Comparison of baseline covariate adjustment methods for restricted mean survival time.

The restricted mean survival time provides a straightforward clinical measure that dispenses with the need for proportional hazards assumptions. We focus on two strategies to directly model the survival time and adjust covariates. Firstly, pseudo-survival time is calculated for each subject using a leave-one-out approach, followed by a model analysis that adjusts for covariates using all pseudo-values.

A chatbot to improve adherence to internet-based cognitive-behavioural therapy among workers with subthreshold depression: a randomised controlled trial.

Background: Internet-based cognitive-behavioural therapy (iCBT) is effective for subthreshold depression. However, iCBT has problems with adherence, especially when unaccompanied by human guidance. Knowledge on how to enhance adherence to iCBT without human involvement can contribute to improving the effectiveness of iCBT.

Frailty model with change points for survival analysis.

We propose a novel frailty model with change points applying random effects to a Cox proportional hazard model to adjust the heterogeneity between clusters. In the specially focused eight Empowered Action Group (EAG) states in India, there are problems with different survival curves for children up to the age of five in different states. Therefore, when analyzing the survival times for the eight EAG states, we need to adjust for the effects among states (clusters).

Reduced serotonergic transmission alters sensitivity to cost and reward via 5-HT1A and 5-HT1B receptors in monkeys.

Serotonin (5-HT) deficiency is a core biological pathology underlying depression and other psychiatric disorders whose key symptoms include decreased motivation. However, the exact role of 5-HT in motivation remains controversial and elusive. Here, we pharmacologically manipulated the 5-HT system in macaque monkeys and quantified the effects on motivation for goal-directed actions in terms of incentives and costs.

Distinct roles of monkey OFC-subcortical pathways in adaptive behavior.

To be the most successful, primates must adapt to changing environments and optimize their behavior by making the most beneficial choices. At the core of adaptive behavior is the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) of the brain, which updates choice value through direct experience or knowledge-based inference. Here, we identify distinct neural circuitry underlying these two separate abilities.

Factorial survival analysis for treatment effects under dependent censoring.

Factorial analyses offer a powerful nonparametric means to detect main or interaction effects among multiple treatments. For survival outcomes, for example, from clinical trials, such techniques can be adopted for comparing reasonable quantifications of treatment effects. The key difficulty to solve in survival analysis concerns the proper handling of censoring.

Application of multi-armed bandits to dose-finding clinical designs.

Multi-armed bandits are very simple and powerful methods to determine actions to maximize a reward in a limited number of trials. An early phase in dose-finding clinical trials needs to identify the maximum tolerated dose among multiple doses by repeating the dose-assignment. We consider applying the superior selection performance of multi-armed bandits to dose-finding clinical designs.

Effect of Main and Side Chains on the Folding Mechanism of the Trp-Cage Miniprotein.

Proteins that do not fold into their functional native state have been linked to diseases. In this study, the influence of the main and side chains of individual amino acids on the folding of the tryptophan cage (Trp-cage), a designed 20-residue miniprotein, was analyzed. For this purpose, we calculated the solvation free energy (SFE) contributions of individual atoms by using the 3D-reference interaction site model with the atomic decomposition method.

Three types of university students with subthreshold depression characterized by distinctive cognitive behavioral skills.

Subthreshold depression impairs young people's quality of life and places them at greater risk of developing major depression. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based approach for addressing such depressive states. This study identified subtypes of university students with subthreshold depression and revealed discrete profiles of five CBT skills: self-monitoring, cognitive restructuring, behavioral activation, assertive communication, and problem solving.

Deep Learning Enables Rapid Identification of a New Quasicrystal from Multiphase Powder Diffraction Patterns.

Since the discovery of the quasicrystal, approximately 100 stable quasicrystals are identified. To date, the existence of quasicrystals is verified using transmission electron microscopy; however, this technique requires significantly more elaboration than rapid and automatic powder X-ray diffraction. Therefore, to facilitate the search for novel quasicrystals, developing a rapid technique for phase-identification from powder diffraction patterns is desirable.

