Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Measuring fatigue in rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review of scales in use.

OBJECTIVE Fatigue is an important outcome for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The purpose of this study was to identify the scales being used to measure RA fatigue, and to systematically examine the evidence for their validation. METHODS Articles measuring fatigue in RA were sought using the terms RA and fatigue, and RA and tiredness, plus scale, questionnaire, inventory, and checklist. Index articles reporting identifiable RA fatigue data were examined for the fatigue scale used. Index and validation articles for each scale were reviewed for evidence supporting scale validation to measure RA fatigue using a standardized checklist of content, face, criterion, and construct validity, reliability, and sensitivity to change. RESULTS A total of 61 index articles used 23 different fatigue scales to measure RA fatigue on 71 occasions. Seventeen scales had either no data on validation in RA or limited evidence. Reasonable evidence of validation was identified for 6 scales, each also having some evidence of sensitivity to change: ordinal scales, the Short Form 36 vitality subscale, the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy Fatigue Scale, visual analog scales (VAS), the Profile of Mood States, and the RA-specific Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue scale (MAF). However, the 4 generic scales would benefit from further validation in patients with RA, the VAS requires standardization, and the MAF would benefit from further sensitivity data. CONCLUSION It was possible to identify evidence of reasonable validation for 6 of 23 scales being used to measure RA fatigue. Researchers and clinicians should select scales to measure RA fatigue carefully.
AT‐877, a Ca2+ antagonist, fails to reduce infarct size following rat middle‐cerebral artery occlusion

We investigated the effects of AT‐877, a Ca2+ antagonist, on rat middle‐cerebral artery occlusion. All rats had 6‐h ischemia, and treated animals received either 3 or 10 mg/kg AT‐877 s.c. just after the occlusion. Control animals received an equal volume of the vehicle. Prior to sacrifice, significant changes in the decrease of blood pressure and the increase of plasma glucose were observed in the treated rats. Although the infarct size tended to decrease, this decrease was not significant. Only when the blood pressure‐ or plasma glucose‐matched subgroups were compared, the infarct volume decreased significantly in the drug‐treated animals. Thus, AT‐877 failed to reduce ischemic brain damage unless the blood pressure or plasma glucose were controlled.
Enhancement of complex auditory brainstem response to a voiced stop consonant-vowel syllable, by using LMS-based Adaptive Filter

The complex auditory brainstem response to voiced stop consonant-vowel syllables is a newborn biopotential which is going to be a powerful biological marker for diagnosing central auditory processing disorders, and reflects training, learning and aging phenomena in the auditory system; However, this response is deeply buried in the background EEG signals. In other words, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of this response is very low. The most common method for signal enhancement is the coherent ensemble averaging, which needs a large number of trials, and is very time-consuming. In this study, we used LMS-based adaptive filter to enhance the responses while decreasing the number of required trials for achieving an acceptable SNR. This method was tested on 15 subjects` complex auditory brainstem responses. The results show that LMS-based adaptive filter can enhance the SNR of complex auditory brainstem responses to about 56.2% with respect to coherent ensemble averaging.
The effects of mandatory IFRS adoption on financial analysts’ forecast: Evidence from Jordan

Abstract This paper examines the effect of the mandatory adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) on the ability of financial analysts to forecast earnings accurately in Jordan during the period 2002–2013. The methodology involved the use of a panel data model and the regression with temporal “dummy” variables in order to test the hypotheses formulated for the study. The research findings show after mandatory IFRS adoption has improvements in the ability of analysts to forecast earnings (decrease in error and dispersion). These findings are evidence of an improvement in earnings quality of Jordan listed firms after the collective requirement to adopt IFRS. The evidence from the study also shows the debate on the desirability of the current move towards one global set of accounting standards as results are robust to several changes in model specifications. The study contributes to the previous finding dealing with the additional quality informational content stemming and, more specifically the quality of earnings from mandatory of IFRS adoption. The originality of this study consists primarily in the use of a long analysis period following the implementation of IFRS that should reduce divergences between analysts, causing a decrease in earnings forecast error and dispersion. Therefore, this study examines only the Jordan context; it’s interesting for future research to study the effect of IFRS mandatory adoption for several countries, especially in emerging market.
Human Light Chain 3/MAP1LC3B Is Cleaved at Its Carboxyl-terminal Met121 to Expose Gly120 for Lipidation and Targeting to Autophagosomal Membranes*

