Large Effect Research Articles

Genome-wide discovery for biomarkers using quantile regression at biobank scale

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for biomarkers important for clinical phenotypes can lead to clinically relevant discoveries. Conventional GWAS for quantitative traits are based on simplified regression models modeling the conditional mean of a phenotype as a linear function of genotype. We draw attention here to an alternative, lesser known approach, namely quantile regression that naturally extends linear regression to the analysis of the entire conditional distribution of a phenotype of interest. Quantile regression can be applied efficiently at biobank scale, while having some unique advantages such as (1) identifying variants with heterogeneous effects across quantiles of the phenotype distribution; (2) accommodating a wide range of phenotype distributions including non-normal distributions, with invariance of results to trait transformations; and (3) providing more detailed information about genotype-phenotype associations even for those associations identified by conventional GWAS. We show in simulations that quantile regression is powerful across both homogeneous and various heterogeneous models. Applications to 39 quantitative traits in the UK Biobank demonstrate that quantile regression can be a helpful complement to linear regression in GWAS and can identify variants with larger effects on high-risk subgroups of individuals but with lower or no contribution overall.

Protocol for a randomised controlled unblinded feasibility trial of HD-DRUM: a rhythmic movement training application for cognitive and motor symptoms in people with Huntington’s disease

IntroductionHuntington’s disease (HD) is an inherited neurodegenerative disease causing progressive cognitive and motor decline, largely due to basal ganglia (BG) atrophy. Rhythmic training offers promise as therapy to counteract BG-regulated...

Influence of Regular Physical Activity on Sleep.

Good sleep and adequate physical activity are essential to health. Yet, large numbers of people are chronically deficient in sleep and physical activity. About 1 in 3 Americans get less than 7h of sleep per night and only 1 of 4 adults regularly complete weekly physical activity in amounts recommended for good health. This chapter reviews research that has examined relationships between regular physical activity and sleep. The overall weight of evidence supports that regular physical activity is associated with better sleep quality among healthy adults, with epidemiological studies showing moderate-sized effects and more well-controlled randomized controlled trial experiments often showing larger effects. Large epidemiology studies suggest that the relationship between regular physical activity and better sleep quality may partially mediate the well-established associations between physical activity and reduced risk of mortality, cardiovascular diseases, and dementia. There is evidence that the completion of regular physical activity also is associated with better sleep quality among those with certain sleep disorders (i.e., insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, and restless legs syndrome), mentalhealth disorders (i.e., depression and posttraumatic stress disorder), and medical illnesses (i.e., breast cancer survivors). The evidence is inadequate to support that regular physical activity substantially improves sleep quality either (i) in children, adolescents, and older adults, (ii) in those with cancers except for breast cancer, (iii) in those with fibromyalgia, or (iv) among those with chronic kidney disease. Also, there is inadequate evidence to conclude that sleep quality is disrupted during weeks when competitive athletes engage in periods of overtraining.

Automatic imitation is modulated by stimulus clarity but not by animacy.

Observing actions evokes an automatic imitative response that activates mechanisms required to execute these actions. Automatic imitation is measured using the Stimulus Response Compatibility (SRC) task, which presents participants with compatible and incompatible prompt-distractor pairs. Automatic imitation, or the compatibility effect, is the difference in response times (RTs) between incompatible and compatible trials. Past results suggest that an action's animacy affects automatic imitation: human-produced actions evoke larger effects than computer-generated actions. However, it appears that animacy effects occur mostly when non-human stimuli are less complex or less clear. Theoretical accounts make conflicting predictions regarding both stimulus manipulations. We conducted two SRC experiments that presented participants with an animacy manipulation (human and computer-generated stimuli, Experiment 1) and a clarity manipulation (stimuli with varying visual clarity using Gaussian blurring, Experiments 1 and 2) to tease apart effect of these manipulations. Participants in Experiment 1 responded slower for incompatible than for compatible trials, showing a compatibility effect. Experiment 1 found a null effect of animacy, but stimuli with lower visual clarity evoked smaller compatibility effects. Experiment 2 modulated clarity in five steps and reports decreasing compatibility effects for stimuli with lower clarity. Clarity, but not animacy, therefore affected automatic imitation, and theoretical implications and future directions are considered.

