LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Women's Choice of Positions during Labour: Return to the Past or a Modern Way to Give Birth? A Cohort Study in Italy

BACKGROUND
Childbirth medicalization has reduced the parturient's opportunity to labour and deliver in a spontaneous position, constricting her to assume the recumbent one. The aim of the study was to compare recumbent and alternative positions in terms of labour process, type of delivery, neonatal wellbeing, and intrapartum fetal head rotation.


METHODS
We conducted an observational cohort study on women at pregnancy term. Primiparous women with physiological pregnancies and single cephalic fetuses were eligible for the study. We considered data about maternal-general characteristics, labour process, type of delivery, and neonatal wellbeing at birth. Patients were divided into two groups: Group-A if they spent more than 50% of labour in a recumbent position and Group-B when in alternative ones.


RESULTS
225 women were recruited (69 in Group-A and 156 in Group-B). We found significant differences between the groups in terms of labour length, Numeric Rating Scale score and analgesia request rate, type of delivery, need of episiotomy, and fetal occiput rotation. No differences were found in terms of neonatal outcomes.


CONCLUSION
Alternative maternal positioning may positively influence labour process reducing maternal pain, operative vaginal delivery, caesarean section, and episiotomy rate. Women should be encouraged to move and deliver in the most comfortable position.
Examining the Effect of Socioeconomic Status on Access to Nutritional Food

America has recently seen an increasing epidemic of diet related diseases in people of all backgrounds. However, the brunt of these health risks, especially those stemming from obesity, seem to disproportionately fall on those of lower socioeconomic status. One contributing factor is that those of lower social status simply do not have the geographic access to food stores whose products are nutritionally healthy. Instead, convenience store food, as well as fast food, is more readily available, leaving these people to not only consume too little of the right foods, but too much of the wrong foods. It is also apparent that individuals who are at a socioeconomic disadvantage are less informed about their choices, and continues to choose less nutritious food even when it is within their financial means. A wide variety of components, including, race, class, education level, occupation, and domestic location all have an impact on this issue, which makes it extremely complicated to work towards a solution.
A validation study of a new classification algorithm to identify rheumatoid arthritis using administrative health databases: case–control and cohort diagnostic accuracy studies. Results from the RECord linkage On Rheumatic Diseases study of the Italian Society for Rheumatology

OBJECTIVES
To develop and validate a new algorithm to identify patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and estimate disease prevalence using administrative health databases (AHDs) of the Italian Lombardy region.


DESIGN
Case-control and cohort diagnostic accuracy study.


METHODS
In a randomly selected sample of 827 patients drawn from a tertiary rheumatology centre (training set), clinically validated diagnoses were linked to administrative data including diagnostic codes and drug prescriptions. An algorithm in steps of decreasing specificity was developed and its accuracy assessed calculating sensitivity/specificity, positive predictive value (PPV)/negative predictive value, with corresponding CIs. The algorithm was applied to two validating sets: 106 patients from a secondary rheumatology centre and 6087 participants from the primary care. Alternative algorithms were developed to increase PPV at population level. Crude and adjusted prevalence estimates taking into account algorithm misclassification rates were obtained for the Lombardy region.


RESULTS
The algorithms included: RA certification by a rheumatologist, certification for other autoimmune diseases by specialists, RA code in the hospital discharge form, prescription of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs and oral glucocorticoids. In the training set, a four-step algorithm identified clinically diagnosed RA cases with a sensitivity of 96.3 (95% CI 93.6 to 98.2) and a specificity of 90.3 (87.4 to 92.7). Both external validations showed highly consistent results. More specific algorithms achieved >80% PPV at the population level. The crude RA prevalence in Lombardy was 0.52%, and estimates adjusted for misclassification ranged from 0.31% (95% CI 0.14% to 0.42%) to 0.37% (0.25% to 0.47%).


CONCLUSIONS
AHDs are valuable tools for the identification of RA cases at the population level, and allow estimation of disease prevalence and to select retrospective cohorts.
MR Venography for the Assessment of Deep Vein Thrombosis in Lower Extremities with Varicose Veins.

