Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rivaroxaban for the treatment of venous thromboembolism

Summary We investigated three-month clinical outcomes in patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE) treated with rivaroxaban or conventional anticoagulation in routine clinical practice. Between November 2012 and February 2015, 2,062 consecutive patients with VTE from 11 acute care hospitals in Switzerland were enrolled in the SWIss Venous ThromboEmbolism Registry (SWIVTER). Overall, 417 (20 %) patients were treated with rivaroxaban. In comparison to 1,645 patients on conventional anticoagulation, patients on rivaroxaban were younger (56 ± 18 vs. 65 ± 17 years; p<0.001), less often had pulmonary embolism (38 % vs 66 %; p<0.001), hypertension (26 % vs 41 %; p<0.001), cancer (10 % vs 28 %; p<0.001), congestive heart failure (10 % vs 17 %; p=0.001), diabetes (8 % vs 15 %; p<0.001), chronic lung disease (7 % vs 13 %; p=0.001), renal insufficiency (7 % vs 13 %; p=0.001), recent surgery (7 % vs 14 %; p<0.001), and acute coronary syndrome (1 % vs 4 %; p=0.009). VTE reperfusion therapy was more frequently used (28 % vs 9 %; p<0.001) and indefinite-duration anticoagulation treatment less often planned (26 % vs 39 %; p<0.001), respectively. In the propensity score-adjusted population, the risk of recurrent VTE was similar in patients on rivaroxaban vs conventional anticoagulation (1.2 % vs 2.1 %, hazard ratio [HR] 0.55, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 0.18–1.65; p=0.29); the risk of major bleeding was also similar, respectively (0.5 % vs 0.5 %, HR 1.00, 95 %CI 0.14–7.07; p=1.00). Conventional anticoagulation is still frequently used for the treatment of VTE, particularly in the elderly and those with comorbidities. Early clinical outcomes were comparable between propensity score-adjusted patient populations on rivaroxaban and conventional anticoagulation.
Participation in Community Group Activities Among Older Adults: Is Diversity of Group Membership Associated With Better Self-rated Health?

Background Participation in community activities (eg, sports and hobby groups or volunteer organizations) is believed to be associated with better health status in the older population. We sought to (1) determine whether a greater diversity of group membership is associated with better self-rated health and (2) identify the key dimension of the membership diversity (eg, gender, residential area, or age). Methods We performed a cross-sectional study of 129,740 participants aged 65 years and older who were enrolled in the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study in 2013. We assessed the diversity of group membership using (1) a continuous variable (range 0–4) accounting for the total degree of each diversity dimension or (2) dummy variables for each dimension. We estimated prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for better self-rated health according to the diversity of group membership, using Poisson regression and robust variance with multiple imputation, adjusted for other covariates. Results The participants involved in social groups with greater diversity had better self-rated health: the PR per one point unit increase in diversity was 1.03 (95% CI, 1.02–1.04). Participation in gender-diverse groups was associated with the best profile of health (PR 1.07; 95% CI, 1.04–1.09). Conclusions Among the older population in Japan, higher group diversity is associated with better self-rated health. Gender is the key dimension of diversity that is associated with better self-rated health.
Seasonal changes in the vertical distribution of two types of multicellular magnetotactic prokaryotes in the sediment of Lake Yuehu, China

There are two genetically distinct morphological types of multicellular magnetotactic prokaryotes (MMPs) in the intertidal zone of Lake Yuehu (China): ellipsoidal MMPs (eMMPs) and spherical MMPs (sMMPs). We studied the vertical distribution of both types of MMPs in the sediment at Lake Yuehu during 1 year. Both types of MMPs were observed at sediment depths ranging from 1 to 34 cm, depending on the seasons. The eMMPs distributed at depths of 2-34 cm during spring, 1-11 cm during summer, 2-21 cm during autumn and 9-32 cm during winter. The eMMP species Candidatus Magnetananas rongchenensis, with magnetite magnetosomes, dominated at all distribution depths. These results suggested that Ca. M. rongchenensis migrated vertically during four seasons. The vertical profiles of oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) in Lake Yuehu changed seasonally, and these changes coincided with the seasonal distribution of MMPs, suggesting that the ORP affected the vertical distribution of MMPs. In addition, high concentrations of ammonium and silicate were associated with low abundances of MMPs.
Why Negotiations Fail: An Exploration of Barriers to the Resolution of Conflict

