Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Developmental language disorders in preschool children after high exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances from contaminated drinking water in Ronneby, Sweden

Background: There are indications that early-life exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) can impact neurodevelopment, but results are inconclusive. The objective was to investigate if high early-life exposure to primarily perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) increases the risk of developmental language disorder in children up to seven years of age. Methods: A register-based cohort of all children born 1998–2013 in Blekinge county, Sweden, was studied. Maternal residential history, that is, with or without highly PFAS-contaminated drinking water, during the 5-year period before childbirth was used as a proxy for early-life exposure. Exposure was categorized as high (n = 646), intermediate (n = 1,650), or background (n = 9,599). We used Cox proportional hazards regression to estimate hazard ratios (HR) for (1) referral to a speech- and language pathologist after routine screening at Child Health Services, and (2) subsequent language disorder diagnosis after clinical assessment. Models were adjusted for parity, maternal age, education level, and smoking, and explored effect modification by sex. Results: In children from the high-exposed area, the adjusted HR for referral was 1.23 (95% CI = 1.03, 1.47) and 1.13 (95% CI = 0.97, 1.56) for subsequent diagnosis. There was no increased risk in the intermediate exposure category. Conclusion: Children, particularly girls, with high exposure had an increased risk of both referral and confirmed developmental language disorder. Further research is needed on PFAS in the context of general neurodevelopment, for which language development is a proxy.
Medication discharge teaching in pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: teaching characteristics, caregiver perceptions, and postdischarge adherence

Abstract Background: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) is an arduous but necessary treatment for many otherwise incurable diseases. It involves a complex medication regimen that is linked to significant clinical outcomes and must be learned by families before discharge. The purpose of this study was to qualitatively explore medication discharge teaching factors and to examine associations between those factors and caregiver self-perceived knowledge and efficacy. Methods: Nineteen video-recorded medication discharge teachings, conducted by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation pharmacists, were coded to identify elements of discharge teaching, including information presented, communication, and environmental factors. Caregivers also completed a semistructured interview and a short measure to assess caregiver efficacy regarding their child's medication regimen. Results: Pharmacists were consistent in their review of the names, dosages, and frequency of the medications being prescribed. However, there was variability regarding information provided about adherence, specific learnings (ie, how to read/fill syringe), and behavioral strategies to promote adherence (ie, adjust timing to fit family's schedule). Immediately and 1 week after the teaching, caregivers reported high levels of confidence regarding their ability to understand and manage their child's medication regimen. Conclusion: Teaching families about the prescribed medication regimen is a critical component of the discharge process. The current findings suggest that increasing the consistency with which information is provided to families regarding the effective management of the medication regimen could potentially be a method to facilitate adherence.
Acupuncture for inflammatory bowel disease: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease is a prevalent condition that has a major impact on the patient’s life. The conventional drugs for IBD have limits, such as unpleasant events and a difficult recovery. External treatment such as acupuncture, is a traditional Chinese medicine-based therapy in which needles are used to restore the body’s internal balance, and is gaining more and more popularity as a therapeutic option for IBD. However, there is a lack of evidence to support its efficacy and safety in IBD patients. The goal of this systematic review is to assess the evidence of acupuncture’s efficacy and safety for IBD. Methods: MEDLINE, the Cochrane library, EMBASE, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, the Chongqing VIP Chinese Science, Technology Periodical Database, the Wanfang database, Japanese medical database, Korean Robotics Institute Summer Scholars, and Thailand Thai-Journal Citation Index Centre will be searched from their inception to 9 November, 2022. Randomized controlled trials evaluating the efficacy of manual acupuncture for patients with IBD, whether or not the blind technique is utilized, will be considered. Language and publication time are both unrestricted. Review Manager (V.5.3.5) will be used by 2 separate researchers to perform article retrieval, duplicate removal, screening, quality evaluation, and data analysis. Efficacy and safety of acupuncture for IBD will be assessed using outcomes including as total effective rate or cure rate, clinical symptom integral (abdominal pain, diarrhea, purulent stool), recurrence rate, inflammatory cytokines, and the Baron and Mayo scores. Results: The protocol of this study systematically will assess the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for IBD. Conclusion: This study investigates the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for IBD, providing clinicians and patients with additional options for the treatment of this disease.
Timing of Prone Positioning During Venovenous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

