= . 04], and lower infection rates [RR=2.05, 95% CI (1.36–3.09), P= . 003], operation time [MD=20.20, 95% CI (10.80–29.60), P< . 0001], incision size [MD=6.09, 95%CI (4.54–7.65), P< . 00001], and hospital stay [MD=1.10, 95%CI (0.56–1.64), P< . 00001] but with a higher removal rate [RR= 0.52, 95%CI (0.41–0.65), P< . 00001] compared to plate fixation. There were no significant differences in nonunion, reintervention, or revision and refracture between these two methods. The limitation is that many studies did not demonstrate the random generated details, and only English articles were enrolled in this meta-analysis. Conclusions: Intramedullary nail/Knowles pin fixation might be an optimum choice for treating displaced midshaft clavicle fractures, with similar performance in terms of the nonunion, reintervention, or revision and refracture, and better shoulder constant and DASH scores, infection rates, and operative parameters. Abbreviations: CI = confidence interval, DASH = disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand, MD = mean difference, PRISMA = Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis, RCT = randomized controlled trial, RR = relative risk.
Darwin Harbour water and sediment quality

This review focuses on the sediment and water quality of Darwin Harbour and Shoal Bay, areas included in the Darwin Harbour Plan of Management Area. Water quality is affected to varying degrees by season, location within the harbour and tidal conditions, which can act alone or in combination. The greatest variability is found in tidal creeks during the wet season when tidal exchange results in changes in water quality on an hourly basis. Measurements of sediment quality are more extensive than that of the water column. The quality of sediments is relatively uniform throughout the harbour and over time. Exceptions are the longitudinal gradients along tidal creeks for nitrogen and metals including chromium, copper, nickel and zinc. There is no evidence suggesting widespread impacts on sediment and water quality. However, there is evidence of localised impacts on water and sediment. Of note are the elevated concentrations of metals at the Iron Ore Wharf and Darwin CBD area, and in the upper reaches of Reichardt Creek. These are associated with past loading practices of ore concentrate, and stormwater run-off. The water quality of Buffalo Creek is the most affected in terms of nutrients and bacterial quality. Discharge of treated sewage and stormwater from urbanised areas are contributing factors. There are many knowledge gaps in the water and sediment quality of Darwin Harbour. Large areas of the estuary have yet to be investigated, which include Shoal Bay, tidal creeks associated with developed and undeveloped catchments and East and Middle Arms. The full range of seasonal and tidal effects on water quality has not been adequately described, with sampling typically occurring during average tides. Water quality studies have not been undertaken during monsoonal events and neap tides during the build-up which represent two extreme periods in the harbour. Many of the studies done to date are descriptive and do not address the fate of contaminants and their ecological consequences. These are considered the most important knowledge gaps as they allow predictions on the fate of contaminants to be made, and in turn their full effects on harbour ecology to be understood. This approach enables pro-active management and a whole of harbour approach when considering various developments and future planning proposals.
Active Epilepsy and Seizure Control in Adults — United States, 2013 and 2015

Approximately 3 million American adults reported active epilepsy* in 2015 (1). Active epilepsy, especially when seizures are uncontrolled, poses substantial burdens because of somatic, neurologic, and mental health comorbidity; cognitive and physical dysfunction; side effects of antiseizure medications; higher injury and mortality rates; poorer quality of life; and increased financial cost (2). Thus, prompt diagnosis and seizure control (i.e., seizure-free in the 12 months preceding the survey) confers numerous clinical and social advantages to persons with active epilepsy. To obtain recent and reliable estimates of active epilepsy and seizure control status in the U.S. population, CDC analyzed aggregated data from the 2013 and the 2015 National Health Interview Surveys (NHISs). Overall, an annual estimated 2.6 million (1.1%) U.S. adults self-reported having active epilepsy, 67% of whom had seen a neurologist or an epilepsy specialist in the past year, and 90% of whom reported taking epilepsy medication. Among those taking epilepsy medication, only 44% reported having their seizures controlled. A higher prevalence of active epilepsy and poorer seizure control were associated with low family income, unemployment, and being divorced, separated, or widowed. Use of epilepsy medication was higher among adults who saw an epilepsy specialist in the past year than among those who did not. Health care and public health should ensure that adults with uncontrolled seizures have appropriate care and self-management support in order to promote seizure control, improve health and social outcomes, and reduce health care costs.
Trends in seahorse abundance in the Ria Formosa, South Portugal: recent scenario and future prospects

