Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Statistical methodologies in psychopharmacology: a review

There has been a greatly increased interest in statistical methods in the psychiatric research and its applications over the past few decades, in parallel with advances in computers and statistical software. This review aims to describe the main topics related to statistical methods in psychopharmacology, namely nature of statistics in medicine, problems in data analysis, statistical modelling, developments in statistical technology, statistical reporting and meta‐analysis. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Population-based reference standards for cardiovascular fitness among U.S. adults: NHANES 1999-2000 and 2001-2002.

PURPOSE To provide reference standards for cardiovascular fitness levels, using population-based estimates of estimated maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) from a diverse sample of U.S. adults. METHODS Analysis of data from adults (20-49 yr) who completed a submaximal exercise test in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2000 and 2001-2002. Estimated VO2max was categorized as low (<20th percentile), moderate (between 20th and 59th percentiles), or high (> or =60th percentile) fitness using age- and sex-specific cut-points. RESULTS There were 1978 subjects, roughly 29% Mexican-American, 20% non-Hispanic black, and 51% non-Hispanic white. Using population-based sample weights, this was equivalent to 54,078,766 persons with mean (+/- SE) age, 34.4 +/- 0.3 yr; body mass index (BMI), 27.0 +/- 0.2 kg x m(-2); and estimated VO2max, 40.4 +/- 0.3 mL x min(-1) x kg(-1). There was a significant association between race and fitness level and between race and fitness level by sex (P < 0.0001). Low fitness was highest among non-Hispanic blacks (percentage (95% confidence interval): 32%, (26-38%)) compared with Mexican-Americans (22% (18-27%)) and non-Hispanic whites (18% (15-21%)), particularly among females, where 35% (28-42%) non-Hispanic black women had low fitness compared with 22% (16.3-27.4%) Mexican-American and 18% (13.7-22.4%) non-Hispanic white women. CONCLUSIONS Non-Hispanic black adults have the highest percentage of low cardiovascular fitness among major race groups in the United States. On a population basis, over one third of non-Hispanic black women have low cardiovascular fitness, suggesting this group in particular may be at increased health risk due to poor fitness.
Dielectric-Relaxation Spectroscopy of Kaolinite, Montmorillonite, Allophane, and Imogolite under Moist Conditions

The dielectric behavior of kaolinite, montmorillonite, allophane, and imogolite samples adjusted to a water potential of 33 kPa was examined using a time-domain reflectometry method over a wide frequency range of 103-1010 Hz. A dielectric relaxation peak owing to bound H2O was observed. The observation of this peak required the precise determination of the contributions of dc conductivity. The peak is located at 10 MHz, indicating that the relaxation time of the bound H2O is approximately ten times longer than the relaxation time of bound H2O with organic polymers, such as an aqueous globular-protein solution. The structure of bound H2O differs between phyllosilicates and amorphous phases, based on differences in relaxation strength and the pattern of distribution of the relaxation times. The dielectric process involving rotation of bulk H2O molecules was also observed at 20 GHz. The relaxation strength of bulk H2O increased with an increase in the water content. The interfacial polarization in the diffuse double layer occurred only in montmorillonite and kaolinite, indicating that mechanisms involving the Maxwell-Wagner and surface-polarization effects cannot be extended to include allophane and imogolite. Although these results suggest that additional work is required, a tentative conclusion is that a tangential migration of counter-ions along clay surfaces may be important.
Efficiency Enhancement in InGaN Photovoltaic Cells With Inverted Textured Surface

We report on the improvement of conversion efficiency of InGaN photovoltaic (PV) cells with inverted textured surface (ITS). InGaN PV cells with ITS showed short-circuit current density and conversion efficiency of 0.63 mA/cm2 and 1.01%, which are 68.17% and 73.33% higher than the characteristics of conventional InGaN PV cells, respectively. The improvement can be attributed to the reduction of both the shading effect of the electrode contact pad and surface reflection of the incident irradiation under one-sun air-mass 1.5-G illumination (100 mW/cm2).
Early pregnancy termination with mifepristone and misoprostol in the United States.