OBJECTIVES: To assess the association of timing to prone positioning (PP) during venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (V-V ECMO) with the probability of being discharged alive from the ICU at 90 days (primary endpoint) and the improvement of the respiratory system compliance (Cpl,rs). DESIGN: Pooled individual data analysis from five original observational cohort studies. SETTING: European extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) centers. PATIENTS: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) patients who underwent PP during ECMO. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Time to PP during V-V ECMO was explored both as a continuous and a categorical variable with Cox proportional hazard models. Three hundred patients were included in the analysis. The longer the time to PP during V-V ECMO, the lower the adjusted probability of alive ICU discharge (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 0.90 for each day increase; 95% CI, 0.87–0.93). Two hundred twenty-three and 77 patients were included in the early PP (≤ 5 d) and late PP (> 5 d) groups, respectively. The cumulative 90-day probability of being discharged alive from the ICU was 61% in the early PP group vs 36% in the late PP group (log-rank test, p <0.001). This benefit was maintained after adjustment for confounders (adjusted HR, 2.52; 95% CI, 1.66–3.81; p <0.001). In the early PP group, PP was associated with a significant improvement of Cpl,rs (4 ± 9 mL/cm H2O vs 0 ± 12 in the late PP group, p=0.038). CONCLUSIONS: In a large cohort of ARDS patients on ECMO, early PP during ECMO was associated with a higher probability of being discharged alive from the ICU at 90 days and a greater improvement of Cpl,rs.
Laparoscopy combined with transvaginal surgery for Herlyn–Werner–Wunderlich syndrome: A case report

Background: Herlyn–Werner–Wunderlich (HWW) syndrome is a rare congenital Mullerian duct anomaly disease that is characterized by a triad of symptoms, didelphys uterus, blind hemivagina, and ipsilateral renal agenesis. Herein, we reported a case from China. Case presentation: An 11-year-old patient presented to our hospital with lower abdominal pain and frequent urination. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed hematocolpos, uterine hemorrhage, didelphys uterus, and renal agenesis on the right side. Thus, the patient was diagnosed with HWW syndrome. Laparoscopic combined with transvaginal surgery to remove the vaginal septum, the symptoms of the lesion disappeared after the blood was discharged. Conclusion: Abnormal urination and other symptoms should be carefully examined in adolescent girls with abdominal pain not menarche, since they may be related to reproductive organ development disorders and other diseases. We recommend laparoscopy combined with transvaginal surgery to remove the oblique septum in HWW syndrome, which is rarely reported.
The effect of vitamin D supplementation on glycemic status and C-reactive protein levels in type 2 diabetic patients with ischemic heart disease: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Vitamin D might be beneficial in diabetic patients with ischemic heart disease through its favorable effect on metabolic profiles and biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress. We performed a protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis to assess whether vitamin D supplementation could improve glucose control and inflammation in type 2 diabetic patients with ischemic heart disease. Methods: The proposed systematic review and meta-analysis will conform to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Protocols. Seven electronic databases including Web of Science, Embase, PubMed, Wanfang Data, Scopus, Science Direct, Cochrane Library were searched in October 2022 by 2 independent reviewers. The risk of bias assessment of the included studies was assessed using the tool recommended in the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions (version 5.1.0). Data analysis was performed with Review Manager Software (RevMan Version 5.4, The Cochrane Collaboration, Copenhagen, Denmark). Results: This study will provide a high-quality synthesis to assess the effectiveness and safety of vitamin D supplementation on type 2 diabetic patients with ischemic heart disease. Conclusion: This systematic review may lead to several recommendations, for both patients and researchers, as which is the best therapy for type 2 diabetic patients with ischemic heart disease and how future studies need to be designed, considering what is available now and what is the reality of the patient.
An Appreciation of His Work

Ple a s e no t e: Ch a n g e s m a d e a s a r e s ul t of p u blishing p roc e s s e s s uc h a s copy-e di ting, for m a t ting a n d p a g e n u m b e r s m ay no t b e r eflec t e d in t his ve r sion. For t h e d efini tive ve r sion of t his p u blica tion, ple a s e r ef e r to t h e p u blish e d sou rc e. You a r e a dvise d to cons ul t t h e p u blish e r’s ve r sion if you wish to ci t e t his p a p er.
On the Efﬁcient Inference of Preconditions and Effects of Compound Tasks in Partially Ordered HTN Planning Domains

Recently, preconditions and effects of compound tasks based on their possible reﬁnements have been introduced together with an efﬁcient inference procedure to compute a subset of them. However, they were restricted to total-order HTN planning domains. In this paper we generalize the deﬁnitions and algorithm to the scenario of partially ordered domains.
Crystallographic and dielectric properties of ferroelectric ceramics with compositions Na1−xAx(Nb1−xMgx)O3–3xF3x (A = Na, K).