Trigger thresholds and their dynamics of vegetation production loss under different atmospheric and soil drought conditions

Many evidences have shown that both atmospheric and soil droughts can constrain vegetation growth and further threaten its ability to sequester carbon. However, the trigger thresholds of vegetation production loss under different atmospheric and soil drought conditions are still unknown. In this study, we proposed a Copula and Bayesian equations-based framework to investigate trigger thresholds of various vegetation production losses under different atmospheric and soil drought conditions. The trigger thresholds dynamics and their possible causes were also investigated. To achieve this goal, we first simulated the gross primary production, soil moisture, and vapor pressure deficit over China during 1961–2018 using an individual-based, spatially explicit dynamic global vegetation model. The main drivers of the dynamic change in trigger thresholds were then explored by Random Forest model. We found that soil drought caused greater stress on gross primary production loss than atmospheric drought, with a larger impact area and higher probability of damage. In terms of spatial distribution, the risk probability of gross primary production loss was higher in eastern China than in western China, and the drought trigger threshold was also smaller in eastern China. In addition, the trigger thresholds for atmospheric and soil drought in most regions exhibited a decreasing trend from 1961 to 2018, while the CO2 fertilization enhanced the drought tolerance of vegetation. The reduction in CO2 fertilization effect slowed down the downward trend of trigger threshold for soil drought, while the increase in temperature exacerbated the downward trend of trigger threshold for atmospheric drought. This study highlighted the larger effect of soil drought on vegetation production loss than atmospheric drought and implied that climate change can modulate the trigger threshold of vegetation production losses under drought conditions. These findings provide scientific guidance for managing the increasing risk of drought on vegetation and optimizing watershed water allocation.

A Quantitative Systematic Literature Review of Combination Punishment Literature: Progress Over the Last Decade.

This review evaluated single-case experimental design research that examined challenging behavior interventions utilizing punishment elements. Thirty articles published between 2013 and 2022 met study inclusion criteria. Study quality was also assessed. Through multiple levels of analysis (e.g., descriptive statistics, non-parametric statistics), we examined (a) participant and study trends, (b) differential outcomes related to temporal reinforcement approaches (antecedent, consequent, or combined reinforcement) applied alongside punishment element(s), (c) differential outcomes related to the punishment type (negative, positive) applied alongside reinforcement, and (d) effect sizes associated with study rigor across peer-reviewed and gray literature. Our results may tentatively suggest that, for certain situations, concurrently applying punishment with antecedent reinforcement approaches may coincide with significantly larger effect sizes compared to combined temporal reinforcement approaches, while positive punishment applied concurrently with reinforcement may coincide with larger but non-significant intervention effects. Most featured articles met rigor criteria, but larger effects were seen in peer-reviewed literature.

Two-dimensional oxygen-diffusion modelling for FLASH proton therapy with pencil beam scanning—Impact of diffusive tissue properties, dose, dose rate and scan patterns

Objective. Oxygen depletion is generally believed to play an important role in the FLASH effect—a differential reduction of the radiosensitivity of healthy tissues, relative to that of the tumour under ultra-high dose-rate (UHDR) irradiation conditions. In proton therapy (PT) with pencil-beam scanning (PBS), the deposition of dose, and, hence, the degree of (radiolytic) oxygen depletion varies both spatially and temporally. Therefore, the resulting oxygen concentration and the healthy-tissue sparing effect through radiation-induced hypoxia varies both spatially and temporally as well. Approach. We propose and numerically solve a physical oxygen diffusion model to study these effects and their dependence on tissue parameters and the scan pattern in pencil-beam delivery. Since current clinical FLASH PT (FLASH-PT) is based on 250 MeV shoot-through (transmission) beams, for which dose and dose rate (DR) hardly vary with depth compared to the variation transverse to the beam axis, we focus on the two-dimensional case. We numerically integrate the model to obtain the oxygen concentration in each voxel as a function of time and extract voxel-based and spatially and temporarily integrated metrics for oxygen (FLASH) enhanced dose. Furthermore, we evaluate the impact on oxygen enhancement of standard pencil-beam delivery patterns and patterns that were optimised on dose-rate. Our model can contribute to the identification of tissue properties and pencil-beam delivery parameters that are critical for FLASH-PT and it may be used for the optimisation of FLASH-PT treatment plans and their delivery. Main results. (i) the diffusive properties of oxygen are critical for the steady state concentration and therefore the FLASH effect, even more so in two dimensions when compared to one dimension. (ii) The FLASH effect through oxygen depletion depends primarily on dose and less on other parameters. (iii) At a fixed fraction dose there is a slight dependence on DR. (iv) Scan patterns optimised on DR slightly increase the oxygen induced FLASH effect. Significance. To our best knowledge, this is the first study assessing the impact of scan-pattern optimization (SPO) in FLASH-PT with PBS on a biological FLASH model. While the observed impact of SPO is relatively small, a larger effect is expected for larger target volumes. A better understanding of the FLASH effect and the role of oxygen (depletion) therein is essential for the further development of FLASH-PT with PBS, and SPO.

