Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Thermal spikes from the urban heat island increase mortality and alter physiology of lizard embryos

ABSTRACT Effects of global change (i.e. urbanization, climate change) on adult organisms are readily used to predict the persistence of populations. However, effects on embryo survival and patterns of development are less studied, even though embryos are particularly sensitive to abiotic conditions that are altered by global change (e.g. temperature). In reptiles, relatively warm incubation temperatures increase developmental rate and often enhance fitness-relevant phenotypes, but extremely high temperatures cause death. Due to the urban heat island effect, human-altered habitats (i.e. cities) potentially create unusually warm nest conditions that differ from adjacent natural areas in both mean and extreme temperatures. Such variation may exert selection pressures on embryos. To address this, we measured soil temperatures in places where the Puerto Rican crested anole lizard (Anolis cristatellus) nests in both city and forest habitats. We bred anoles in the laboratory and subjected their eggs to five incubation treatments that mimicked temperature regimes from the field, three of which included brief exposure to extremely high temperatures (i.e. thermal spikes) measured in the city. We monitored growth and survival of hatchlings in the laboratory for 3 months and found that warmer, city temperatures increase developmental rate, but brief, thermal spikes reduce survival. Hatchling growth and survival were unaffected by incubation treatment. The urban landscape can potentially create selection pressures that influence organisms at early (e.g. embryo) and late life stages. Thus, research aimed at quantifying the impacts of urbanization on wildlife populations must include multiple life stages to gain a comprehensive understanding of this important aspect of global change. Summary: Nest temperatures in the urban landscape increase embryo developmental rate but reduce egg survival in lizards.
Three practical demonstrations in BEEM project

This paper presents three practical examples that have been created in the BEEM (Biomedical and Electrical Engineering Methods) project at Rose­Hulman Institute of Technology. These examples are used to introduce respectively (1) Construction of a prototype electrocardiogram measurement system, (2) Use of inductance coils to perform as transformers, and (3) Audio signal filter. These demonstrations are easy and inexpensive to implement and perform. They have been used to help students understand the underlying electrical principles in addition to demonstrating measurement techniques and solution options for the topics discussed in related electrical and/or biomedical engineering courses. By the means of demonstrating the real­world applications, they should prove useful in improving students’ learning and interest in electrical engineering principles and applications.
Angiogenesis in the lung

Both systemic (tracheal and bronchial) and pulmonary circulations perfuse the lung. However, documentation of angiogenesis of either is complicated by the presence of the other. Well‐documented angiogenesis of the systemic circulations have been identified in asthma, cystic fibrosis, chronic thromboembolism and primary carcinomas. Angiogenesis of the vasa vasorum, which are branches of bronchial arteries, is seen in the walls of large pulmonary vessels after a period of chronic hypoxia. Documentation of increased pulmonary capillaries has been shown in models of chronic hypoxia, after pneumonectomy and in some carcinomas. Although endothelial cell proliferation may occur as part of the repair process in several pulmonary diseases, it is separate from the unique establishment of new functional perfusing networks defined as angiogenesis. Identification of the mechanisms driving the expansion of new vascular beds in the adult needs further investigation. Yet the growth factors and molecular mechanisms of lung angiogenesis remain difficult to separate from underlying disease sequelae.
Blastocyst-induced changes in the bovine endometrial transcriptome.

