Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reproducibility of the items on the Stroke Specific Quality of Life questionnaire that evaluate the participation component of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health

Abstract Purpose: To evaluate the reproducibility of the Stroke Specific Quality of Life (SS-QOL) items that address the participation component of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) and analyse the correlation between the subscore of these 26 items and the total SS-QOL score. Methods: Seventy-five stroke survivors participated in this study. Reproducibility was evaluated using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC2,1), standard error of measurement (SEM), minimum detectable change (MDC) and the Bland–Altman plot. The correlation between the subscore of the 26 items and the total SS-QOL score was analysed using Spearman’s correlation coefficients (rho) and simple linear regression. An alpha risk ≤ 0.05 was considered for all analyses. Results: The SS-QOL items that address the participation component of the ICF demonstrated excellent reliability (intra-rater ICC2,1 = 0.96; inter-rater ICC2,1 = 0.95). The SEM and MDC were adequate. The Bland–Altman plot demonstrated satisfactory agreement. A significant and strong correlation (rho = 0.83) was found between the 26 SS-QOL items that address participation and the total SS-QOL score. Moreover, the evaluation of participation was found to explain 73% of the evaluation of health-related quality of life. Conclusion: The 26 SS-QOL items that address the participation component of the ICF demonstrated adequate reproducibility. Thus, participation, which represents the social aspects of functionality, can be adequately evaluated with these items. Implications for Rehabilitation The 26 Stroke Specific Quality of Life items that address participation proved to be reproducible for the analysis of social participation following a stroke. The findings can lead to a better understanding of the social participation of individuals with chronic hemiparesis and assist in the establishment of adequate treatment for such individuals. The rehabilitation process can be directed towards more specific goals focused on the patient expectations, thereby contributing to greater humanization and effectiveness of treatment to improve social participation following a stroke.
Transformation-optics and illusion-optics devices made of microwave metamaterials

In this paper, we review several transformation-optics and illusion-optics devices realized by microwave metamaterials, including three-dimensional (3D) ground-plane cloak, 3D Luneburg lens with flattened focal surface, two-dimensional (2D) shrinking device, and 2D material-convention device. Experiments demonstrate good performances of such devices.
Videomicroscopic measurements in living cells: dynamic determination of multiple end points for in vitro toxicology.

The possibility of digitization and processing of microscope images in "real time" (i.e., at video rates) has opened a variety of ways to dramatically improve the quality of microscopic images and to create new applications of light microscopy. One of the new techniques, video-enhanced contrast (VEC) microscopy, enables one to increase contrast and magnification to the extent that positions and movements of biological objects as small as 15-20 nm (e.g., small membrane-bounded vesicles and microtubules) can be analyzed in living cells. Organelle motion can be quantitatively described by a number of parameters such as velocity, straightness of path, and reversals of direction. The second group of videomicroscopic techniques is based on the measurement of fluorescence intensities of intracellular compounds by monochromatic light microscopy or using other low-light signals (video-intensified microscopy, VIM). The resulting images are two-dimensional arrays of fluorescence or absorption spectroscopy measurements and contain information on the amounts of intracellular metabolites or exogenous agents. Typical parameters for VIM measurements include Ca2+ concentration, pH value, metabolites and membrane potentials. Specific nontoxic dyes are also available to verify the identity of the organelles seen by the VEC techniques and to quantitate their abundance. The whole battery of new tests based on videomicroscopy can be applied at selected time intervals to a given set of cultured cells to obtain simultaneous measurements of multiple end points. However, since quantitative data for these parameters can be calculated from the live images in real time and encoded in the form of gray-shaded or pseudocolor images, they can also be continuously recorded and yield video films of the complete sequence of intracellular events during and after exposure to toxic or pharmacological agents. Videomicroscopy allows multiparametric studies to be performed with cultured cells, yielding a wealth of information that could be reached in the past only in animal experimentation. In addition, videomicroscopy enables us to observe directly and quantitate metabolic, physiological, and morphological parameters in the living cell that were not accessible by animal experimentation. It is therefore to be expected that videomicroscopy in the near future will catalyze a major shift from animal to in vitro experimentation in the fields of toxicology, pharmacology, and experimental pathology.
Modifying Alcohol Consumption to Reduce Obesity: A Randomized Controlled Feasibility Study of a Complex Community-based Intervention for Men