Asymmetric Effects of Development Finance Institutions Funding (DFIs) on Investment in Zimbabwe: A Futuristic Perspective

Introduction - This study aimed to explore the anticipated asymmetric effects of developmental finance institutions (DFIs) funding on investment in Zimbabwe. Given the volatile nature of development finance, Zimbabwe has faced challenges in effectively mobilizing aid, often struggling to persuade donors due to government spending plans and political factors. The research sought to investigate the potential asymmetrical linkages between DFIs funding and investment in Zimbabwe. Methodology: Model and Variables - To examine the futuristic asymmetric relationship between DFIs funding and investment in the Zimbabwean economy, a non-linear NARDL modelling approach will be employed. This methodology will estimate the projected non-linear co-integrating association between positive and negative shocks to DFIs funding and investment. The data set consisted of projected annual macroeconomic variables for Zimbabwe obtained from world bank and IMF. Results - In the short run, it was found that both positive and negative shocks influence future investment, with negative shocks expected to have a larger effect. These negative shocks arise from economic downturns or external shocks, while positive shocks could result from increased funding or favourable policy changes. In the long run, it was found that positive shocks to DFIs funding have a positive impact on investment, leading to increased economic growth and development. Conclusion and Recommendations - Based on the results, DFIs funding should exhibit an asymmetric relationship with investment in Zimbabwe. It is crucial for the government of Zimbabwe to proactively plan for these anticipated asymmetric effects and develop strategies to maximize the benefits of DFIs funding. By implementing the recommendations, Zimbabwe can be able to ensure a more favourable environment for future DFIs funding, fostering sustainable investment and economic growth.

Effects of Remolding Water Content and Compaction Degree on the Dynamic Behavior of Compacted Clay Soils

The stable and safe operation of highway/railway lines is largely dependent on the dynamic behavior of subgrade fillings. Clay soils are widely used in subgrade construction and are compacted at different remolding water contents and compaction degrees, depending on the field conditions. As a result, their dynamic behaviors may vary, which have not been fully investigated until now. To clarify this aspect, a series of cyclic triaxial tests were carried out in this study with three typical remolding water contents (w = 19%, 24%, and 29%), corresponding to the optimum water content as well as its dry and wet sides, and two compaction degrees (Dc = 0.8 and 0.9), which were selected according to the field-testing data. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) tests were also conducted on typical samples to investigate the corresponding soil fabric variations. The findings indicate the following: (a) The soil fabric at the optimum remolding water content and its dry side was characterized by a clay aggregate assembly with a bimodal pore size distribution. In contrast, the soil fabric on the wet side of the optimum water content consisted of dispersed clay particles with a unimodal pore size distribution. (b) As the compaction degree increased, to ensure the optimum water content and its dry side, large pores were compressed to make them smaller, while small pores remained unchanged. Comparatively, all the pores on the wet side were compressed to make them smaller. (c) For each compaction degree, as the remolding water content increased, a non-monotonic changing pattern was identified for both the permanent strain and resilient modulus; the permanent strain first decreased and then increased, while, for the resilient modulus, an initial increasing trend and then a decreasing trend were identified. In addition, a larger changing rate of the permanent strain (resilient modulus) was observed on the dry side, indicating a larger effect of the remolding water content. (d) For each remolding water content, as the compaction degree increased, the permanent strain exhibited a decreasing trend, but an increasing trend was identified for the resilient modulus. Moreover, the rate of change in the permanent strain (resilient modulus) on the dry side of the optimum water content was larger than that on the wet side. In contrast, the minimum rate of change was identified at the optimum water content. The obtained results allowed for the effects of the remolding water content and compaction degree on the dynamic behavior to be analyzed, and they helped guide the construction and maintenance of the subgrade.