OBJECTIVE
To assess the performance of magnetic resonance venography (MRV) for pelvis and deep vein thrombosis in the lower extremities before surgical interventions for varicose veins.


MATERIALS AND METHODS
We enrolled 72 patients who underwent MRV and ultrasonography before stripping for varicose veins of lower extremities. All images of the deep venous systems were evaluated by time-of-flight MRV.


RESULTS
Forty-six patients (63.9%) of all were female. Mean age was 65.2 ± 10.2 years (37-81 years). There were forty patients (55.6%) with varicose veins in both legs. Two deep vein thrombosis (2.8%) and three iliac vein thrombosis (4.2%) were diagnosed. All patients without deep vein thrombosis underwent the stripping of saphenous veins, and post-thrombotic change was avoided in all cases.


CONCLUSION
MRV, without contrast medium, is considered clinically useful for the lower extremity venous system.
The role of trait emotional intelligence in academic performance and deviant behavior at school

This paper examines the role of trait emotional intelligence (‘trait EI’) in academic performance and in deviant behavior at school on a sample of 650 pupils in British secondary education (mean age 16.5 years). Trait EI moderated the relationship between cognitive ability and academic performance. In addition, pupils with high trait EI scores were less likely to have had unauthorized absences and less likely to have been excluded from school. Most trait EI effects persisted even after controlling for personality variance. It is concluded that the constellation of emotion-related self-perceived abilities and dispositions that the construct of trait EI encompasses is implicated in academic performance and deviant behavior, with effects that are particularly relevant to vulnerable or disadvantaged adolescents. # 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
An Analysis of the Fraud Triangle Incentive / Pressure Fraud Risk Opportunity

The concept of a “Fraud Triangle” is introduced to the professional literature in SAS No. 99, Consideration of Fraud in a Financial Statement Audit. The Fraud Triangle consists of three conditions generally present when fraud occurs: Incentive/Pressure, Opportunity, and Attitude/ Rationalizations. Input from forensic experts, academics and others consistently show that evaluation of information about fraud is enhanced when auditors evaluate in the context of these three conditions. To examine the impact of the fraud triangle on the audit process, this paper develops an evidential network that has two major sub-networks: one to capture risk and evidential relationships for a conventional financial statement audit and the other to capture the risk and evidential relationships for fraud risk assessment. These networks use the Belief Functions approach to express the uncertainties involved in the evidence in a financial statement audit. The results of the analyses support the concept of the fraud triangle in that the three components and the relationships between those components are shown to have a substantial impact on audit risk. AN ANALYSIS OF THE FRAUD TRIANGLE INTRODUCTION The main objectives of this research are to present a baseline model of audit risk that incorporates the risk of fraud; to determine reasonable combinations of audit evidence for this model that will result in an assessment of audit risk of approximately 0.05 or less; and most importantly, to enhance this model to incorporate the requirements of a recent Exposure Draft (AICPA 2002) intended to modify SAS No. 82. The characteristics of this enhanced model then are formally evaluated. These models are based on prior research into evidential audit networks (Srivastava and Shafer 1992), into audit planning (Mock et al.1998) and into fraud risk assessment (Turner et al.2002). To achieve these objectives, this paper develops an evidential network that has two major sub-networks: one to capture risk and evidential relationships for a conventional financial statement audit and the other to capture the risk and evidential relationships for fraud risk assessment. Given that prior research (Turner et al. 2002) has investigated the basic features of this type of framework, this paper investigates more complex relationships between the main factors that seem to affect fraud and audit risk. Specifically, the following research questions are investigated in this paper: RQ1: What is the effect on Audit Risk of an interaction between Incentives and Management Integrity? RQ2: What is the effect on Audit Risk of interactions between Incentives and Management Integrity and Opportunities and Management Integrity? RQ3: What is the effect on Audit Risk of Modified Audit Procedures?
Improving stroke rehabilitation. A controlled study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Assessment of stroke rehabilitation is complicated by the heterogeneity of patients and settings and by difficulties in disentangling effects of organization from effects of types and amounts of treatment input.