Conflict is inevitable, but efficient and fair resolution is not. Conflicts can persist even though there may be any number of possible resolutions that would better serve the interests of the parties the recent history of ethnic and 'religious strife in Lebanon, Israel, Cyprus, and Yugoslavia serves as a reminder of this. In our everyday personal and professional lives, we have all witnessed disputes where the absence of a resolution imposes substantial and avoidable costs on all parties. Moreover, many resolutions that are achieved whether through negotiation or imposition conspicuously fail to satisfy the economist's criterion of Pareto efficiency. Let me offer a few examples where, at least with the benefit of hindsight, it is easy to identify alternative resolutions that might have left both parties better off. My first example involves a divorcing family in California who were part of a longitudinal study carried out by Stanford psychologist Eleanor Maccoby and me. Mary and Paul Templeton spent three years fighting over the custody of their seven yearold daughter Tracy after Mary filed for divorce in 1985. Mary wanted sole custody; Paul wanted joint physical custody. This middle-income family spent over $37,000 on lawyers and experts. In the process, they traumatized Tracy and inflicted great emotional pain on each other. More to the point, the conflict over who would best care for their daughter damaged each parent's relationship with Tracy, who has suffered terribly by being caught in the middle of her
Collateral in lending relationships. A study on European SMEs microdata

Abstract This work empirically investigates the role played by collateralizable assets in helping SMEs to access bank credit, assuming that such a role might be affected by the (balancing between) benefits and costs related to enduring lending relationships. Using an exclusive data-set on European firms, we find that longer lending relationships amplify the beneficial effect of collateral on SMEs’ financing, suggesting that the advantages of longer bank-firm ties might prevail over the disadvantages. This finding holds for both more and less informationally transparent firms, as well as at the outset of the last financial crisis. Combined to the positive influence that the duration of bank relations seems to exert per se, our results provide (further) evidence in support of the valuable role of close lending relationships for SMEs’ financing.
Plant breeding and drought in C3 cereals: what should we breed for?

Drought is the main abiotic constraint on cereal yield. Analysing physiological determinants of yield responses to water may help in breeding for higher yield and stability under drought conditions. The traits to select (either for stress escape, avoidance or tolerance) and the framework where breeding for drought stress is addressed will depend on the level and timing of stress in the targeted area. If the stress is severe, breeding under stress-free conditions may be unsuccessful and traits that confer survival may become a priority. However, selecting for yield itself under stress-alleviated conditions appears to produce superior cultivars, not only for optimum environments, but also for those characterized by frequent mild and moderate stress conditions. This implies that broad avoidance/tolerance to mild-moderate stresses is given by constitutive traits also expressed under stress-free conditions. In this paper, we focus on physiological traits that contribute to improved productivity under mild-moderate drought. Increased crop performance may be achieved through improvements in water use, water-use efficiency and harvest index. The first factor is relevant when soil water remains available at maturity or when deep-rooted genotypes access water in the soil profile that is not normally available; the two latter conditions become more important when all available water is exhausted by the end of the crop cycle. Independent of the mechanism operating, a canopy able to use more water than another would have more open stomata and therefore higher canopy temperature depression, and 13C discrimination (delta13C) in plant matter. The same traits would also seem to be relevant when breeding for hot, irrigated environments. Where additional water is not available to the crop, higher water-use efficiency (WUE) appears to be an alternative strategy to improve crop performance. In this context delta13C constitutes a simple but reliable measure of WUE. However, in contrast to lines performing better because of increased access to water, lines producing greater biomass due to superior WUE will have lower delta13C values. WUE may be modified not only through a decrease in stomatal conductance, but also through an increase in photosynthetic capacity. Harvest index is strongly reduced by terminal drought (i.e. drought during grain filling). Thus, phenological traits increasing the relative amount of water used during grain filling, or adjusting the crop cycle to the seasonal pattern of rainfall may be useful. Augmenting the contribution of carbohydrate reserves accumulated during vegetative growth to grain filling may also be worthwhile in harsh environmcnts. Alternatively, extending the duration of stem elongation without changing the timing of anthesis would increase the number of grains per spike and the harvest index without changing the amount of water utilized by the crop.
Genetic analysis of adult leukoencephalopathy patients using a custom‐designed gene panel