In the last decade, seahorse population census in the Ria Formosa identified stable populations of Hippocampus guttulatus and H. hippocampus at the highest densities described for these species worldwide. However, recent studies in the Ria reported a significant decrease in seahorse numbers of 94% for H. guttulatus and 73% for H. hippocampus. Therefore, this study aimed to identify aspects responsible for the variation in seahorse abundance, first by looking at the current trend of seahorse population by comparing it with previous surveys. Secondly, new techniques were tested to improve the survey efficiency of seahorse population and new tools were developed to promote seahorse population recovery, with potential application in seahorse population management programs. In this study, it was observed that both seahorse species abundance increased since the previous survey (2008/2009) although at lower numbers than in the 2001/2002 surveys and a significant correlation between the percentage coverage and H. guttulatus density was found. The new underwater visual census tested, proved to be more effective and accurate in a low seahorse density scenario. In this study, seasonal variations in seahorse density were observed in all sites and were probably related to human activities, natural events, and holdfast availability. In addition, a new photo-identification method was tested and results indicate it as a suitable tool for capture-recapture studies and less invasive that other commonly used methods. To cope with habitat degradation, artificial holdfast units (AHU) were designed and first tested in laboratory to assess seahorse preference. The preferred AHU was then deployed in 4 locations in the Ria Formosa, that differed in depth, water current and seahorse abundance in the vicinities of the selected site. Results showed seahorse settlement at high densities and validated the usefulness of the AHU as a habitat recovery tool. Key-words: Hippocampus guttulatus; Hippocampus hippocampus; underwater visual census; photo-identification; artificial structures.
Habilitation à diriger des recherches

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés. De l’étude des céramiques nucléaires en conditions extrêmes d’irradiation et de température Stéphane Gavarini
forthcoming: European Economic Review INPUT VERSUS OUTPUT TAXATION IN AN EXPERIMENTAL INTERNATIONAL ECONOMY∗

This paper presents the results of a policy oriented macroeconomic experiment involving an ‘international’ economy with a relatively small ‘home’ country and a large ‘foreign’ country. It compares the economic performance of two alternative tax systems: a wage tax system and a sales-tax-cum-labor-subsidy system. The two systems are applied to the small country, while the wage tax system always obtains in the large country. The main result is that the sales tax system outperforms the wage tax system, using standard economic indicators. Moreover, it turns out that under the sales tax system economic activities appear to be moving towards the ‘better’ of two theoretical equilibria. It is argued that producers’ reluctance to incur costs up-front while being uncertain about product prices can explain these results. Several pieces of evidence are provided to support this claim. The results strongly suggest that behavioral aspects should be taken into account also in applied macroeconomic models. JEL Classification Number: A10, C90, C91, D21, D80, E62, H20
Price Points and Price Rigidity

Although the existing literature in economics and marketing offers growing evidence on the use of price points, there is a lack of direct evidence on the link between price points and price rigidity. We examine this issue in the retail setting using two datasets. One is a large weekly transaction price dataset, covering 29 product categories over an eight-year period from a large US supermarket chain. The other is from the Internet, and includes daily prices over a two-year period for hundreds of consumer electronic products with a wide range of prices. Across the two datasets, we find that 9 is the most frequently used price-ending for the penny, dime, dollar and the ten-dollar digits. Exploring the relationship between price points and price rigidity in these datasets, we find that the most common price changes are in multiples of dimes, dollars, and tendollar increments. When we econometrically estimate the probability of a price change, we find that 9-ending prices are at least 24 percent (and as much as 73 percent) less likely to change in comparison to prices ending with other digits. We also find that the average size of change of 9ending prices are systematically larger when they do change, in comparison to non 9-ending prices. This link between price points and price rigidity is remarkably robust across the wide variety of price levels, product categories, and retailers examined in this study. To make sense of these findings, we offer a behavioral explanation building on the emerging literature on rational inattention. We argue that consumers may find it rational to be inattentive to the rightmost digits of retail prices because of the costs of processing price information. In response, firms may find it profitable to set the rightmost digits at 9, and therefore, be rigid in their pricing around these price points. We conclude that price points are a significant source of retail price rigidity in our datasets, and that rational inattention can offer a plausible explanation for their presence.
Fragility Function of House Damage by the 2011 off the Pacific Coast of Tohoku Earthquake Tsunami