Quantitative outcomes of a type 2 single arm hybrid effectiveness implementation pilot study for hypertension-HIV integration in Botswana

BackgroundSuccessful HIV treatment programs have turned HIV into a chronic condition, but noncommunicable diseases such as hypertension jeopardize this progress. Hypertension control rates among people with HIV (PWH) are low owing to gaps in patient awareness, diagnosis, effective treatment, and management of both conditions at separate clinic visits. Integrated management, such as in our study, InterCARE, can enhance HIV-hypertension integration and blood pressure (BP) control.MethodsOur pilot study was conducted in two Botswana HIV clinics between October 2021 and November 2022. Based on our formative work, we adopted three main strategies; Health worker training on HTN/cardiovascular disease (CVD) management, adaptation of HIV Electronic Health Record (EHR) for HTN/CVD care, and use of treatment partners to support PWH with hypertension for implementation. We employed the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework to assess implementation effectiveness and outcomes for BP control at baseline, 6 and 12 months. HIV viral load (VL) suppression was also measured to assess impact of integration on HIV care.ResultsWe enrolled 290 participants; 35 (12.1%) were lost to follow-up, leaving 255 (87.9%) at 12-months. Median age was 54 years (IQR 46–62), and 77.2% were females. Our interventions significantly improved BP control to < 140/90 mmHg (or < 130/80 mmHg if diagnosis of diabetes or chronic kidney disease), from 137/290 participants, 47.2% at baseline to 206/290 participants, 71.0%, at 12 months (p < 0.001). Among targeted providers, 94.7% received training, with an associated significant increase in counseling on exercise, diet, and medication (all p < 0.001) but EHR use for BP medication prescribing and cardiovascular risk factor evaluation showed no adoption. In the intention-to-treat analysis, HIV VL suppression at 12 months decreased (85.5% vs 93.8%, p = 0.002) due to loss to follow-up but the per protocol analysis showed no difference in VL suppression between baseline and 12 months (97.3% vs 93.3%, p = 0.060).ConclusionThe InterCARE pilot study demonstrated that low-cost practical support measures involving the integration of HIV and hypertension/CVD management could lead to improvements in BP control. These results support the need for a large implementation and effectiveness trial.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT05414526. Registered 18th May 2022.

Effectiveness of Technology-Delivered Psychosocial Interventions for Family Caregivers of Patients With Dementia: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis and Meta-Regression.

Family caregivers living with patients with dementia (PwD) face psychological challenges due to care burden. Technology-delivered psychosocial interventions (TPIs) have played a promising role in improving health outcomes among family caregivers living with PwD. This review aims to synthesise evidence of the effectiveness of TPIs on primary (burden and depression) and secondary outcomes (self-efficacy, stress and anxiety) for family caregivers living with PwD. Random-effects meta-analyses were performed to determine effect size. Using Cochran's Q and I2 tests, statistical heterogeneity was evaluated. Sensitivity, subgroup analyses and meta-regression were employed to explain statistical heterogeneity. Twenty-eight trials comprising 4160 family caregivers from eight countries were included. Our meta-analysis revealed that TPIs resulted in slight reduction in depression, probably resulted in a slight reduction in burden and anxiety and slight increase in self-efficacy. Subgroup differences were detected in geographical regions (Western Pacific and Southeast Asia) for burden. While there were no significant subgroup differences in other factors, TPIs with preventive function and mobile applications had a more prominent larger effect size. Meta-regression analysis showed that attrition rate was a significant moderator on depression. Results are limited by the high risk of bias of included trials, which may reduce certainty of evidence. This review suggest TPIs are recommended as an adjunct treatment for alleviating burden and depressive outcomes in healthcare institutions. PROSPERO Registration Number: PROSPERO (CRD42023387962).

Dosimetric impact of intrafraction patient motion on MLC-based 3D-conformal spatially fractionated radiation therapy treatment of large and bulky tumors.