Leukoencephalopathies encompass all clinical syndromes that predominantly affect brain white matter. Genetic diagnosis informs clinical management of these patients, but a large part of the genetic contribution to adult leukoencephalopathy remains unresolved. To examine this genetic contribution, we analyzed genomic DNA from 60 Japanese patients with adult leukoencephalopathy of unknown cause by next generation sequencing using a custom‐designed gene panel. We selected 55 leukoencephalopathy‐related genes for the gene panel. We identified pathogenic mutations in 8 of the 60 adult leukoencephalopathy patients (13.3%): NOTCH3 mutations were detected in 5 patients, and EIF2B2, CSF1R, and POLR3A mutations were found independently in 1 patient each. These results indicate that cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) caused by NOTCH3 mutations is the most frequent adult leukoencephalopathy in our cohort. Moreover, brain imaging analysis indicates that CADASIL patients who do not present typical phenotypes may be underdiagnosed if not examined genetically.
Toward Replicable Predictive Model Evaluation in MOOCs

In this paper, we present and apply a procedure for evaluating predictive models in MOOCs. First, we expand upon a procedure to statistically test hypotheses about model performance which goes beyond the state-of-the-practice in the community and covers the full scope of predictive model-building in MOOCs. Second, we apply this method to a series of algorithms and feature sets derived from a large and diverse sample of MOOCs ( N = 31), concluding that several models built with simple clickstream-based feature extraction methods outperform those built from forum-and assignment-based feature extraction methods
The feasibility of managing electronic Patient Health Records (ePHRs): The case of public clinics in Potchefstroom, South Africa

Due to the presence of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), there is a need for patients in public clinics in Potchefstroom, South Africa to move from paper-based patient records towards electronic Patient Health Records (ePHRs). This paper, based on qualitative research, investigates the perceptions of nurses on the feasibility of managing ePHRs at public clinics in Potchefstroom. The study identifies factors that will influence the use of ePHRs at these clinics. The findings of the study indicate that patients who visit clinics in Potchefstroom will each have an individual ePHR which will allow their specific data to be securely stored. The integration of ePHRs will ensure that one patient will have one health record across these clinics in Potchefstroom, which will further provide efficiency in record-keeping and shorter consultations at clinics.
SPRENO : A BioC Module for Recognizing and Normalizing Species and Their Model Organisms

Name entity recognition is a key step in a biomedical text mining task. This becomes more critical and challenging due to the availability of huge amount of biomedical literature. To recognize and identify species become difficult for the domain experts due to the vagueness of the abbreviated term used for model organisms/strains. In this study, we present our species recognition tool─SPRENO (Species Recognition and Normalization) developed for recognizing organism terms mentioned in figure captions. SPRENO is an extension of our previous species recognition tool developed for the BioCreative V BioC task. We developed new algorithms optimized for normalizing organism terms mentioned in figure captions, which consider the contextual information from the corresponding full text. Furthermore, two disambiguation methods are developed to determine the ID of ambiguous organism mentions. One is based on the majority rule to select the ID that has been successfully linked to previously mentioned organism terms. Another is a convolutional neural network model trained by learning the context and the distance information of the target organism mention. We participated the BioCreative VI BioID task and submitted three runs for the assessment of the developed tool. The best micro Fscores achieved by SPRENO on the test set are 0.776 (entity recognition) and 0.755 (entity normalization). Keywords—Named entity recognition, organism normalization, convolutional neural network
Nano-XRF and micro-raman studies of metal impurity decoration around dislocations in multicrystalline silicon