The objectives of this study were (i) to determine whether blastocyst-induced responses in endometrial explants were detectable after 6- or 24-h co-culture in vitro; (ii) to test if direct contact is required between embryos and the endometrial surface in order to stimulate endometrial gene expression; (iii) to establish the number of blastocysts required to elicit a detectable endometrial response; (iv) to investigate if upregulation of five interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) in the endometrium was specific to the blastocyst stage and (v) to test if alterations in endometrial gene expression can be induced by blastocyst-conditioned medium. Exposure of endometrial explants to Day 8 blastocysts in vitro for 6 or 24 h induced the expression of ISGs (MX1, MX2, OAS1, ISG15, RSAD2); expression of IFNAR1, IFNAR2, NFKB1, IL1B, STAT1, LGALS3BP, LGALS9, HPGD, PTGES, ITGB1, AKR1C4, AMD1 and AQP4 was not affected. Culture of explants in the presence of more than five blastocysts was sufficient to induce the effect, with maximum expression of ISGs occurring in the presence of 20 blastocysts. This effect was exclusive to blastocyst stage embryos; oocytes, 2-cell embryos or Day 5 morulae did not alter the relative abundance of any of the transcripts examined. Direct contact between blastocysts and the endometrial surface was not required in order to alter the abundance of these transcripts and blastocyst-conditioned medium alone was sufficient to stimulate a response. Results support the notion that local embryo-maternal interaction may occur as early as Day 8 of pregnancy in cattle.
Evaluating the Effectiveness and Implementation of Evidence-Based Treatment: A Multisite Hybrid Design

The gap between treatment development and efficacy testing to scaled up implementations of evidence-based treatment (EBT) is an estimated 20 years, and hybrid research designs aim to reduce the gap. One was used for a multisite study in cancer control, testing coprimary aims: (a) determine the feasibility and utility of a flexible EBT implementation strategy and (b) determine the clinical effectiveness of an EBT as implemented by newly trained providers. Therapists from 15 diverse sites implemented the biobehavioral intervention (BBI) for cancer patients (N = 158) as part of standard care. For implementation, therapists determined treatment format, number of sessions, and so forth and reported session-by-session fidelity. Patients completed fidelity and outcome assessments. Results showed therapists BBI implementation was done with fidelity, for example, session “dose” (59%), core content coverage (60–70%), and others. Patient reported fidelity was favorable and comparable to the BBI efficacy trial. Effectiveness data show the primary outcome, patients’ scores on the Profile of Mood States total mood disturbance, significantly improved (R2 = 0.06, &bgr; = −0.24, p < .01) as did a secondary outcome, physical activity (R2 = 0.02, &bgr; = 0.13, p < .05). This first use of a hybrid design in health psychology provided support for a novel strategy that allowed providers implementation flexibility. Still, the EBT was delivered with fidelity and in addition, therapists generated novel procedures to enhance setting-specific usage of BBI and its ultimate effectiveness with patients. This research is an example of translational research spanning theory and efficacy tests to dissemination and implementation.
Assessing the perceptions of pharmacists working in Lebanese hospitals on the continuing education preferences

Background: Continuing education (CE) is an international tool that requires lifelong active participation in learning activities allowing the pharmacist to stay a major player among others. In 2014 the CE program was introduced to the pharmacists licensed in Lebanon as a mandatory requirement for re-licensure. In the absence of guidelines regarding the quality and quantity of CE programs, behavioral resistance to precipitate in the CE programs might be encountered among the pharmacists. Objective: The objective of this study is to assess the perceptions of pharmacists working in Lebanese hospitals on the continuing education preferences. The advantage of this program is to collect information that would help the Order of Pharmacy in Lebanon to upgrade the CE program in a way that is more acceptable and convenient for the pharmacists. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in 2016, using a proportionate random sample of Lebanese hospital pharmacies from all governorates in Lebanon. A structured questionnaire was distributed to all hospital pharmacies in Lebanon. Descriptive statistics were calculated for all study variables. This includes the mean and standard deviation for continuous measures, counts and percentages for categorical variables Results: A total of 107 (53.5%) participants completed the questionnaires. The majority of participants were from Beirut and Mount Lebanon. The percentage of participants working at private hospitals was (68.2%). The majority of participants who completed the questionnaire (86.2%) agreed that continuing education programs affects their way of practice and increases their knowledge. Their preferred CE types to be used in the future were the computer based ones (60.6%), interactive workshops (45.5%) and printed materials (44.9%). Their considerations for selecting the CE type is based on their interest in the topic (80.6%), the ease of access to print or online material (77.2%), or the convenience of being offered during an event (67.1%). Participants noted that barriers to attend live CEs were mainly work responsibilities (76%), travel distance (65.6%), family commitments (48.4%) and scheduling (40.6%). Conclusions: Lebanese hospital pharmacists are highly committed to CE. They consider it a practical tool for career development and advancement.
Hypotheses and evidence related to intense sweeteners and effects on appetite and body weight changes: A scoping review of reviews