Human light chain 3/MAP1LC3B, an autophagosomal ortholog of yeast Atg8, is conjugated to phospholipid (PL) via ubiquitylation-like reactions mediated by human Atg7 and Atg3. Since human Atg4B was found to cleave the carboxyl terminus of MAP1LC3B in vitro, we hypothesized that this exposes its carboxyl-terminal Gly120. It was recently reported, however, that when Myc-MAP1LC3B-His is expressed in HEK293 cells, its carboxyl terminus is not cleaved. (Tanida, I., Sou, Y.-s., Ezaki, J., Minematsu-Ikeguchi, N., Ueno, T., and Kominami, E. (2004) J. Biol. Chem. 279, 36268–36276). To clarify this contradiction, we sought to determine whether the carboxyl terminus of MAP1LC3B is cleaved to expose Gly120 for further ubiquitylation-like reactions. When MAP1LC3B-3xFLAG and Myc-MAP1LC3B-His were expressed in HEK293 cells, their carboxyl termini were cleaved, whereas there was little cleavage of mutant proteins MAP1LC3BG120A-3xFLAG and Myc-MAP1LC3BG120A-His, containing Ala in place of Gly120. An in vitro assay showed that Gly120 is essential for carboxyl-terminal cleavage by human Atg4B as well as for formation of the intermediates Atg7-MAP1LC3B (ubiquitin-activating enzyme-substrate) and Atg3-MAP1LC3B (ubiquitin carrier protein-substrate). Recombinant MAP1LC3B-PL was fractionated into the 100,000 × g pellet in a manner similar to that shown for endogenous MAP1LC3B-PL. RNA interference of MAP1LC3B mRNA resulted in a decrease in both endogenous MAP1LC3B-PL and MAP1LC3B. These results indicate that the carboxyl terminus of MAP1LC3B is cleaved to expose Gly120 for further ubiquitylation-like reactions.
Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients Revisited

End-stage renal disease patients are at a heightened risk of developing cardiovascular disease, with contributions from both “traditional” and “nontraditional” cardiovascular risk factors. Some of the nontraditional risk factors, such as extracellular volume overload, inflammation, and hyperphosphatemia, have also been shown to be important predictors of mortality in the dialysis population. This article provides an in-depth review of the evidence that supports the substantial contributions of nontraditional risk factors to adverse cardiovascular outcomes in chronic peritoneal dialysis patients. In addition, it provides evidence to demonstrate how loss of residual renal function may be central to the development of cardiovascular disease in the peritoneal dialysis population.
Histological and immunohistochemical observations of mucin‐depleted foci (MDF) stained with Alcian blue, in rat colon carcinogenesis induced with 1,2‐dimethylhydrazine dihydrochloride

The usefulness of mucin‐depleted foci (MDF), which have recently been proposed as a new preneoplastic biomarker in rat colon carcinogenesis, was histologically investigated in rat colonic tissues treated with 1,2‐dimethylhydrazine dihydrochloride (DMH). The relationship among aberrant crypt foci (ACF), MDF and β‐catenin accumulated crypts (BCAC) was examined by comparing the corresponding computer‐captured images. Twelve male F344 rats were given DMH s.c. at a dose of 40 mg/kg body weight, once a week for 2 weeks, and randomly divided into two groups. Rats in group 1 were given normal drinking water, while those in group 2 were given drinking water containing indomethacin (IND) at 16 ppm for 6 weeks. All animals were sacrificed 8 weeks after the first DMH treatment. The resected colons were fixed in 10% formalin, and stained with Alcian blue for observation of ACF and MDF. Histological and immunohistochemical analysis revealed that the numbers of ACF, MDF and overlapping lesions in group 2 (treated with IND) were significantly decreased, compared with those in group 1. The number of BCAC in group 2 was also significantly lower than that in group 1. The reduction (61.5%) of MDF by IND was much greater than that (29.3%) of ACF. Analyses of the computer‐captured images indicated that MDF had more frequent dysplastic changes and overexpression of β‐catenin than did ACF. MDF having over 4 crypts or MDF with the appearance of ACF corresponded well to BCAC. These results suggest that MDF may be useful as an early biomarker in colon carcinogenesis.
[Results of 10 years of a randomized trial of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancers larger than 3 cm].

AIM OF THE STUDY The aim of this randomised trial was to determine advantages and drawbacks of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with operable breast cancers > 3 cm. MATERIAL AND METHODS Two hundred and seventy-two women (age 70) with operable breast cancers larger than 3 cm (T2-3/N0-1/M0) were included in a randomised trial from January 1, 1985 to April 30, 1989. Patients in group A (n = 138) were treated by mastectomy and axillary node dissection. Adjuvant chemotherapy was indicated for 104 patients with axillary node involvement (n = 82) or negative oestrogen and progesterone receptors (EPR-) (n = 22). Patients in group B (n = 134) were treated by initial chemotherapy (identical as in group A) followed by locoregional treatment according to the response. Before treatment, the average of clinical tumoural diameter was 43 mm. RESULTS The median follow-up was 124 months. In group B, 49 patients (36.5%) were resistant to chemotherapy; a conservative breast surgical treatment was performed in the other 84 patients sensitive to chemotherapy (62.6%). In this last subgroup, 19 (22.6%) needed a secondary mastectomy because of locoregional recurrence. Survival rates were not different in groups A and B, but loco-regional recurrences were frequent in group B. At 10 years, the overall survival rate was 60% and half of living patients in group B were free of cancer and with their breast. CONCLUSION Neoadjuvant chemotherapy permitted in two-thirds of cases breast conservation treatment, initially considered to be impossible. Locoregional recurrences are more frequent than after mastectomy and adjuvant chemotherapy.
Detection of copy number variation from next generation sequencing data with total variation penalized least square optimization