To evaluate the dosimetric impact on spatially fractionated radiation therapy (SFRT) plan quality due to intrafraction patient motion via multi-field MLC-based method for treating large and bulky (≥8cm) unresectable tumors. For large tumors, a cone beam CT-guided 3D conformal MLC-based SFRT method was utilized with 15Gy prescription. An MLC GTV-fitting algorithm provided 1cm diameter apertures with a 2cm center-to-center distance at the isocenter. This generated a highly heterogeneous sieve-like dose distribution within an hour, enabling same-day SFRT treatment. Fifteen previously treated SFRT patients were analyzed (5 head & neck [H&N], 5 chest and lungs, and 5 abdominal and pelvis masses). For each plan, intrafraction motion errors were simulated by incrementally shifting original isocenters of each field in different x-, y-, and z-directions from 1 to 5mm. The dosimetric metrics analyzed were: peak-to-valley-dose-ratio (PVDR), percentage of GTV receiving 7.5Gy, GTV mean dose, and maximum dose to organs-at-risk (OARs). For±1,±2,±3,±4, and±5mm isocenter shifts: PVDR dropped by 3.9%, 3.8%, 4.0%, 4.1%, and 5.5% on average respectively. The GTV(V7.5) remained within 0.2%, and the GTV mean dose remained within 3.3% on average, compared to the original plans. The average PVDR drop for 5mm shifts was 4.2% for H&N cases, 10% for chest and lung, and 2.2% for abdominal and pelvis cases. OAR doses also increased. The maximum dose to the spinal cord increased by up to 17 cGy in H&N plans, mean lung dose (MLD) changed was small for chest/lung, but the bowel dose varied up to 100 cGy for abdominal and pelvis cases. Due to tumor size, location, and characteristics of MLC-based SFRT, isocenter shifts of up to±5mm in different directions had moderate effects on PVDR for H&N and pelvic tumors and a larger effect on chest tumors. The dosimetric impact on OAR doses depended on the treatment site. Site-specific patient masks, Vac-Lok bags, and proper immobilization devices similar to SBRT/SRT setups should be used to minimize these effects.

Examining ChatGPT adoption among educators in higher educational institutions using extended UTAUT model

Purpose Based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model, this study aims to explore the factors influencing educators’ acceptance and utilization of chat generative pretrained transformer (ChatGPT) in the context of higher educational institutions. This study additionally examines the moderating influence of trust on the association between intention and adoption of ChatGPT. Design/methodology/approach A structured questionnaire was disseminated to 1,214 educators following the purposive sampling method. The hypothesized relationships between the extended UTAUT model constructs and ChatGPT adoption were examined using structural equation modeling. Findings The results of this study indicate positive impact of ChatGPT adoption and its use behavior (UB) among educators. Performance expectancy, effort expectancy, hedonic motivation, facilitating conditions and habit have a positive impact on behavior intention to use this tool among educators in higher education institutions, However, the educators intend to use ChatGPT in a personal capacity and are negatively influenced by the social groups. Moreover, behavior intention to adopt ChatGPT has a larger effect on the UB due to the higher involvement of trust. Practical implications This research adds to the literature on technology adoption by emphasizing the significance of trust in the adoption of emerging technologies, such as big language models. This study’s findings have implications for ChatGPT technology developers, legislators and academics considering the implementation of ChatGPT for teaching and research. Originality/value This research investigates ChatGPT adoption among higher education educators using the UTAUT model. It emphasizes the role of trust in adoption, highlights key adoption factors and reveals a paradox: educators are personally inclined to use ChatGPT but hesitant due to negative social influence. This study's novelty lies in its focus on trust and its implications for developers, legislators and educators, offering valuable insights for integrating ChatGPT in education.