We investigated the detail of house damage and inundation depth by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake tsunami at Sendai, Japan. The results showed that the inundation depth and house damage decline from 1.3 to 1.6 km inland, although the damage is severe less than 1 km inland. We further simulated the tsunami to clarify the inundation flow at the coast of Sendai city. The numerical results indicated that the mound in front of Arai area blocked the tsunami flow and reduced the current velocity. Using the detailed field data, we finally proposed the fragility and damage function of house damage against the 2011 Tohoku earthquake tsunami. The functions clarified that the house damage significantly increases from 2 3 m tsunami inundation depth.
Polymyalgia rheumatica: An update (Review)

Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is a chronic inflammatory disease which affects the connective vascular tissue, characterized by pain accompanied by morning stiffness, predominantly of the neck muscles, hip and shoulder girdle. Usually, patients with this disease are >50 years of age and biological inflammatory syndrome is present with an increase in both the erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein levels, aspects similar to giant cell arteritis. The aim of the present review was to depict the current pathogenic hypothesis, diagnostic and treatment approach for patients with PMR, and novelties since the development of the currently used 2012 European League Against Rheumatism and American College of Rheumatology provisional classification criteria. PMR is a prevalent disease that can occasionally prove difficult to diagnose and treat. Possibly, the most abundant type of evidence and data revealed over the past decade have been acquired through musculoskeletal imaging, with implications in diagnosis, disease monitoring and relapse, prognosis and changes with treatment. Further research on pathophysiology is required to gain a deeper understanding of the underlying processes, which will serve as the foundation for future personalized treatments. In addition, there is an increasing demand for improved diagnostic techniques, which should include a further development of various imaging modalities, in order to provide accurate diagnosis and appropriate therapy.
A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Interventions to Promote Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy Adherence Among Breast Cancer Survivors

PURPOSE Adjuvant endocrine therapy (AET) adherence among breast cancer survivors is often suboptimal, leading to higher cancer recurrence and mortality. Intervention studies to promote AET adherence have burgeoned, more than doubling in number since this literature was last reviewed. The current aim is to provide an up-to-date systematic review and meta-analysis of interventions to enhance AET adherence and to identify strengths and limitations of existing interventions to inform future research and clinical care. METHODS Systematic searches were conducted in three electronic databases. Studies were included in the systematic review if they examined an intervention for promoting AET adherence among breast cancer survivors. Studies were further included in the meta-analyses if they examined a measure of AET adherence (defined as compliance or persistence beyond initiation) and reported (or provided upon request) sufficient information to calculate an effect size. RESULTS Of 5,045 unique records, 33 unique studies representing 375,951 women met inclusion criteria for the systematic review. Interventions that educated patients about how to manage side effects generally failed to improve AET adherence, whereas policy changes that lowered AET costs consistently improved adherence. Medication reminders, communication, and psychological/coping strategies showed varied efficacy. Of the 33 studies that met the inclusion criteria for the systematic review, 25 studies representing 367,873 women met inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis showed statistically significant effects of the adherence interventions overall relative to study-specified control conditions (number of studies [k] = 25; odds ratio, 1.412; 95% CI, 1.183 to 1.682; P = .0001). Subgroup analyses showed that there were no statistically significant differences in effect sizes by study design (randomized controlled trial v other), publication year, directionality of the intervention (unidirectional v bidirectional contact), or intervention type. CONCLUSION To our knowledge, this is the first known meta-analysis to demonstrate a significant effect for interventions to promote AET adherence. The systematic review revealed that lowering medication costs and a subgroup of psychosocial and reminder interventions showed the most promise, informing future research, policy, and clinical directions.
Ice thickness, areal and volumetric changes of Davies Dome and Whisky Glacier (James Ross Island, Antarctic Peninsula) in 1979–2006