The detection of copy number variation is important to understand complex diseases such as autism, schizophrenia, cancer, etc. In this paper we propose a method to detect copy number variation from next generation sequencing data. Compared with conventional methods to detect copy number variation like array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH), the next generation sequencing data provide higher resolution of genomic variations. There are a lot of methods to detect copy number variation from next sequencing data, and most of them are based on statistical hypothesis testing. In this paper, we consider this problem from an optimization point of view. The proposed method is based on optimizing a total variation penalized least square criterion, which involves ℓ-1 norm. Inspired by the analytical study of a statics system, we propose an iterative algorithm to find the optimal solution of this optimization problem. The comparative study with other existing methods on simulated data demonstrates that our method can detect relatively small copy number variants (low copy number and small single copy length) with low false positive rate.
High-Frequency Noise Performance of 60-nm Gate-Length FinFETs

In this paper, the first-ever published investigation on radio-frequency (RF) noise performance of FinFETs is reported. The impact of the geometrical dimensions of FinFETs on RF noise parameters such as the channel length, the fin width, as well as the fin number is analyzed. A minimum noise figure of 1.35 dB is obtained with an associated available gain of 13.5 dB at 10 GHz for Vdd = 0.5 V. This result is quite encouraging to bring solutions for future low-power RF systems.
Pegging the Interest Rate on Bank Reserves

We develop a model of monetary policy with a small departure from the basic New Keynesian (NK) model. In this model, the central bank can set the interest rate on bank reserves and the nominal stock of bank reserves independently, because these reserves reduce the costs of banking (i.e., have a convenience yield). The model delivers local-equilibrium determinacy under a permanent interest-rate peg. Consequently, it does not share the puzzling and paradoxical implications of the basic NK model under a temporary peg (e.g., in the context of a liquidity trap). More specifically, it offers a resolution of the \forward guidance puzzle," a related puzzle about scal multipliers, and the \paradox of exibility," even for an arbitrarily small departure from the basic NK model (i.e., arbitrarily small banking costs and convenience yield of reserves).
Increase in tracheostomy for prolonged mechanical ventilation in North Carolina, 1993–2002

Objective:Patients who require tracheostomy for prolonged mechanical ventilation have poor outcomes and high costs of care. However, recent longitudinal trends relevant to these patients and their care have not been described. We aimed to describe trends in the annual incidence and timing of tracheostomy for prolonged mechanical ventilation, as well as prolonged mechanical ventilation patient resource utilization and overall in-hospital mortality. Design and Setting:Retrospective review of the North Carolina Hospital Discharge Database, a comprehensive record of all state nonfederal, nonpsychiatric hospital discharges between 1993 and 2002. Patients:Patients were 9,794 medical and surgical patients ≥18 yrs of age with International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification code 96.72 (mechanical ventilation for >96 hrs) and Diagnosis Related Group code 483 (tracheostomy except for face, neck, and mouth diagnoses). Interventions:None. Measurements:Incidence rates adjusted for annual population growth, mechanical ventilation days until tracheostomy placement, length of stay, and hospital charges and payments adjusted by the medical component of the Consumer Price Index. Main results:Between 1993 and 2002, the incidence of tracheostomy for prolonged mechanical ventilation increased across all age groups from 8.3 of 100,000 to 24.2 of 100,000 (p < .001), although most significantly among patients <55 yrs of age. During this period, a decrease was seen in mortality (from 39% to 25%), median mechanical ventilation days to tracheostomy placement (from 12 to 10 days), and median length of stay (from 47 to 33 days). By 2002, patients were almost three times less likely to be discharged to home independently although twice as likely to be sent to a skilled nursing facility. Although prolonged mechanical ventilation patients with tracheostomies represented only 7% of all who required mechanical ventilation, their total charges during the study period were $1.74 billion—22% of all mechanical ventilation patient charges. Conclusion:The incidence of tracheostomy for prolonged mechanical ventilation increased by nearly 200% during the past decade in North Carolina, exceeding changes in the overall incidence of respiratory failure three-fold. Although in-hospital mortality, length of stay, and charges per patient fell over time, the overall resource utilization of prolonged mechanical ventilation patients increased dramatically.
Phylogeny, divergence times and species limits of spiny lizards (Sceloporus magister species group) in western North American deserts and Baja California