METHODS
A prospective controlled study was undertaken in 245 stroke patients stratified into three groups according to prognosis and managed on a stroke rehabilitation unit (n = 124) or general medical wards (n = 121). Patients were randomly allocated to either setting 2 weeks after stroke and were comparable for baseline characteristics.


RESULTS
Patients on general medical wards received more physiotherapy on average (16.2 +/- 7.2 versus 14.3 +/- 3.2 hours; P < .05) but similar amounts of occupational therapy (9.3 +/- 2.8 versus 9.5 +/- 3.2 hours) compared with stroke unit patients. More time was spent on individual rehabilitation on the stroke unit compared with general wards (P < .001). Functional abilities at discharge, destination of discharge, and length of hospital stay in patients with good prognosis were comparable in both settings. Patients with poor prognosis managed on general wards showed higher mortality (P < .05) and longer hospital stay (123.2 +/- 48.2 versus 52.3 +/- 19.8 days; P < .001), but functional abilities at discharge in survivors were comparable with those of stroke unit patients. Patients with intermediate prognosis had significantly better outcome on the stroke unit, with more patients being discharged home (75% versus 52%; P < .001), shorter average length of hospital stay (48.7 +/- 17.2 versus 104.6 +/- 28.6 days; P < .001), and better functional abilities at discharge (P < .05).


CONCLUSIONS
Stroke units improve outcome and reduce hospital stay without increasing therapy time. Their effectiveness may be enhanced by patient selection.
A five-gene molecular grade index and HOXB13:IL17BR are complementary prognostic factors in early stage breast cancer.

PURPOSE
Histologic tumor grade is a well-established prognostic factor for breast cancer, and tumor grade-associated genes are the common denominator of many prognostic gene signatures. The objectives of this study are as follows: (a) to develop a simple gene expression index for tumor grade (molecular grade index or MGI), and (b) to determine whether MGI and our previously described HOXB13:IL17BR index together provide improved prognostic information.


EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN
From our previously published list of genes whose expression correlates with both tumor grade and tumor stage progression, we selected five cell cycle-related genes to build MGI and evaluated MGI in two publicly available microarray data sets totaling 410 patients. Using two additional cohorts (n = 323), we developed a real-time reverse transcription PCR assay for MGI, validated its prognostic utility, and examined its interaction with HOXB13:IL17BR.


RESULTS
MGI performed consistently as a strong prognostic factor and was comparable with a more complex 97-gene genomic grade index in multiple data sets. In patients treated with endocrine therapy, MGI and HOXB13:IL17BR modified each other's prognostic performance. High MGI was associated with significantly worse outcome only in combination with high HOXB13:IL17BR, and likewise, high HOXB13:IL17BR was significantly associated with poor outcome only in combination with high MGI.


CONCLUSIONS
We developed and validated a five-gene reverse transcription PCR assay for MGI suitable for analyzing routine formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded clinical samples. The combination of MGI and HOXB13:IL17BR outperforms either alone and identifies a subgroup ( approximately 30%) of early stage estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer patients with very poor outcome despite endocrine therapy.
Intramyocardial injection of vascular endothelial growth factor-A165 plasmid followed by granulocyte-colony stimulating factor to induce angiogenesis in patients with severe chronic ischaemic heart disease.

AIMS
To assess the safety and effects of combined treatment with vascular endothelial growth factor-A(165) plasmid (VEGF-A(165)) and granulocyte- colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) mobilization of bone marrow stem cells in patients with severe chronic ischaemic heart disease (IHD).


METHODS AND RESULTS
Sixteen patients with severe chronic IHD were treated with intramyocardial injections of VEGF-A(165) plasmid followed 1 week later by G-CSF (10 microg/kg/day for 6 days). Two control groups included (i) sixteen patients treated with intramyocardial injections of VEGF-A(165) plasmid and (ii) sixteen patients treated with intramyocardial injections of placebo. In the G-CSF group, circulating CD34+ stem cells increased almost 10-fold compared with the control groups (P<0.0001). After 3 months, there was no improvement in myocardial perfusion at single photon emission computerized tomography in the VEGF-A(165) and G-CSF treated group, and clinical symptoms were unchanged. There were no side effects to the gene and G-CSF therapy.