BACKGROUND Mifepristone and a prostaglandin have been used successfully to terminate pregnancy in Europe and China. We report the results of a large U.S. study of mifepristone and misoprostol in women with pregnancies of up to nine weeks' duration. METHODS We administered 600 mg of mifepristone and then 400 microg of misoprostol two days later to 2121 women seeking termination of their pregnancies at 17 centers. The women were observed for four hours after the administration of misoprostol and returned on day 15 for final assessment. RESULTS Two thousand fifteen women completed the final assessment. Among them, pregnancy was terminated in 762 of the 827 women pregnant for < or =49 days (92 percent), 563 of the 678 women pregnant for 50 to 56 days (83 percent), and 395 of the 510 women pregnant for 57 to 63 days (77 percent) (P<0.001). Termination occurred within 4 hours after the administration of misoprostol in 49 percent of the women and within 24 hours in 75 percent. Failures, defined as cases requiring surgical intervention for medical reasons or because the patient requested it, the abortion was incomplete, or the pregnancy was ongoing, increased with increasing duration of pregnancy. The largest increase was in failures representing ongoing pregnancy, which increased from 1 percent in the < or =49-days group to 9 percent in the 57-to-63-days group (P<0.001). Abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and vaginal bleeding also increased with advancing gestational age. Two percent of the women in the < or =49-days group, as compared with 4 percent in each of the other two groups, were hospitalized, underwent surgical interventions, and received intravenous fluids (P=0.008). CONCLUSIONS This mifepristone-misoprostol regimen is effective in terminating pregnancies, especially in women with pregnancies of 49 days' duration or less.
Pseudohypoxemia in a Patient With Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Arterial blood gas analysis is one of the most common tests performed on patients in ICUs to measure Pao2 as a means to determine adequate gas exchange. However, the Pao2 in an arterial blood sample can be impacted by metabolically active cells, including either white blood cells or platelets. We
Semantic Annotation of Verbs for the Tatar Corpus

This paper discusses the problem of developing the metalanguage for linguistic applications and introduces a tag set for the semantic annotation of verbs for the Tatar National Corpus. At present, there are no generally accepted standards for the development of corpus semantic annotation. In many cases, it is made by individual researchers or teams for one or another research project, and characteristics of tag sets used in thesauri and electronic corpora differ in many respects. Using available semantic classifications of vocabulary for different languages and relying upon data from Tatar lexicons, we created a model of the semantic system of Tatar verbs and divided them into semantic classes (3,200 words). We distinguished semantic tags of two types: constructional (categorial) tags, independent of semantic classes of verbs, and semantic (thematic) tags, determining semantic classes of verbs. For the separation of these classes we used the hierarchical and overlapping classifications, so that the same verb may belong to more than one class. The approach is based on the data from explanatory dictionaries of the Tatar language, bilingual Russian-Tatar dictionaries and the system of semantic annotation of the Russian National Corpus. In the current version of our semantic annotation, we use 3 categorial and 59 thematic tags.
Delayed reactions to drugs show levels of perforin, granzyme B, and Fas-L to be related to disease severity.

BACKGROUND Drugs can induce different immunologic reactions; T-cell mediated responses produce the most severe reactions. Although in vitro studies show that T cells recognize drugs or their metabolites and induce an effector cytotoxic response, direct in vivo evidence of involvement is lacking. T lymphocytes produce cytotoxic markers that are responsible for 2 major pathways to cell death: granule-mediated exocytosis (perforin and granzyme B) and Fas/FasL interaction. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this investigation was to establish the role of proinflammatory TNF-alpha and cytotoxic markers in subjects with delayed responses to drugs. METHODS We assessed expression levels by quantitative-competitive PCR of TNF-alpha, perforin, granzyme B, and FasL in mononuclear cells from peripheral blood and blister fluid from subjects with delayed reactions to drugs. Samples were obtained within 24 hours of the reaction and 30 days later. Fifteen patients were included and classified according to severity of the reaction, as follows: (A) maculopapular exanthema, (B) desquamative exanthema, (C) Stevens-Johnson syndrome, (D) toxic epidermal necrolysis. RESULTS At the acute stage, there was a large increase in TNF-alpha (9-fold), perforin (6-fold), and GrB (7-fold) in patients in comparison with control subjects. FasL was expressed in PBMCs only in Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis. A high association between cytotoxic markers and disease severity was seen (P <.001). CONCLUSION our data show that TNF-alpha, perforin, GrB, and FasL are increased in the early stage of disease, suggesting that a cytotoxic mechanism might be taking part. These findings support the role of T cells in allergic drug reactions and provide further clues pertaining to therapeutic interventions.
Pitfalls in Parameter Estimation for Delay Differential Equations