The broad distribution of the Sceloporus magister species group (squamata: phrynosomatidae) throughout western North America provides an appropriate model for testing biogeographical hypotheses explaining the timing and origins of diversity across mainland deserts and the Baja California Peninsula. We inferred concordant phylogenetic trees describing the higher‐level relationships within the magister group using 1.6 kb of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and 1.7 kb of nuclear DNA data. These data provide strong support for the parallel divergence of lineages endemic to the Baja California Peninsula (S. zosteromus and the orcutti complex) in the form of two sequential divergence events at the base of the magister group phylogeny. A relaxed phylogenetic analysis of the mtDNA data using one fossil and one biogeographical constraint provides a chronology of these divergence events and evidence that further diversification within the Baja California clades occurred simultaneously, although patterns of geographical variation and speciation between clades differ. We resolved four major phylogeographical clades within S. magister that (i) provide a novel phylogenetic placement of the Chihuahuan Desert populations sister to the Mojave Desert; (ii) illustrate a mixed history for the Colorado Plateau that includes Mojave and Sonoran Desert components; and (iii) identify an area of overlap between the Mojave and Sonoran Desert clades near Yuma, Arizona. Estimates of bidirectional migration rates among populations of S. magister using four nuclear loci support strong asymmetries in gene flow among the major mtDNA clades. Based on the nonexclusivity of mtDNA haplotypes, nuclear gene flow among populations and wide zones of phenotypic intergradation, S. magister appears to represent a single geographically variable and widespread species.
Climate-Smart Agriculture: Do Young People Care?

This paper is about the information-seeking and information-sharing behavior on climate-smart agriculture (CSA) of high school students who participated in the Infomediary Campaign in 2014. This seeks to answer five research questions: (1) What are the indicators that searching and sharing of information by the infomediaries transpired? (2) What are the characteristics of infomediaries who are most likely to share information on CSA? (3) What sort of information can be competently shared by high school students? (4) How is information transferred from the information source (PhilRice) to the farmers? (5) What evidence suggests that information transferred was put to good use by the intended recipients? A survey (N=388) was conducted among eight randomly selected schools, from the pool of 108 schools, nationwide. Focus group discussions, individual interviews, and participant observation were likewise conducted. The Stakeholder Theory and Livelihoods Approach were combined to unpack the findings in this research. Results show that females are more likely to share information than males (p=.071). Land tenurial status (p=.430) and familial background (p=.052) do not seem to influence the information-seeking behavior of young people. Information that is easy to understand and reinforced elsewhere was shared often by students as compared with more complex ones. Several pathways were generated in documenting the infomediation process on CSA with the schools as the nucleus of agricultural information. These are: (1) PhilRice to farmers, (2) PhilRice to teachers to farmers, and (3) PhilRice to teachers to students to farmers.
THE ROLE OF ASEAN EXCHANGE RATE UNIT (AERU) FOR ASEAN-5 MONETARY INTEGRATION: AN OPTIMUM CURRENCY AREA CRITERIA

The idea for regional monetary integration is grounded by the process of convergence theory within the member states. The paper analyses the possibility of monetary union in ASEAN-5 countries, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Singapore. In terms of volatility, by using nominal deviation indicator assessment, the ASEAN-5 currencies are suggested to peg their national currencies into Yuan since it empirically brings the lowest level of volatility, both during normal and crisis periods. Therefore, Yuan could be proposed as the anchor currency for ASEAN-5 countries. Moreover, valuing the AERU in terms of a weighed average of Yuan is important to determine which countries are considered to be an Optimum Currency Area (OCA). The results statistically suggest that all ASEAN-5 countries could be grouped as OCA according to exchange rate stability criterion. Keywords : Optimum Currency Area, AERU, ASEAN-5, Exchange Rate Stability JEL Classification : D81, E52, F15, F36
Pickering emulsions in foods - opportunities and limitations

Abstract In order to critically discuss the potential of Pickering-type emulsions in food applications this review provides the theoretical background of the stabilizing mechanisms, the resulting requirements for particles to stabilize these systems and the limitations resulting from these fundamental considerations. Food grade particle systems investigated in the past are presented. It becomes obvious that with a proper choice of a particle type, oil-in-water as well as water-in-oil emulsions can be achieved. For highly viscous products, products with a high internal phase volume and foams Pickering particles offer alternatives to commonly used surfactants. Pickering emulsions might be able to offer new approaches for fat reduction as well as encapsulation and sustained release of active ingredients. Nevertheless, a major part of successful systems have been achieved with silica or modified silica particles, which is not in line with the consumer demand for clean label, natural systems or not even food grade. However, the intriguing possibilities motivate and justify future research on the identification of new suitable ingredients, improvement of existing formulations and identification of new fields of application.