CONCLUSION
Intramyocardial VEGF-A(165) gene transfer followed by bone marrow stem cell mobilization with G-CSF seemed safe. However, a significant increase in circulating stem cells did not lead to improved myocardial perfusion or clinical effects suggesting a neutral effect of the treatment. To improve homing of stem cells, higher doses of VEGF-A(165) and/or use of SDF-1 transfer might be considered.
Prevalence and Predictors of Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Among Spanish Women With Diabetes

OBJECTIVE To examine the use of mammography and Papanicolaou (Pap) smear among women with diabetes and to identify predictors of adherence to these tests. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We analyzed data of a nationally representative sample of Spanish women. Diabetes status was self-reported. Screenings were assessed asking whether they had a mammography (> or =40 years) and a Pap smear (18-69 years) within the previous 2 and 3 years, respectively. RESULTS Women with diabetes were less likely to receive mammography (57.9%) or have a Pap smear (61.5%) than women without diabetes (mammography 61.9%, P < 0.05; Pap smear 65.6%, P < 0.05). After adjusting for age, educational level, income, comorbidity, tobacco use, obesity, and physician visits, the corresponding odds ratios remained significant (0.84, 95% CI 0.72-0.97) and (0.82, 95% CI 0.66-0.98). Higher educational level was a positive predictor for both tests among diabetic women. CONCLUSIONS Spanish women with diabetes underuse breast and cervical cancer screening tests.
Comments on the Paper "On the Unification of the Fundamental Forces"

In this brief paper we justify observations made in El Naschie's paper "On the Unification of the Fundamental Forces...", on the Planck scale, fractal space time and the unification of interactions, from different standpoints.
Study protocol for Women of Color and Asthma Control: A randomized controlled trial of an asthma-management intervention for African American women

BACKGROUND
Among adults in the United States, asthma prevalence is disproportionately high among African American women; this group also experiences the highest levels of asthma-linked mortality and asthma-related health care utilization. Factors linked to biological sex (e.g., hormonal fluctuations), gender roles (e.g., exposure to certain triggers) and race (e.g., inadequate access to care) all contribute to the excess asthma burden in this group, and also shape the context within which African American women manage their condition. No prior interventions for improving asthma self-management have specifically targeted this vulnerable group of asthma patients. The current study aims to evaluate the efficacy of a culturally- and gender-relevant asthma-management intervention among African American women.


METHODS/DESIGN
A randomized controlled trial will be used to compare a five-session asthma-management intervention with usual care. This intervention is delivered over the telephone by a trained health educator. Intervention content is informed by the principles of self-regulation for disease management, and all program activities and materials are designed to be responsive to the specific needs of African American women. We will recruit 420 female participants who self-identify as African American, and who have seen a clinician for persistent asthma in the last year. Half of these will receive the intervention. The primary outcomes, upon which the target sample size is based, are number of asthma-related emergency department visits and overnight hospitalizations in the last 12 months. We will also assess the effect of the intervention on asthma symptoms and asthma-related quality of life. Data will be collected via telephone survey and medical record review at baseline, and 12 and 24 months from baseline.


DISCUSSION
We seek to decrease asthma-related health care utilization and improve asthma-related quality of life in African American women with asthma, by offering them a culturally- and gender-relevant program to enhance asthma management. The results of this study will provide important information about the feasibility and value of this program in helping to address persistent racial and gender disparities in asthma outcomes.