Observed associations between consumption of diet foods and obesity have sparked controversy over whether intense sweeteners may promote weight gain, despite their negligible energy contribution. We conducted a scoping review of reviews, to obtain an overview of hypotheses, research approaches and features of the evidence on intense sweeteners’ potential relationships to appetite and weight changes. We searched for reviews of the scientific literature published from 2006 to May 2017. Two reviewers independently assessed title and abstracts, and full text publications. Arksey and O’Malley’s framework for scoping reviews guided the process. We extracted and charted data on characteristics of the reviews and the evidence presented. The 40 included reviews present hypotheses both on how intense sweeteners can reduce or maintain body weight and on how these can promote weight gain. We classified only five publications as systematic reviews; another nine presented some systematic approaches, while 26 reviews did not describe criteria for selecting or assessing the primary studies. Evidence was often presented for intense sweeteners as a group or unspecified, and against several comparators (e.g. sugar, water, placebo, intake levels) with limited discussion on the interpretation of different combinations. Apart from the observational studies, the presented primary evidence in humans is dominated by small studies with short follow-up—considered insufficient to assess weight change. Systematic reviews of animal studies are lacking in this topic area. The systematic evidence only partly explore forwarded hypotheses found in the literature. Primary studies in humans seem to be available for systematic exploration of some hypotheses, but long-term experimental studies in humans appear sparse. With few exceptions, the reviews on intense sweeteners and weight change underuse systematic methodology, and thus, the available evidence. Further studies and systematic reviews should be explicit about the hypothesis explored and elucidate possible underlying mechanisms.
Discrete linear-complexity reinforcement learning in continuous action spaces for Q-learning algorithms

In this article, we sketch an algorithm that extends the Q-learning algorithms to the continuous action space domain. Our method is based on the discretization of the action space. Despite the commonly used discretization methods, our method does not increase the discretized problem dimensionality exponentially. We will show that our proposed method is linear in complexity when the discretization is employed. The variant of the Q-learning algorithm presented in this work, labeled as Finite Step Q-Learning (FSQ), can be deployed to both shallow and deep neural network architectures.
Empirical selection between least‐cost and current‐flow designs for establishing wildlife corridors in Gabon

Corridors are intended to increase species survival by abating landscape fragmentation resulting from the conversion of natural habitats into human‐dominated matrices. Conservation scientists often rely on 1 type of corridor model, typically the least‐cost model or current‐flow model, to construct a linkage design, and their choice is not usually based on theory or empirical evidence. We developed a method to empirically confirm whether corridors produced by these 2 models are used by target species under current landscape conditions. We applied this method in the Gamba landscape between 2 national parks in southwestern Gabon. We collected signs of presence of African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis), forest buffalo (Syncerus caffer nanus), and 2 apes, western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) and central chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes troglodytes), on transects. We used patch‐occupancy models to identify least‐cost and current‐flow corridors for these 4 species. On average, 28.7% of current‐flow corridors overlapped with least‐cost corridors, confirming that the choice of corridor model can affect the location of the resulting linkage design. We validated these corridors by monitoring signs and examining camera detections on new transects within and outside modeled corridors. Current‐flow corridors performed better than least‐cost corridors for elephants, whereas the opposite was found for buffalo and apes. Locations of the highest priority corridors for the 3 taxa did not overlap, and only 18.3% of their combined surface was common among 2 species. We used centrality metrics to calculate the average contribution of corridor pixels to landscape connectivity and derived an index that can be used to prioritize corridors. As a result, we recommend protecting at least 17.4% of the land surface area around Gamba town to preserve the preferred travel routes of the target species.
Validity of electrical impedance myography to estimate percent body fat: comparison to bio-electrical impedance and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.