Effects of Digital Psychotherapy on Suicide: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Previous studies reported that digital psychotherapy was a clinically beneficial intervention for suicide ideation. However, the effects of digital psychotherapy on other aspects of suicide beyond ideation remain unclear. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of digital psychotherapy on suicide and depression. Articles were identified by searching Cochrane, Google Scholar, Medline, PubMed, Web of Science, and PsycINFO in line with the PRISMA statement, yielding nine randomized controlled trials. The difference between conditions regarding suicide and depression in the effect size of the individual article was calculated using Hedges' g. Most digital psychotherapy interventions were based on cognitive behavioral therapy and delivered via apps or the web for at least six weeks. Suicide outcomes primarily focused on suicide ideation. The findings showed digital psychotherapy achieved a significantly larger effect size for suicide (g = 0.488, p < 0.001) and depression (g = 0.316, p < 0.001), compared to controls. Specifically, digital psychotherapy showed a significant effect on both suicide ideation (g = 0.478, p < 0.001) and other suicidal variables (g = 0.330, p < 0.001). These results suggest the effectiveness of digital psychotherapy in reducing suicide and depression compared to traditional face-to-face therapy. Future research should consider a wider range of outcomes and examine the long-term effectiveness of digital psychotherapy to better understand its effects on suicide prevention.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea Characterization: A Multimodal Cross-Recurrence-Based Approach for Investigating Atrial Fibrillation.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is believed to contribute significantly to atrial fibrillation (AF) development in certain patients. Recent studies indicate a rising risk of AF with increasing OSA severity. However, the commonly used apnea-hypopnea index in clinical practice may not adequately account for the potential cardiovascular risks associated with OSA. (1) Objective: to propose and explore a novel method for assessing OSA severity considering potential connection to cardiac arrhythmias. (2) Method: the approach utilizes cross-recurrence features to characterize OSA and AF by considering the relationships among oxygen desaturation, pulse arrival time, and heart-beat intervals. Multinomial logistic regression models were trained to predict four levels of OSA severity and four groups related to heart rhythm issues. The rank biserial correlation coefficient, \boldmath rrb, was used to estimate effect size for statistical analysis. The investigation was conducted using the MESA database, which includes polysomnography data from 2055 subjects. (3) Results: a derived cross-recurrence-based index showed a significant association with a higher OSA severity (\boldmath p 0.01) and the presence of AF (\boldmath p 0.01). Additionally, the proposed index had a significantly larger effect, \boldmath rrb, than the conventional apnea-hypopnea index in differentiating increasingly severe heart rhythm issue groups: 0.14 0.06, 0.33 0.10, and 0.41 0.07. (4) Significance: the proposed method holds relevance as a supplementary diagnostic tool for assessing the authentic state of sleep apnea in clinical practice.

Effectiveness of technology-based psychosocial interventions for improving health-related outcomes of family caregivers of stroke survivors: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

To synthesize evidence regarding the effectiveness of technology-based psychosocial interventions in improving health-related outcomes among family caregivers of stroke survivors. A systematic review and meta-analysis was reported by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Randomized controlled trials that investigated the effects of psychosocial interventions delivered through information and communication technologies on self-efficacy, caregiving competence, caregiver burden, perceived social support, anxiety, depression, health-related quality of life and cost-effectiveness were included. Two researchers independently selected studies, extracted data, and appraised the quality of the included studies. Subgroup analysis, sensitivity analysis, and narrative synthesis were conducted. Ten electronic databases (PubMed, CENTRAL, Web of Science, Scopus, CINHAL, Embase, Institution of Electrical Engineers Xplore, Ovid Medline, PsycINFO, ProQuest Dissertations and Thesis) were searched up to February 2023. Nineteen studies involving 1717 participants fulfilled the eligibility criteria. Technology-based psychosocial interventions significantly improved self-efficacy (SMD = .62), caregiving competence (SMD = .55), depression (SMD = -.25) and anxiety (SMD = -.35). However, perceived social support, caregiver burden, and health-related quality of life did not show significant improvements. Subgroup analyses revealed that the interventions, lasting from 4 to 6 weeks and encompassing comprehensive contents, exhibited larger effect sizes. None of the studies measured cost-effectiveness. The technology-based psychosocial interventions are effective in enhancing self-efficacy and caregiving competence, as well as alleviating anxiety, and depression among family caregivers of stroke survivors. Future research should investigate interventions delivered through various digital platforms using well-designed RCTs with in-depth qualitative data collection and measurement of health and cost-effectiveness outcomes. Through psychosocial interventions, healthcare providers in clinical and community settings, particularly nurses, could incorporate technologies into current stroke care practices. It is not applicable as this is a systematic review. The protocol was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42023402871).

Stock Liquidity Sidedness and Share Repurchase

We show that stock liquidity sidedness plays a vital role in share repurchase decisions. Specifically, we investigate whether share repurchases are affected differently by upside and downside liquidity, which respectively correspond to positive and negative return days. Using a sample of U.S. publicly-listed firms over four decades, we demonstrate that upside liquidity has a larger effect on repurchase initiation, amount, and ratio. Managers of repurchasing firms are more concerned with upside liquidity because they expect their repurchase activities to propel stock prices upward rather than down. The relationship between liquidity sidedness and repurchase decisions is more pronounced for financially constrained firms but less so for firms with higher stock price informativeness. We mitigate potential endogeneity concerns by using the market and industry liquidity sidedness as instruments and exploiting the 2003 Amendment to SEC Rule 10b-18 as an exogenous shock to the information advantages of repurchasing firms. Overall, our findings underscore the importance of market microstructure in shaping corporate policies.