TRIAL REGISTRATION
ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01117805.
Aquatic macroinvertebrate assemblages in mitigated and natural wetlands

Many wetlands have been constructed in West Virginia as mitigation for a variety of human disturbances, but no comprehensive evaluation on their success has been conducted. Macroinvertebrates are extremely valuable components of functioning wetland ecosystems. As such, benthic and water column invertebrate communities were chosen as surrogates for wetland function in the evaluation of 11 mitigation and 4 reference wetlands in West Virginia. Mitigation wetlands ranged in age from 4 to 21 years old. Overall familial richness, diversity, density and biomass were similar between mitigation and reference wetlands (p > 0.05). Within open water habitats, total benthic invertebrate density was higher in reference wetlands, but mass of common taxa from water column samples was higher in mitigation wetlands (p < 0.05) Planorbidae density from benthic samples in emergent habitats was higher in reference than mitigated wetlands. Benthic Oligochaeta density was higher across open water habitats in mitigation wetlands. All other benthic taxa were similar between wetland types. Among the most common water column orders, Isopoda density was higher in reference wetlands, but Physidae density was higher in mitigation wetlands. Within mitigation wetlands, emergent areas contained higher richness and diversity than open areas. These data indicate that mitigation and reference wetlands generally support similar invertebrate assemblages, especially among benthic populations. The few observed differences are likely attributable to differences in vegetative community composition and structure. Mitigation wetlands currently support abundant and productive invertebrate communities, and as such, provide quality habitat for wetland dependent wildlife species, especially waterbirds and anurans.
Design, Development, Integration: Space Shuttle Primary Flight Software System

The development of Space Shuttle software posed unique requirements above and beyond raw size (30 times larger than Saturn V software), complexity, and criticality.
Comprehensive Tool Wear Estimation in Finish-Machining via Multivariate Time-Series Analysis of 3-D Cutting Forces

In finish-machining, geometric accuracy and surface quality m adversely affected by the tool wear at the minor flank and nose area. This paper describes an investigation into "comprehensive" tool wear estimation, including flank-, crater-. minor flank-, and nose-wear, based on an analysis of dynamic cutting force in oblique machining. The force, measured in terms of its three orthogonal components, was used to develop trivariate Autoregressive Moving Average Vector (ARMAV) time series models. Based on these, dispersion analysis (DA) was used to extract featurcs sensitive to the rate of various types of wear. The results show that minor flank wear reaches a critical value first in finish-machining, so that optimum cutting conditions or an appropriate tool change smtegy must be determined on the basis of minor flank wear. The results also show that the method is a feasible means for on-line tool wear monitoring in finish-machining.
Robust Deep Reinforcement Learning with Adversarial Attacks

This paper proposes adversarial attacks for Reinforcement Learning (RL). These attacks are then leveraged during training to improve the robustness of RL within robust control framework. We show that this adversarial training of DRL algorithms like Deep Double Q learning and Deep Deterministic Policy Gradients leads to significant increase in robustness to parameter variations for RL benchmarks such as Mountain Car and Hopper environment. Full paper is available at (https://arxiv.org/abs/1712.03632) [7].
A comprehensive view of Hadoop research - A systematic literature review

Context: In recent years, the valuable knowledge that can be retrieved from petabyte scale datasets – known as Big Data – led to the development of solutions to process information based on parallel and distributed computing. Lately, Apache Hadoop has attracted strong attention due to its applicability to Big Data processing. Problem: The support of Hadoop by the research community has provided the development of new features to the framework. Recently, the number of publications in journals and conferences about Hadoop has increased consistently, which makes it difficult for researchers to comprehend the full body of research and areas that require further investigation. Solution: We conducted a systematic literature review to assess research contributions to Apache Hadoop. Our objective was to identify gaps, providing motivation for new research, and outline collaborations to Apache Hadoop and its ecosystem, classifying and quantifying the main topics addressed in the literature. Results: Our analysis led to some relevant conclusions: many interesting solutions developed in the studies were never incorporated into the framework; most publications lack sufficient formal documentation of the experiments conducted by authors, hindering their reproducibility; finally, the systematic review presented in this paper demonstrates that Hadoop has evolved into a solid platform to process large datasets, but we were able to spot promising areas and suggest topics for future research within the framework. & 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.