Abstract Objectives Being obese and drinking more than 14 units of alcohol per week places men at very high risk of developing liver disease. This study assessed the feasibility of a trial to reduce alcohol consumption. It tested the recruitment strategy, engagement with the intervention, retention and study acceptability. Methods Men aged 35–64 years who drank >21 units of alcohol per week and had a BMI > 30 were recruited by two methods: from GP patient registers and by community outreach. The intervention was delivered by a face to face session followed by a series of text messages. Trained lay people (Study Coordinators) delivered the face to face session. Participants were followed up for 5 months from baseline to measure weekly alcohol consumption and BMI. Results The recruitment target of 60 was exceeded, with 69 men recruited and randomized. At baseline, almost all the participants (95%) exceeded the threshold for a 19-fold increase in the risk of dying from liver disease. The intervention was delivered with high fidelity. A very high follow-up rate was achieved (98%) and the outcomes for the full trial were measured. Process evaluation showed that participants responded as intended to key steps in the behaviour change strategy. The acceptability of the study methods was high: e.g. 80% of men would recommend the study to others. Conclusions This feasibility study identified a group at high risk of liver disease. It showed that a full trial could be conducted to test the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the intervention. Trial registration Current controlled trials: ISRCTN55309164. Trial funding National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA). Short summary This feasibility study recruited 69 men at high risk of developing liver disease. The novel intervention, to reduce alcohol consumption through the motivation of weight loss, was well received. A very high follow-up rate was achieved. Process evaluation showed that participants engaged with key components of the behaviour change strategy.
Relationship between early physician follow-up and 30-day readmission among Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized for heart failure.

CONTEXT Readmission after hospitalization for heart failure is common. Early outpatient follow-up after hospitalization has been proposed as a means of reducing readmission rates. However, there are limited data describing patterns of follow-up after heart failure hospitalization and its association with readmission rates. OBJECTIVE To examine associations between outpatient follow-up within 7 days after discharge from a heart failure hospitalization and readmission within 30 days. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS Observational analysis of patients 65 years or older with heart failure and discharged to home from hospitals participating in the Organized Program to Initiate Lifesaving Treatment in Hospitalized Patients With Heart Failure and the Get With the Guidelines-Heart Failure quality improvement program from January 1, 2003, through December 31, 2006. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE All-cause readmission within 30 days after discharge. RESULTS The study population included 30,136 patients from 225 hospitals. Median length of stay was 4 days (interquartile range, 2-6) and 21.3% of patients were readmitted within 30 days. At the hospital level, the median percentage of patients who had early follow-up after discharge from the index hospitalization was 38.3% (interquartile range, 32.4%-44.5%). Compared with patients whose index admission was in a hospital in the lowest quartile of early follow-up (30-day readmission rate, 23.3%), the rates of 30-day readmission were 20.5% among patients in the second quartile (risk-adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.85; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.78-0.93), 20.5% among patients in the third quartile (risk-adjusted HR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.78-0.96), and 20.9% among patients in the fourth quartile (risk-adjusted HR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.83-1.00). CONCLUSIONS Among patients who are hospitalized for heart failure, substantial variation exists in hospital-level rates of early outpatient follow-up after discharge. Patients who are discharged from hospitals that have higher early follow-up rates have a lower risk of 30-day readmission. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00344513.
Polygamy, sexual behavior in a population under risk for prostate cancer diagnostic: an observational study from the Black Sea Region in Turkey

ABSTRACT Aim: Although prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common cancer type in men, a replaceable risk factor has not yet been established. In our study, we assessed the relationship between the number of sexual partners, age of first sexual experience and age of first masturbation and prostate cancer incidence. Materials and Methods: In Ordu University Department of Urology between January 2013 and September 2016, in PSA elevation and rectal examination, patients with prostate biopsy were evaluated due to nodule palpation in the prostate. At younger ages and at present, their first masturbation ages, first sexual debut ages, and total sexual partner numbers were recorded. The correlation between the obtained data and PCa frequency was evaluated. Results: The study included 146 patients with PCa identified on biopsy and 171 patients with benign biopsy results who answered the questions. 66.7% of the ones whose biopsy results were benign and 40.6% of cancer suspects had only one sexual partner. The median number of sexual partners was 1±4 (1-100) in the benign group and 2±6 (1-500) in the malignant group (p=0.039). There was a negative correlation between age of first sexual debut and number of partners (r: −0,479; p <0.001). Conclusion: In our study, it appears that there may be an association between the number of sexual partners and prostate cancer in the patient group with PSA level above 4ng/mL. Avoidance of sexual promiscuity or participation in protected sex may be beneficial to protect against prostate cancer.
Analysis of Stress Trajectories in Human Adult Cleft Skull