BACKGROUND Assessment of percent body fat (%BF) is typically measured with bioelectrical impedance (BIA) as a proxy for dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Notably, poorer agreement between BIA and DXA among persons who are overweight or obese has been reported. The use of electrical impedance myography (EIM) as a proxy for DXA has not been validated. The objective was to evaluate an EIM device and two multi-frequency BIA devices with the reference standard (DXA) stratified by weight status and gender. METHODS In a convenience sample of 82 adults, %BF assessed by EIM and two BIA devices was compared to DXA. Agreement between devices was tested with intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) and Bland-Altman plots. RESULTS Agreement between DXA and EIM (ICC=0.77) was poorer than the agreement between either BIA device with DXA (ICC>0.87). Stratified by sex, agreement between EIM and DXA was greater for men than women (ICC=0.81 and ICC=0.61, respectively). Stratified by BMI, agreement between EIM and DXA was best for normal-weight individuals (ICC=0.89) and progressively poorer for overweight (ICC=0.80) and obese (ICC=0.67) individuals. Bland-Altman plots revealed wide limits of agreement and an increase in EIM mean difference as average %BF increased. Similar trends were seen in BIA assessments. CONCLUSIONS EIM and BIA substantially underestimate %BF in overweight and obese individuals. Wide limits of agreement coupled with variable ICC limit device interchangeability with one another and limit clinical utility.
Meaning-Centered Interventions for Patients With Advanced or Terminal Cancer: A Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND For patients with advanced or terminal cancer undergoing hospice or palliative care, spiritual care based on meaning-centered intervention (MCI) has become an essential form of support. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to characterize MCI systematically and the effectiveness of hospice and palliative care for patients with advanced or terminal cancer. METHODS MEDLINE via PubMed, Cochrane Library CENTRAL, EMBASE, CINAHL, and several Korean electronic databases were searched from inception to May 2017. The RevMan 5.3 program of the Cochrane Library was used for data analysis. RESULTS A meta-analysis was conducted of 10 controlled trials (6 randomized and 4 nonrandomized) featuring 623 patients with cancer. Meaning-centered interventions were compared with usual care control groups or other psychosocial interventions. The weighted average effect sizes across studies were -0.96 (P < .001, I = 7%) for meaning in life, -0.37 (P = .002, I = 0%) for spiritual well-being, -0.48 (P < .001, I = 0%) for quality of life, -0.28 (P = .02, I = 0%) for anxiety, and -0.31 (P = .02, I = 17%) for physical symptoms. CONCLUSION Spiritual care based on MCI may help to improve the physical, psychosocial, and spiritual well-being of patients with advanced or terminal cancer. IMPLICATION FOR PRACTICE Meaning-centered interventions could be a valuable way to enhance quality of life at the end stage for patients with advanced or terminal cancer.
The efficacy of first-line chemotherapy in recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background The standard first-line chemotherapy for patients with recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (R/M NPC) has not been well established. We conducted a pooled meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy of commonly used first-line chemotherapy in this disease. Methods Electronic databases including PubMed, Embase, and Corchrane library were searched for eligible literatures. Objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), progression free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) were pooled with the 95% confidence interval (CI) using R software. Results Totally 973 patients were available for analysis from 14 phase II single arm clinical trials and 2 phase III randomized clinical trials. Four regimens were identified including 5-fluorouracil plus platinum (FP), gemcitabine plus platinum (GP), taxanes plus platinum (TP), and triplet combination regimen. Of these four regimens, triplet combination regimen demonstrated best short-term efficacy with a highest ORR (0.74; 95% CI, 0.62-0.87), DCR (0.91; 95% CI, 0.87-0.95), and 6-month PFS rate (0.83; 95% CI, 0.75-0.91), while 1-year OS rate (0.74; 95% CI, 0.61-0.87) was a little lower than TP regimen. Meanwhile, TP regimen showed best prognosis with a highest 1-year OS rate of 0.79 (95% CI, 0.65-0.92) and pretty good short-term efficacy with an ORR of 0.60 (95% CI, 0.48-0.72) and a DCR of 0.92 (95% CI, 0.86-0.98) comparable with triplet combination therapy. FP regimen had the lowest ORR (0.52; 95% CI, 0.38-0.65) and 1-year OS rate (0.63; 95% CI, 0.57-0.69). Efficacy of GP regimen fell between FP and TP regimens with an ORR of 0.54 (95% CI, 0.38-0.65), a DCR of 0.85 (95% CI, 0.71-0.93), a 6-month PFS rate of 0.69 (95% CI, 0.60-0.78) and a 1-year OS rate of 0.71 (95% CI, 0.61-0.80). Conclusions Among four commonly used first-line chemotherapy regimens for R/M NPC, triplet combination regimen showed best short-term efficacy but failed to improve prognosis. TP regimen demonstrated fairly good short-term efficacy and best long-term efficacy, followed by GP regimen, while FP regimen was the lowest.
The influence of hormone therapy with drospirenone-estradiol on endometrioid type endometrial cancer patients