Abstract This study calculates area, volume and elevation changes of two glaciers on James Ross Island, Antarctica, during the period 1979-2006. Davies Dome is a small ice cap. Whisky Glacier is a valley glacier. Ground-penetrating radar surveys indicate ice thickness, which was used for calculations of the bed topography and volume of both glaciers. Maximum measured ice thicknesses of Davies Dome and Whisky Glacier are 83 ± 2 and 157 ± 2 m, respectively. Between 1979 and 2006, the area of the ice cap decreased from 6.23 ± 0.05 km2 to 4.94 ± 0.01 km2 (-20.7%), while the area of the valley glacier reduced from 2.69 ± 0.02 km2 to 2.40 ± 0.01 km2 (-10.6%). Over the same period the volume of the ice cap and valley glacier reduced from 0.23 ± 0.03 km3 to 0.16 ± 0.02 km3 (-30.4%) and from 0.27 ± 0.02 km3 to 0.24 ± 0.01 km3 (-10.6%), respectively. The mean surface elevation decreased by 8.5±2.8 and 10.1 ±2.8m. The average areal (~0.048-0.011 km2a-1) and volumetric (~0.003−0.001 km3 a-1) changes are higher than the majority of other estimates from Antarctic Peninsula glaciers.
Timing Matters: Effects of Early and Late Estrogen Replacement Therapy on Glucose Metabolism and Vascular Reactivity in Ovariectomized Aged Wistar Rats

Cardiovascular disease incidence increases after menopause due to the loss of estrogen cardioprotective effects. However, there are conflicting data regarding the timing of estrogen therapy (ERT) and its effect on vascular dysfunction associated with impaired glucose metabolism. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of early and late ERT on blood glucose/insulin balance and vascular reactivity in aged ovariectomized Wistar rats. Eighteen-month-old female Wistar rats were randomized as follows: (1) sham, (2) 10-week postovariectomy (10 w), (3) 10 w postovariectomy+early estradiol therapy (10 w-early E2), (4) 20-week postovariectomy (20 w), and (5) 20-week postovariectomy+late estradiol therapy (20 w-late E2). Early E2 was administered 3 days after ovariectomy and late therapy after 10 weeks, in both groups. 17β-Estradiol (E2) was administered daily for 10 weeks (5 μg/kg/day). Concentration-response curves to angiotensin II, KCl, and acetylcholine (ACh) were performed. Heart rate (HR), diastolic and systolic blood pressure (DBP and SBP), glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR, and nitric oxide (NO) levels were determined. Higher glucose levels were found in all groups compared to the sham group, except the 20 w-late E2 group. Insulin was increased in all ovariectomized groups compared to sham. The HOMA-IR index showed insulin resistance in all ovariectomized groups, except for the 10 w-early E2 group. The 10 w-early E2 group increased NO levels vs. the 10 w group. After 10 w postovariectomy, the vascular response to KCl and Ach increases, despite early E2 administration. Early and late E2 treatment decreased vascular reactivity to Ang II. At 20-week postovariectomy, DBP increased, even with E2 administration, while SBP and HR remained unchanged. The effects of E2 therapy on blood glucose/insulin balance and vascular reactivity depend on the timing of therapy. Early ERT may provide some protective effects on insulin resistance and vascular function, whereas late ERT may not have the same benefits.
Thermal Stratification in Simulations of Warm Climates: A Climatology Using Saturation Potential Vorticity

AbstractThe spatial and temporal distribution of stable and convectively neutral air masses is examined in climate simulations with carbon dioxide levels spanning from modern-day values to very high levels that produce surface temperatures relevant to the hottest climate of the past 65 million years. To investigate how stability with respect to slantwise and upright moist convection changes across a wide range of climate states, the condition of moist convective neutrality in climate experiments is assessed using metrics based upon the saturation of potential vorticity, which is zero when temperature profiles are moist adiabatic profiles along vortex lines. The modern climate experiment reproduces previously reported properties from reanalysis data, in which convectively neutral air masses are common in the tropics and locally at higher latitudes, especially over midlatitude continents in summer and ocean storm tracks in winter. The frequency and coverage of air masses with higher stabilities declines in .
Statistical Applications in Genetics and Molecular Biology Asymptotic Distribution of the " Orthogonal " Quantitative Transmission Disequilibrium Test in a Structured Population : Exact Formula

Population structure is a recurrent problem for the detection of associations between a marker and a trait, because it can lead to an excess of false positives of the association tests. One popular way of circumventing this problem is the use of family based tests, which consider the transmission of the genotype from the parents to the offspring. Here we focus on quantitative traits and study the Abecasis “orthogonal" quantitative transmission disequilibrium test, which is commonly used in family based association studies. We derive the probability distribution of this test under a general model of structured population. Our derivations show that this test leads to a small excess of false positives due to population structure. They also illustrate and quantify how the heterogeneity in genotypes and phenotypes between populations affect the power of the test. We finally show that the excess of false positives observed for the Abecasis “orthogonal" test may also be found for the Allison “linear" test, though at a lower extent.