Abstract The craniofacial skeleton is designed to withstand the functional forces during mastication. Distribution of these forces is along the stress trajectories that can vary in a cleft skull compared with a normal skull. In this study, the authors constructed finite element models of cleft and normal skull and subjected them for occlusal loading in the posterior teeth. The results showed variation in the trajectories between the models and between the cleft and noncleft sides within the cleft model.
Fine Mapping of the Pond Snail Left-Right Asymmetry (Chirality) Locus Using RAD-Seq and Fibre-FISH

The left-right asymmetry of snails, including the direction of shell coiling, is determined by the delayed effect of a maternal gene on the chiral twist that takes place during early embryonic cell divisions. Yet, despite being a well-established classical problem, the identity of the gene and the means by which left-right asymmetry is established in snails remain unknown. We here demonstrate the power of new genomic approaches for identification of the chirality gene, “D”. First, heterozygous (Dd) pond snails Lymnaea stagnalis were self-fertilised or backcrossed, and the genotype of more than six thousand offspring inferred, either dextral (DD/Dd) or sinistral (dd). Then, twenty of the offspring were used for Restriction-site-Associated DNA Sequencing (RAD-Seq) to identify anonymous molecular markers that are linked to the chirality locus. A local genetic map was constructed by genotyping three flanking markers in over three thousand snails. The three markers lie either side of the chirality locus, with one very tightly linked (<0.1 cM). Finally, bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs) were isolated that contained the three loci. Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) of pachytene cells showed that the three BACs tightly cluster on the same bivalent chromosome. Fibre-FISH identified a region of greater that ∼0.4 Mb between two BAC clone markers that must contain D. This work therefore establishes the resources for molecular identification of the chirality gene and the variation that underpins sinistral and dextral coiling. More generally, the results also show that combining genomic technologies, such as RAD-Seq and high resolution FISH, is a robust approach for mapping key loci in non-model systems.
Neuropsychological Features of Multiple Sclerosis: Impact and Rehabilitation

Neuropsychology Section, Department of Neurology, University of Patras Medical School, 26504 Patras, Greece University of Patras Medical School, 26504 Patras, Greece Lab of Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece Department of Speech and Language Therapy, Higher Educational Institute of Epirus, Ioannina, Greece Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Cyprus University of Technology, Limassol, Cyprus
Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Axitinib Derivatives

Axitinib is an approved kinase inhibitor for the therapy of advanced metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC). It prevents angiogenesis, cellular adhesion, and induces apoptosis of cancer cells. Here, nine axitinib derivatives were designed by replacing the C=C moiety with the N=N group, and the substituted benzene or pyrrole analogs were considered to replace the pyridine ring. Biological activity results showed that most of nascent derivatives exhibited favorable VEGFR-2 kinase inhibitory activities, and TM6, 7, 9, and 11 behaved more potent anti-proliferative activities than axitinib. This novel series of compounds shows a potential for the treatment of solid tumors and other diseases where angiogenesis plays an important role.
Ratings of pain and activity limitation on the visual analogue scale and global impression of change in multimodal rehabilitation of back pain – analyses at group and individual level

Abstract Purpose: To evaluate changes in pain intensity and activity limitation, at group and individual levels, and their associations with the global impression of change after multimodal rehabilitation in patients with back pain. Method: Patients with long-term back pain (n = 282) participated in a 4-week programme with a follow-up after 6 months. Visual analogue scales (VAS) were used to rate pain intensity and activity limitation. Global impression of change (GIC) was rated on a 7-category scale. The sign test, the Svensson method and the Spearman rank correlation were used for analyses. Results: Significantly lower ratings in pain and activity limitation at follow-up were found at group level. However, a large individual variability was found by the Svensson method. The correlations between GIC and changes in pain and activity limitation were rs = 0.49 and rs = 0.50, respectively. A rated GIC of at least “much better” on group level showed changes of ≥20 mm on the VAS. Conclusions: At group level, lower VAS ratings were found in patients with back pain. However, a large individual variability in pain and activity limitation was also found resulting in low to moderate associations between GIC and the change in VAS ratings. The large individual variability might be due to the impreciseness in the ratings on the VAS. We have presented a critical discussion of statistical methods in connection with the VAS. Implications for Rehabilitation The use of VAS as a rating instrument may be questioned, especially for perceived pain intensity which is a too complex experience to be rated on a line without any visible categories. Single ratings of pain intensity should preferably be complemented with the ratings of activity limitation in patients with long-term back pain. Global impression of change is a suggested inclusive rating after rehabilitation. The improvement desired by the patient should preferably be determined before rehabilitation.
A vertebrate myosin-I structure reveals unique insights into myosin mechanochemical tuning