Objective To determine whether drospirenone/estradiol (DRSP/E2) has an adverse effect on clinical outcomes in surgically staged International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage I/II endometrial cancer (EC) patients. Methods In a retrospective case-controlled study, 58 women with EC who had received DRSP/E2 postoperatively were compared with 116 women who had not. And, oncologic safety of postoperative hormone therapy with DRSP/E2 in EC survivors were compared between the 2 groups after propensity score matching using a logistic regression model. Results The median ages were 47.7 years and 53.6 years for the study and the control groups, respectively (p<0.001). The study group had similar parity (p=0.71), lower body mass index (p=0.03) and more premenopausal women (p<0.001) than the control group. The stages were completely matched. The grades (p=0.42), lymphovascular space invasion (p=0.23), preoperative cancer antigen 125 (CA 125) level (p=0.89), and hormone receptor status (p=0.07) were similar in both groups. The median tumor diameter was statistically larger in the study group than in the control group (p<0.001). Both group received similar adjuvant therapy (p=0.80). In the propensity matching, only hormone receptor status was significantly different (p=0.03). In the univariate analysis, only stage was significantly associated with disease-free survival (DFS) and there was no variable associated with overall survival (OS). And, there was no significant factor identified in multivariate analysis. The difference in the DFS (p=0.63) and in the OS (p=0.32) was not significant. The same results were obtained after propensity score matching. Conclusion Postoperative hormone therapy with DRSP/E2 in EC survivors did not increase recurrence or the death rate.
Contributions of Reader- and Text-Level Characteristics to Eye-Movement Patterns During Passage Reading

The present research presents a novel method for investigating how characteristics of texts (words, sentences, and passages) and individuals (verbal and general cognitive skills) jointly influence eye-movement patterns over the time-course of reading, as well as comprehension accuracy. Fifty-one proficient readers read passages of varying complexity from the Gray Oral Reading Test, while their eye-movements were recorded. Participants also completed a large battery of tests assessing various components of reading comprehension ability (vocabulary size, decoding, phonological awareness, and experience with print), as well as general cognitive and executive skills. We used the Random Forests nonparametric regression technique to simultaneously estimate relative importance of all predictors. This method enabled us to trace the temporal engagement of individual predictors and entire predictor groups on eye-movements during reading, while avoiding the problems of model overfitting and collinearity, typical of parametric regression methods. Our findings both confirmed well-established results of prior research and pointed to a space of hypotheses that is as yet unexplored.