We push the resolution limits of synchrotron-based nano-X-ray fluorescence mapping below 100 nm to investigate the fundamental differences between benign and deleterious dislocations in multicystalline silicon solar cells. We observe that after processing recombination-active dislocations contain a high degree of nanoscale iron and copper decoration, while recombination-inactive dislocations appear clean. To study the origins of the distinct metal decorations around different dislocations we analyze as-grown samples as well as specimens at different stages of processing. We complement our X-ray studies with micro-Raman mapping to understand the relationship between metallic decoration and stress fields around dislocations.
The Impact of In-Work Benefits on Employment and Poverty

This article studies the impact of design characteristics of in-work benefits on employment and poverty in an international comparative setting, taking account of both first and second order effects. We use the microsimulation model EUROMOD, which has been enriched with a discrete labour supply model in order to take account of labour supply reactions. The analysis is performed for four EU-member states: Belgium, Italy, Poland and Sweden. The results show that design characteristics matter substantially, though the specific effects differ in magnitude across countries, indicating there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Throughout the analysis, numerous trade-offs are uncovered: not only between employment and poverty goals, but also within employment incentives itself (extensive vs. intensive margin). Taking account of behavioral reactions attenuates the impact on poverty outcomes, signaling the importance of bringing these effects into the empirical analysis.
Antiallergic Cromones Inhibit Neutrophil Recruitment Onto Vascular Endothelium via Annexin-A1 Mobilization

Objective—To determine whether the inhibitory action of the antiallergic cromone “mast cell stabilizing” drugs on polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) trafficking is mediated through an annexin-A1 (Anx-A1) dependent mechanism. Methods and Results—Intravital microscopy was used to monitor the actions of cromones in the inflamed microcirculation. Reperfusion injury provoked a dramatic increase in adherent and emigrated leukocytes in the mesenteric vascular bed, associated with augmented tissue levels of myeloperoxidase. Nedocromil, 2 to 20 mg/kg, significantly (P<0.05) inhibited cell adhesion and emigration, as well as myeloperoxidase release, in wild-type but not Anx-A1−/− mice. Short pretreatment of human PMNs with nedocromil, 10 nmol/L, inhibited cell adhesion (P<0.05) in the flow chamber assay, and this effect was reversed by specific anti-AnxA1 or a combination of antiformyl peptide receptors 1 and 2, but not irrelevant control, antibodies. Western blotting experiments revealed that cromones stimulate protein kinase C–dependent phosphorylation and release Anx-A1 in human PMNs. Conclusion—We propose a novel mechanism to explain the antiinflammatory actions of cromones on PMN trafficking, an effect that has long puzzled investigators.
Avoiding the Network Tax : Social Pressure and Labour Sharing in Village Economies

This paper tests the hypothesis that individuals try to escape forced solidarity when facing favourable conditions by hiding their resources from their village network. We designed a set of field experiments in rural Tanzania. We assigned to the treatment group an improved and much more productive variety of maize while the control group received a traditional variety. We find that farmers in the treatment group reduced one specific type of social interaction with their network members that would make their expected harvest visible to the others: entering into labour sharing arrangements. We find no similar pattern for other types of social interaction. Our finding is consistent with the view indicating that farmers attempt to hide their resources to reduce redistributive pressure.
Psychological distress and attitudes of emergency personnel towards suicide attempters

Emergency personnel attitudes towards suicide attempters are important because they have a key role in the management of these patients. We examined the association between staff members’ psychological distress and the attitudes towards suicide attempters. We also compared the attitudes towards suicide attempters among emergency personnel between a general and a psychiatric hospital. The Understanding Suicidal Patients (USP) Questionnaire and the 12-item version of General Health Questionnaire were given to all staff in the emergency rooms of a general hospital and a psychiatric hospital (n=151). There was a general tendency among emergency room staff to view attempted suicide patients positively and sympathetically. However, there were clear differences in staff attitudes between the two hospitals: those working in the general hospital expressed more negative attitudes than those in the psychiatric hospital. No evidence emerged of association between staff members’ psychological distress and negative attitudes towards suicide attempters. There was no association between psychological distress and negative attitudes towards suicide attempters.
On-Orbit Characterization of the MODIS SDSM Screen for Solar Diffuser Degradation Estimation

Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) reflective solar bands (RSBs) are calibrated on-orbit using a solar diffuser (SD) with its degradation tracked by an onboard SD stability monitor (SDSM). The SDSM has nine detectors with wavelengths from 0.41 to 0.94 $\mu \text{m}$ . It is operated during each scheduled SD calibration event, making alternate observations of the sun and the SD. Due to erroneous design parameters, which led to the misalignment of the key elements in the SDSM, there are significant ripples in the sun view responses as the solar viewing angle changes. At the mission beginning, the effect of the ripples was eliminated by normalizing each SDSM detector response to the response of detector 9 (D9) at 0.94 $\mu \text{m}$ , assuming that D9 had no degradation. However, D9 degradation increases over MODIS operation times. Degradation of up to 2% has recently been observed in D9 for the Terra MODIS. A newly implemented approach reduces the sun view ripples using a lookup table constructed using SDSM data carefully selected from a short period early in the mission lifetime. In this paper, we provide an overview of different approaches that have been applied over the years by the MODIS Characterization Support Team to track the on-orbit SD degradation. We evaluate the overall SD and SDSM on-orbit performance for both Terra and Aqua MODIS, as well as the impact on the MODIS RSB calibration uncertainty.
Salivaricin D, a Novel Intrinsically Trypsin-Resistant Lantibiotic from Streptococcus salivarius 5M6c Isolated from a Healthy Infant

ABSTRACT In this work, we purified and characterized a newly identified lantibiotic (salivaricin D) from Streptococcus salivarius 5M6c. Salivaricin D is a 34-amino-acid-residue peptide (3,467.55 Da); the locus of the gene encoding this peptide is a 16.5-kb DNA segment which contains genes encoding the precursor of two lantibiotics, two modification enzymes (dehydratase and cyclase), an ABC transporter, a serine-like protease, immunity proteins (lipoprotein and ABC transporters), a response regulator, and a sensor histidine kinase. The immunity gene (salI) was heterologously expressed in a sensitive indicator and provided significant protection against salivaricin D, confirming its immunity function. Salivaricin D is a naturally trypsin-resistant lantibiotic that is similar to nisin-like lantibiotics. It is a relatively broad-spectrum bacteriocin that inhibits members of many genera of Gram-positive bacteria, including the important human pathogens Streptococcus pyogenes and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Thus, Streptococcus salivarius 5M6c may be a potential biological agent for the control of oronasopharynx-colonizing streptococcal pathogens or may be used as a probiotic bacterium.
Approximate Entropy Normalized Measures for Analyzing Social Neurobiological Systems

ABSTRACT When considering time series data of variables describing agent interactions in social neurobiological systems, measures of regularity can provide a global understanding of such system behaviors. Approximate entropy (ApEn) was introduced as a nonlinear measure to assess the complexity of a system behavior by quantifying the regularity of the generated time series. However, ApEn is not reliable when assessing and comparing the regularity of data series with short or inconsistent lengths, which often occur in studies of social neurobiological systems, particularly in dyadic human movement systems. Here, the authors present two normalized, nonmodified measures of regularity derived from the original ApEn, which are less dependent on time series length. The validity of the suggested measures was tested in well-established series (random and sine) prior to their empirical application, describing the dyadic behavior of athletes in team games. The authors consider one of the ApEn normalized measures to generate the 95th percentile envelopes that can be used to test whether a particular social neurobiological system is highly complex (i.e., generates highly unpredictable time series). Results demonstrated that suggested measures may be considered as valid instruments for measuring and comparing complexity in systems that produce time series with inconsistent lengths.