Significance We report the high-resolution structure of a tension-sensing myosin-Ib. We identify a striking unique orientation of structural elements that position the motor’s lever arm. This orientation results in a cavity between the motor and lever arm that holds a 10-residue stretch of N-terminal amino acids, a region that is divergent among myosins. We show the importance of the N-terminal region of myosin in controlling the kinetics and mechanics of the motor. Myosins are molecular motors that power diverse cellular processes, such as rapid organelle transport, muscle contraction, and tension-sensitive anchoring. The structural adaptations in the motor that allow for this functional diversity are not known, due, in part, to the lack of high-resolution structures of highly tension-sensitive myosins. We determined a 2.3-Å resolution structure of apo-myosin-Ib (Myo1b), which is the most tension-sensitive myosin characterized. We identified a striking unique orientation of structural elements that position the motor’s lever arm. This orientation results in a cavity between the motor and lever arm that holds a 10-residue stretch of N-terminal amino acids, a region that is divergent among myosins. Single-molecule and biochemical analyses show that the N terminus plays an important role in stabilizing the post power-stroke conformation of Myo1b and in tuning the rate of the force-sensitive transition. We propose that this region plays a general role in tuning the mechanochemical properties of myosins.
CONTINUUM DAMAGE MECHANICS-BASED FATIGUE MODEL OF ASPHALT CONCRETE

A fatigue performance prediction model of asphalt concrete is developed from a uniaxial constitutive model based on the elastic-viscoelastic correspondence principle and continuum damage mechanics through mathematical simplifications. This fatigue model has a form similar to the phenomenological tensile strain-based fatigue model. Therefore, a comparison between the new model and the phenomenological model yields that the regression coefficients in the phenomenological model are functions of viscoelastic properties of the materials, loading conditions, and damage characteristics. The experimental study on two mixtures with compound loading histories demonstrates that the fatigue model maintains all of the strengths of the constitutive model such as its accuracy and abilities to account for the effects of rate of loading, stress/strain level dependency, rest between loading cycles, and mode-of-loading on fatigue life of asphalt concrete.
The Role of External Semiotic Anchors and Hybrid Representations

Summary. Our brains make up a series of signs and are engaged in making or manifesting or reacting to a series of signs: through this semiotic activity they are at the same time engaged in “being minds” and so in thinking intelligently, in communicating and in extracting chances from the einvironment. An important effect of this semiotic activity of brains is a continuous process of “externalization of the mind” that exhibits a new cognitive perspective on the mechanisms underling the semiotic emergence of abductive processes of meaning formation. To illustrate this process I will take advantage of the analysis of some aspects of the cognitive interplay between internal and external representations and communications. I consider this interplay critical in analyzing the relation between meaningful semiotic internal resources and devices and their dynamical interactions with the externalized semiotic materiality suitably stocked in the environment. Hence, minds are material, “extended” and artificial in themselves. A considerable part of human abductive thinking is occurring through an activity consisting in a kind of reification in the external environment (that originates what I call semiotic anchors) and a subsequent re–projection and reinterpretation through new configurations of neural networks and chemical processes. I also illustrate how this activity takes advantage of hybrid representations and how it can nicely account for various processes of creative and selective abduction, central to communications processes and chance/risk extraction, bringing up the question of how multimodal aspects involving a full range of sensory modalities are important in hypothetical multidisciplinary reasoning.
Design Guidelines for Shielding Effectiveness, Current Carrying Capability, and the Enhancement of Conductivity of Composite Materials

These guidelines address the electrical properties of composite materials which may have an effect on electromagnetic compatibility (EMC). The main topics of the guidelines include the electrical shielding, fault current return, and lightning protection capabilities of graphite reinforced polymers, since they are somewhat conductive but may require enhancement to be adequate for EMC purposes. Shielding effectiveness depends heavily upon the conductivity of the material. Graphite epoxy can provide useful shielding against RF signals, but it is approximately 1,000 times more resistive than good conductive metals. The reduced shielding effectiveness is significant but is still useful in many cases. The primary concern is with gaps and seams in the material just as it is with metal. Current carrying capability of graphite epoxy is adequate for dissipation static charges, but fault currents through graphite epoxy may cause fire at the shorting contact and at joints. The effect of lightning on selected graphite epoxy material and mating surfaces is described, and protection methods are reviewed.