Abstract Two new oxyfluoride ferroelectric solid solutions derived from NaNbO3 have been prepared; their compositions are the followings : Na1−xAx(Nbl-xMgx)O3−3xF3x with 0≤ × ≤0.15 for A = Na and 0≤ × ≤ 0.20 for A = K. The variations of both the symmetry and the unit cell parameters have been determined at room temperature. Dielectric measurements have been performed on ceramic samples in the temperature and frequency ranges 100 – 800 K and 102–105 Hz respectively. Each sample exhibits a maximum of ϵ′r at the Curie temperature TC.
Simultaneous Tracking and Stabilization of a Wheeled Inverted Pendulum: a Backstepping Sliding-Mode Approach

This paper presents a new simultaneous tracking and stabilization method by backstepping and sliding-mode control techniques for wheeled inverted pendulums. The proposed method is used to synthesize a unified controller in both kinematic and dynamic levels. In the kinematic level, virtual motion commands are designed to accomplish out simultaneous tracking and stabilization, while, in the dynamic level, two sliding-mode controllers are independently designed such that the robot can be steered to follow desired time-varying trajectories or go from one pose to another. Simulation results are conducted to show the effectiveness and performance of the proposed unified control method.
The enhanced assumed strain method for the isogeometric analysis of nearly incompressible deformation of solids

Isogeometric analysis has recently become very popular for the numerical modeling of structures and fluids. Among other potential features, advantages of using a non‐uniform rational B‐splines (NURBS)‐based isogeometric analysis over the traditional finite element method include the possibility of using higher‐order polynomials for the basis functions of the approximation space, which may be easily built on a recursive (hierarchical) fashion as well as higher convergence ratio. Nevertheless, NURBS‐based isogeometric analysis suffers from the same problems depicted by other methods when it comes to reproduce isochoric deformations, that is, it shows volumetric locking, especially for low‐order basis functions. Similar remedies as those that have been proposed for the finite element method may be appropriate for integration in the NURBS‐based isogeometric analysis and some have already been tried with success. In this work, the analysis of the underlying space of incompressible deformations of a NURBS‐based isogeometric approximation is performed with the main objective of understanding the likelihood of volumetric locking. As a remedy, the enhanced assumed strain methodology is blended with the NURBS‐based isogeometric analysis to alleviate the volumetric locking associated with incompressible deformations. The solution includes a stabilization term derived directly from a penalized form of the classical Veubeke–Hu–Washizu three‐field variational principle. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The effective bandwidth of a multitaper spectral estimator

SUMMARY The bandwidth of a spectral estimator is a measure of the minimum separation in frequency between approximately uncorrelated spectral estimates. We determine an effective bandwidth measure for multitaper spectral estimators, a relatively new and very powerful class of spectral estimators proving to be very valuable whenever the spectrum of interest is detailed and/or varies rapidly with a large dynamic range. The multitaper spectral estimator is the average of several direct spectral estimators, each of which uses one of a set of orthogonal tapers. We show that the equivalent width of the autocorrelation of the overall spectral window is a suitable measure of the effective bandwidth of a multitaper spectral estimator and illustrate its use in the case of both Slepian and sinusoidal orthogonal tapers. This measure allows a unified treatment of bandwidth for the class of quadratic spectral estimators. Hence, for example, it is now possible properly to compare multitaper spectral estimators with traditional lag window spectral estimators, by assigning a fixed and equal effective bandwidth to both methods. An application is given to the spectral analysis of ocean wave data.
First‐order variance of travel time in nonstationary formations

Evaluating uncertainty in solute transport under nonstationary flow conditions is a computationally demanding task. This is particularly true for cases with a two‐point covariance function of log conductivity depending on the actual positions of the points rather than their distance vector. These may occur when the geological formation exhibits a trend. Nonstationarity can also be the result of uncertainty in the trend parameters of the mean log conductivity value, or it may originate from conditioning of the log conductivity field to measurements of, for example, head or conductivity. We present an efficient numerical method for evaluating the variance of travel time in such formations. We cover cases in which the nonstationary covariance functions are constructed from stationary counterparts, either by scaling functions or by summation with nonstationary functions resulting from marginalization or conditioning. We apply a matrix‐based first‐order second‐moment (FOSM) method for uncertainty propagation, using the continuous adjoint‐state method for coupled systems to evaluate the sensitivity matrix. The resulting matrix‐matrix multiplications are accelerated by fast Fourier transformation (FFT) techniques after periodic embedding of the covariance matrices referring to the stationary counterparts. The combination of these methods makes it possible to compute the travel time uncertainty in domains discretized by several hundred thousand log conductivity values on standard personal computers within a reasonable time‐frame. For demonstration, we apply the method to a binary medium and a medium exhibiting a continuous trend in the covariance function. In the latter application we also demonstrate the effects of marginalization and conditioning.
Global random optimization by simultaneous perturbation stochastic approximation