Given a set of data $\{U(\gamma_{i}) \approx u(\gamma_{i};\sfp^{\star})\}$ corresponding to the {\em delay differential equation} \vspace{-3pt} $$ \begin{array}{rcll} u'(t;\sfp) &=& f(t,u(t;\sfp),u(\alpha(t;\sfp);\sfp);\sfp) & \hbox{for } t \ge t_{0}(\sfp),\\ u(t;\sfp) &=& \Psi(t;\sfp) & \hbox{for } t \le t_{0}(\sfp), \end{array} $$ the basic problem addressed here is that of calculating the vector $\sfp^{\star} \in {\blackboardd R}^{n}$. (We also consider neutral differential equations.) Most approaches to parameter estimation calculate $\sfp^{\star}$ by minimizing a suitable objective function that is assumed by the minimization algorithm to be sufficiently smooth. In this paper, we use the derivative discontinuity tracking theory for delay differential equations to analyze how jumps can arise in the derivatives of a natural objective function. These jumps can occur when estimating parameters in lag functions and estimating the position of the initial point, and as such are not expected to occur in parameter estimation problems for ordinary differential equations.
Lysine deacetylase inhibition prevents diabetes by chromatin-independent immunoregulation and β-cell protection

Significance Type 1 diabetes is due to immune-mediated pancreatic β-cell destruction. Lysine deacetylase inhibitors (KDACi) protect β-cells from inflammatory destruction in vitro and are promising immunomodulators. The orally active and clinically well-tolerated KDACi vorinostat and givinostat reverted diabetes in a mouse model of type 1 diabetes and counteracted inflammatory target cell damage. Importantly, these effects were achieved with doses that are safe and effective in human inflammatory diseases. Of note, the mechanism of action was compatible with transcription factor—rather than global chromatin—hyperacetylation, causing inhibition of transcription factor binding and reduction of proinflammatory gene expression in leukocytes and β-cells. These data provide a rationale for clinical trials of safety and efficacy of KDACi in patients with Type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is due to destruction of pancreatic β-cells. Lysine deacetylase inhibitors (KDACi) protect β-cells from inflammatory destruction in vitro and are promising immunomodulators. Here we demonstrate that the clinically well-tolerated KDACi vorinostat and givinostat revert diabetes in the nonobese diabetic (NOD) mouse model of type 1 diabetes and counteract inflammatory target cell damage by a mechanism of action consistent with transcription factor—rather than global chromatin—hyperacetylation. Weaning NOD mice received low doses of vorinostat and givinostat in their drinking water until 100–120 d of age. Diabetes incidence was reduced by 38% and 45%, respectively, there was a 15% increase in the percentage of islets without infiltration, and pancreatic insulin content increased by 200%. Vorinostat treatment increased the frequency of functional regulatory T-cell subsets and their transcription factors Gata3 and FoxP3 in parallel to a decrease in inflammatory dendritic cell subsets and their cytokines IL-6, IL-12, and TNF-α. KDACi also inhibited LPS-induced Cox-2 expression in peritoneal macrophages from C57BL/6 and NOD mice. In insulin-producing β-cells, givinostat did not upregulate expression of the anti-inflammatory genes Socs1-3 or sirtuin-1 but reduced levels of IL-1β + IFN-γ–induced proinflammatory Il1a, Il1b, Tnfα, Fas, Cxcl2, and reduced cytokine-induced ERK phosphorylation. Further, NF-κB genomic iNos promoter binding was reduced by 50%, and NF-κB-dependent mRNA expression was blocked. These effects were associated with NF-κB subunit p65 hyperacetylation. Taken together, these data provide a rationale for clinical trials of safety and efficacy of KDACi in patients with autoimmune disease such as type 1 diabetes.
A note on the effect of live weight at mating on fertility of Awassi ewes in semi-arid north-west Syria