Sex-related variability of white matter tracts in the whole HCP cohort.

Behavioral differences between men and women have been studied extensively, as have differences in brain anatomy. However, most studies have focused on differences in gray matter, while white matter has been much less studied. We conducted a comprehensive study of 77 deep white matter tracts to analyze their volumetric and microstructural variability between men and women in the full Human Connectome Project (HCP) cohort of 1065 healthy individuals aged 22-35years. We found a significant difference in total brain volume between men and women (+ 12.6% in men), consistent with the literature. 16 tracts showed significant volumetric differences between men and women, one of which stood out due to a larger effect size: the corpus callosum genu, which was larger in women (+ 7.3% in women, p = 5.76 × 10-19). In addition, we found several differences in microstructural parameters between men and women, both using standard Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) parameters and more complex microstructural parameters from the Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Imaging (NODDI) model, with the tracts showing the greatest differences belonging to motor (cortico-spinal tracts, cortico-cerebellar tracts) or limbic (cingulum, fornix, thalamo-temporal radiations) systems. These microstructural differences may be related to known behavioral differences between the sexes in timed motor performance, aggressiveness/impulsivity, and social cognition.

Weibull distribution as a criterion of emergency levels

In the exploitation of machinery and equipment, one of the most important parameters is the dynamic state of the object. Observing residual processes is the most popular method of assessing the dynamic state. In particular, dynamic residual processes are a carrier of diagnostic information. Measuring the vibrations and noise of working mini-mining machines provides knowledge about the dynamics of the assessed machinery. Many years of knowledge and experience have allowed for the creation of diagnostic procedures. Within most machines used in the industry, the procedures considered standard allow for an effective diagnostic assessment and optimal management of mini-mining machine exploitation. The applicability of these standards is quite wide. However, there are machines with parameters that prevent the application of said standards. Mini-mining machines used in subterranean mining are one of these machines. In the case of diagnostic assessment of continuous miners, chain conveyors, as well as other machinery used in the technological chain, the usage of assessment brackets consistent with adopted standards is incorrect. In the diagnostic assessment of these types of mini-mining machines, an analysis of long-term trends is often used. The determination of acceptable vibration levels is obtained heuristically through observations of the damage up to the state of emergency. In the article, methods of mini mining machines state assessment using models of machine degradation, using Weibull distribution, are presented. The presented method has been used in real results of vibration measurement of underground machinery used in a coal mine. The analyses showed a large effectiveness of the presented method.

Sustainable Basalt Fiber Reinforced Polyamide 6,6 Composites: Effects of Fiber Length and Fiber Content on Mechanical Performance

The aim of this study is to explore the use of sustainable basalt fiber (BF) as compared to glass fiber and talc in injection molded engineering polyamide 6,6 (PA 6,6) plastic composite. Basalt fibers having lengths of 3 mm and 12 mm were added to PA 6,6 at 23 and 30 wt.% to fabricate the composites. The addition of basalt fiber restricts the mobility of the polymer chain in the composites, leading to its increased viscosity. Rheological results showed that the out-of-phase response to the applied stress indicated that the 3 mm basalt fiber composite could dissipate more energy, and the elastic behaviour of the composite under deformation increased with increasing basalt fiber wt.%. The fiber length had a larger effect on the mechanical properties of the composites as compared to the fiber load. The 12 mm basalt fiber composites at 23 wt.% and 30 wt.% produced higher tensile strength and modulus than the 3 mm basalt fiber composites while the 3 mm basalt fiber composite at 30 wt.% resulted in a 25% increase in flexural strength. The experimental and the theoretical modulus predicted by the rule of mixtures showed an interaction between the matrix and the basalt fiber. Morphological analysis shows agglomeration in composites with 3 mm fiber than the 12 mm. Glass fiber-reinforced PA 6,6 showed slightly higher performance than basalt fiber-reinforced PA 6,6. However, the basalt fiber-reinforced composites demonstrated better performance in tensile strength, flexural modulus, flexural strength, and heat deflection temperature than talc-reinforced composites.