A desire with iterative optimization techniques is that the algorithm reach the global optimum rather than get stranded at a local optimum value. The authors examine the global convergence properties of a "gradient free" stochastic approximation algorithm called "SPSA," that has performed well in complex optimization problems. We establish two theorems on the global convergence of SPSA. The first provides conditions under which SPSA will converge in probability to a global optimum using the well-known method of injected noise. In the second theorem, we show that, under different conditions, "basic" SPSA without injected noise can achieve convergence in probability to a global optimum. This latter result can have important benefits in the setup (tuning) and performance of the algorithm. The discussion is supported by numerical studies showing favorable comparisons of SPSA to simulated annealing and genetic algorithms.
On admissibility and optimality of treatment-control designs

The relationship between admissible incomplete block designs for confidence intervals with maximal coverage probability for treatment-control contrasts and optimal designs for estimation is investigated. For certain types of designs, admissible designs are shown to be precisely those with the number of replications of the control less than or equal to that of an optimal design. Moreover, admissible designs are the Bayes optimal designs for a class of priors.
Quantum entanglement in photon-atom scattering

Joint atom-photon states can become nonseparably entangled by momentum conservation in scattering events. The consequences are open for observation in interference experiments in which one particle is used to monitor the evolution of the other. We have previously quantified the degree of available recoil entanglement in spontaneous emission, and present here the extensions to Rayleigh scattering and Raman scattering, with an emphasis on the similarity among the three cases. It is found that such scattering processes have the potential to create a higher degree of entanglement between the scattered photon and the recoiled atom than any reported to date.
A Coupled GCM Analysis of MJO Activity at the Onset of El Niño

Abstract The ocean dynamics of the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) and its interaction with El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) are assessed using a flux-corrected coupled model experiment from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. The model demonstrates the correct oceanic Kelvin wave response to the MJO-related westerly winds in the western Pacific. Although there may be a role for the MJO in influencing the strength of El Nino, its impact is difficult to separate from that of strong heat content preconditioning of ENSO. Hence, the MJO–ENSO relationship is assessed starting from a background state of low heat content anomalies in the western Pacific that are also characteristic of recent observed El Nino events. The model shows a strong relationship between ENSO and the MJO near the peak of El Nino. At this time, the sea surface temperature (SST) anomaly is largest in the central Pacific, and it is difficult to separate cause and effect. Near the onset of El Nino, however, when Pacific Ocean SST anomali.
Buckling of layered elastic media: A cosserat-continuum approach and its validation

In this paper the stability of layered, anisotropic, hypoelastic media under initial stress is investigated. The bifurcation problem is formulated and solved numerically by use of a semi-analytical transfer matrix method. An alternative analytical approach in dealing with inhomogeneous media is developed by representing a periodically layered medium as a homogeneous Cosserat continuum. The Cosserat-continuum approach is validated against the numerical transfer matrix solution.
Field demonstration of a transparent optical WDM network with 10- Gbit/s maximum channel data rate applying an optimized optical link design

A concept to design robust and flexible, fully transparent, optical long-haul networks without additional Raman-Amplification is demonstrated theoretically and experimentally. Excellent performance and flexibility at data rates up to 10 Gbit/s and transparency lengths of more than 1700 km are predicted by computer-simulations and successfully demonstrated in a field-test. Error-free transmission of arbitrary data-rates up to 10 Gbit/s over variable link distances up to 1720 km could be demonstrated without intermediate 3R-regeneration and without additional Raman-Amplification and Forward Error Correction. This field-experiment demonstrates the technical feasibility of extensive and flexible, fully transparent optical WDM-Networks.
Multiwavelength Study of the Magnetically Active T Tauri Star HD 283447

We observed the luminous T Tauri star HD 283447 = V773 Tauri simultaneously at X-ray, ultraviolet, optical photometric and spectroscopic, and radio wavelengths for several hours on UT 1992 September 11. ROSAT, IUE, Very Large Array (VLA) and an intercontinental Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) network, and three optical observatories participated in the campaign. The star is known for its unusually high and variable nonthermal radio continuum emission. High levels of soft X-ray and Mg II line emission are discovered, with luminosity L(sub x) = 5.5 x 10(exp 30) ergs/s (0.2 - 2 keV) and L(sub Mg II) = 1 x 10(exp 29) ergs/s, respectively. Optically, the spectrum exhibits rather weak characteristics of `classical' T Tauri stars. A faint, broad emission line component, probably due to a collimated wind or infall, is present. During the campaign, the radio luminosity decreased by a factor of 4, while optical/UV lines and X-ray emission remained strong but constant. The large gyrosynchrotron-emitting regions are therefore decoupled from the chromospheric and coronal emission. Five models for the magnetic geometry around the star are discussed; solar-type activity, dipole magnetosphere, star-disk magnetic coupling, disk magnetic fields, and close binary interaction. The data suggest that two magnetic geometries are simultaneously present: complex multipolar fields like those on the Sun, and a large-scale field possibly associated with the circumstellar disk.