Ninety Awassi ewes managed at different levels were used to study the effect of live weight mating on fertility over 3 years in semi-arid north-west Syria. During the 56-day pre-mating period fertile ewes had higher daily live-weight gains than infertile ewes ( P P 0·05). Ewe fertility was related (r = 0·87) to live weight at mating and twinning reached a maximum (four per 100 ewes lambing) in 51· to 56-kg ewes then decreased fP > 0·05). Maximum fertility can be expected in Awassi ewes weighing over 48 kg at mating in north-west Syria.
Gamificação como Estratégia no Engajamento de Estudantes do Ensino Fundamental

Esta pesquisa teve como objetivo avaliar a efetividade da utilizacao de Gamificacao como estrategia sobre o engajamento de alunos do 9o ano do ensino fundamental. Para tanto, foi realizado um estudo de campo com 61 alunos de uma escola publica. Foram utilizadas duas plataformas de recompensa – ClassDojo e ClassBadges – no intuito de analisar os efeitos da gamificacao. Para a coleta de dados utilizou-se tecnicas como: observacao, entrevista semiestruturada e questionario. Os resultados foram tratados estatisticamente pela tecnica multivariada conhecida como Analise de Conglomerados (Cluster). Foi possivel classificar os alunos em 4 grupos e concluir que os alunos que obtiveram as melhores medias nos indicadores foram os que receberam mais recompensas do professor.
Gait generation via intrinsically stable MPC for a multi-mass humanoid model

We consider the problem of generating a gait with no a priori assigned footsteps while taking into account the contribution of the swinging leg to the total Zero Moment Point (ZMP). This is achieved by considering a multi-mass model of the humanoid and distinguishing between secondary masses with known pre-defined motion and the remaining, primary, masses. In the case of a single primary mass with constant height, it is possible to transform the original gait generation problem for the multi-mass system into a single LIP-like problem. We can then take full advantage of an intrinsically stable MPC framework to generate a gait that takes into account the swinging leg motion.
Optimization of deterministic timed weighted marked graphs

This paper is motivated by the optimization of manufacturing systems such as assembly lines and job-shops. Therefore, the main problem for designers is to find a trade-off between minimizing the cost of the resources and maximizing the system's throughput. Timed marked graphs, a special class of Petri nets, are extensively used to model and analyze cyclic manufacturing systems. Weighted marked graphs are convenient to model systems with bulk services and arrivals. We consider two problems of practical importance for this class of nets. The marking optimization problem consists in finding an initial marking to minimize the weighted sum of tokens in places while the average cycle time is less than or equal to a given value. The cycle time optimization problem consists in finding an initial marking to minimize the average cycle time while the weighted sum of tokens in places is less than or equal to a given value. We propose two heuristic algorithms to solve these problems. Several simulation studies show that the effectiveness of the proposed approach is significantly faster than existing ones.
Selection of Suitable Reference Genes for Quantitative Real-time PCR in Sapium sebiferum

Chinese tallow (Sapium sebiferum L.) is a promising landscape and bioenergy plant. Measuring gene expression by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) can provide valuable information on gene function. Stably expressed reference genes for normalization are a prerequisite for ensuring the accuracy of the target gene expression level among different samples. However, the reference genes in Chinese tallow have not been systematically validated. In this study, 12 candidate reference genes (18S, GAPDH, UBQ, RPS15, SAND, TIP41, 60S, ACT7, PDF2, APT, TBP, and TUB) were investigated with qRT-PCR in 18 samples, including those from different tissues, from plants treated with sucrose and cold stresses. The data were calculated with four common algorithms, geNorm, BestKeeper, NormFinder, and the delta cycle threshold (ΔCt). TIP41 and GAPDH were the most stable for the tissue-specific experiment, GAPDH and 60S for cold treatment, and GAPDH and UBQ for sucrose stresses, while the least stable genes were 60S, TIP41, and 18S respectively. The comprehensive results showed APT, GAPDH, and UBQ to be the top-ranked stable genes across all the samples. The stability of 60S was the lowest during all experiments. These selected reference genes were further validated by comparing the expression profiles of the chalcone synthase gene in Chinese tallow in different samples. The results will help to improve the accuracy of gene expression studies in Chinese tallow.
Using traditional acupuncture for breast cancer-related hot flashes and night sweats.