Verifying the Magnitude Dependence in Earthquake Occurrence.

The existence of magnitude dependence in earthquake triggering has been reported. Such a correlation is linked to the issue of seismic predictability and it remains under intense debate whether it is physical or is caused by incomplete data due to the missing short-term aftershocks. Working firstly with a synthetic catalog generated by a numerical model that captures most statistical features of earthquakes and then with a high-resolution earthquake catalog for the Amatrice-Norcia (2016) sequence in Italy, where for the latter case we employ the stochastic declustering method to reconstruct the family tree among seismic events and limit our analysis to events above the magnitude of completeness, we found that the hypothesis of magnitude correlation can be rejected.

Comparison of perioperative outcomes and complications between intracorporeal, extracorporeal, and hybrid ileal conduit urinary diversion during robot-assisted radical cystectomy: a comparative propensity score-matched analysis from nationwide multi-institutional study in Japan.

Background: To investigate the impact of different urinary diversion (UD) techniques on the peri- and postoperative complications of robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) with ileal conduit.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 373 patients undergoing RARC with ileal conduit at 11 institutions in Japan between April 2018 and December 2021. Propensity score weighting was performed to adjust for confounding factors such as age, sex, body mass index, performance status, American Society of Anesthesiologists score, previous abdominal surgery, neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and preoperative high T stage (≥ cT3) and high N stage (≥ cN1).

Effects of iron-based phosphate binders on mortality and cardiovascular events in patients receiving maintenance dialysis.

Phosphate binders are the main treatment for hyperphosphatemia in patients with chronic kidney disease, and iron-based phosphate binders have been used with increasing frequency in recent years. This study examined the association of the use of iron-based, rather than non-iron-based, phosphate binders with the incidence of cardiovascular events, in a real-world setting. We used data from a cohort comprising representative adult patients on maintenance hemodialysis in Japan.

Estimating effective reproduction number revisited.

Accurately estimating the effective reproduction number is crucial for characterizing the transmissibility of infectious diseases to optimize interventions and responses during epidemic outbreaks. In this study, we improve the estimation of the effective reproduction number through two main approaches. First, we derive a discrete model to represent a time series of case counts and propose an estimation method based on this framework.

Variable selection using inverse probability of censoring weighting.

In this article, we propose two variable selection methods for adjusting the censoring information for survival times, such as the restricted mean survival time. To adjust for the influence of censoring, we consider an inverse probability of censoring weighted for subjects with events. We derive a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (lasso)-type variable selection method, which considers an inverse weighting for of the squared losses, and an information criterion-type variable selection method, which applies an inverse weighting of the survival probability to the power of each density function in the likelihood function.

Negative correlation between organ heteroplasmy, particularly hepatic heteroplasmy, and age at death revealed by post-mortem studies of m.3243A > G cases.

Mitochondrial DNA m.3243A > G mutation causes mitochondrial encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) and its associated multi-organ disorders, including diabetes. To clarify associations between m.

SMiPoly: Generation of a Synthesizable Polymer Virtual Library Using Rule-Based Polymerization Reactions.

Recent advances in machine learning have led to the rapid adoption of various computational methods for de novo molecular design in polymer research, including high-throughput virtual screening and inverse molecular design. In such workflows, molecular generators play an essential role in creation or sequential modification of candidate polymer structures. Machine learning-assisted molecular design has made great technical progress over the past few years.

Prognostic factors for employment outcomes in patients with a history of childhood-onset drug-resistant epilepsy.

Objective: The employment outcomes of childhood-onset drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) has not been studied enough. The aim of this retrospective cohort study is to investigate the employment outcomes of childhood-onset DRE in June 2022 and identify the risk factors associated with non-employment.

Materials And Methods: The sample consisted of 65 participants ≥18 years of age with a history of childhood-onset DRE.