OBJECTIVES Women taking tamoxifen experience hot flashes and night sweats (HF&NS); acupuncture may offer a nonpharmaceutical method of management. This study explored whether traditional acupuncture (TA) could reduce HF&NS frequency, improve physical and emotional well-being, and improve perceptions of HF&NS. DESIGN/SETTINGS/LOCATION: This was a single-arm observational study using before and after measurements, located in a National Health Service cancer treatment center in southern England. SUBJECTS Fifty (50) participants with early breast cancer completed eight TA treatments. Eligible women were ≥ 35 years old, ≥ 6 months post active cancer treatment, taking tamoxifen ≥ 6 months, and self-reporting ≥ 4 HF&NS incidents/24 hours for ≥ 3 months. INTERVENTIONS Participants received weekly individualized TA treatment using a core standardized protocol for treating HF&NS in natural menopause. OUTCOME MEASURES Hot Flash Diaries recorded HF&NS frequency over 14-day periods; the Women's Health Questionnaire (WHQ) assessed physical and emotional well-being; the Hot Flashes and Night Sweats Questionnaire (HFNSQ) assessed HF&NS as a problem. Measurements taken at five points over 30 weeks included baseline, midtreatment, end of treatment (EOT), and 4 and 18 weeks after EOT. Results for the primary outcome: Mean frequency reduced by 49.8% (95% confidence interval 40.5-56.5, p < 0.0001, n = 48) at EOT over baseline. Trends indicated longer-term effects at 4 and 18 weeks after EOT. At EOT, seven WHQ domains showed significant statistical and clinical improvements, including Anxiety/Fears, Memory/Concentration, Menstrual Problems, Sexual Behavior, Sleep Problems, Somatic Symptoms, and Vasomotor Symptoms. Perceptions of HF&NS as a problem reduced by 2.2 points (standard deviation = 2.15, n = 48, t = 7.16, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS These results compare favorably with other studies using acupuncture to manage HF&NS, as well as research on nonhormonal pharmaceutical treatments. In addition to reduced HF&NS frequency, women enjoyed improved physical and emotional well-being, and few side-effects were reported. Further research is warranted into this approach, which offers breast cancer survivors choice in managing a chronic condition.
A Qualitative Exploration of Reasons for Poor Hand Hygiene Among Hospital Workers Lack of Positive Role Models and of Convincing Evidence That Hand Hygiene Prevents Cross-Infection

Objective. To study potential determinants of hand hygiene compliance among healthcare workers in the hospital setting. Design. A qualitative study based on structured-interview guidelines, consisting of 9 focus group interviews involving 58 persons and 7 individual interviews. Interview transcripts were subjected to content analysis. Setting. Intensive care units and surgical departments of 5 hospitals of varying size in the Netherlands. Participants. A total of 65 nurses, attending physicians, medical residents, and medical students. Results. Nurses and medical students expressed the importance of hand hygiene for preventing of cross-infection among patients and themselves. Physicians expressed the importance of hand hygiene for self-protection, but they perceived that there is a lack of evidence that handwashing is effective in preventing cross-infection. All participants stated that personal beliefs about the efficacy of hand hygiene and examples and norms provided by senior hospital staff are of major importance for hand hygiene compliance. They further reported that hand hygiene is most often performed after tasks that they perceive to be dirty, and personal protection appeared to be more important for compliance that patient safety. Medical students explicitly mentioned that they copy the behavior of their superiors, which often leads to noncompliance during clinical practice. Physicians mentioned that their noncompliance arises from their belief that the evidence supporting the effectiveness of hand hygiene for prevention of hospital-acquired infections is not strong. Conclusion. The results indicate that beliefs about the importance of self-protection are the main reasons for performing hand hygiene. A lack of positive role models and social norms may hinder compliance.