LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Cognitive Dissonance and Mutual Fund Investors

We present evidence from questionnaire studies of mutual fund investors about recollections of past fund performance. We find that investor memories exhibit a positive bias, consistent with current psychological models. We find that the degree of bias is conditional upon previous investor choice, a phenomenon related to the well known theory of cognitive dissonance. The magnitude of psychological and economic frictions in the mutual fund industry is examined via a cross-sectional study of equity mutual funds. We find an unusually high frequency of poorly performing funds, consistent with investor "inertia." Analysis of aggregate dollar investments however, shows the net effect of this inertia is small. Thus the regulatory implications with respect to additional disclosure requirements are limited. We examine one widely documented empirical implication of mutual fund investor inertia: the differential response of investment dollars to past performance. We perform tests that control for the crucial problem of survivorship. These confirm the presence of differential response, but find the effect is confined to the top quartile. There is little evidence that the response to poor performance is unusual.
Food store access and household fruit and vegetable use among participants in the US Food Stamp Program.

OBJECTIVE
Recent research on access to food among low-income populations in industrialised countries has begun to focus on neighbourhood food availability as a key determinant of dietary behaviour. This study examined the relationship between various measures of food store access and household fruit and vegetable use among participants in the Food Stamp Program, America's largest domestic food assistance programme.


DESIGN
A secondary data analysis was conducted using the 1996-97 National Food Stamp Program Survey. The survey employed a 1-week food inventory method, including two at-home interviews, to determine household food use. Separate linear regression models were developed to analyse fruit and vegetable use. Independent variables included distance to store, travel time to store, ownership of a car and difficulty of supermarket access. All models controlled for a full set of socio-economic variables.


SUBJECTS
A nationally representative sample of participants (n=963) in the Food Stamp Program.


RESULTS
After controlling for confounding variables, easy access to supermarket shopping was associated with increased household use of fruits (84 grams per adult equivalent per day; 95% confidence interval 5, 162). Distance from home to food store was inversely associated with fruit use by households. Similar patterns were seen with vegetable use, though associations were not significant.


CONCLUSIONS
Environmental factors are importantly related to dietary choice in a nationally representative sample of low-income households, reinforcing the importance of including such factors in interventions that seek to effect dietary improvements.
Retrieval characteristics of the Bard Denali and Argon Option inferior vena cava filters.

OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to compare the retrieval characteristics of the Option Elite (Argon Medical, Plano, Tex) and Denali (Bard, Tempe, Ariz) retrievable inferior vena cava filters (IVCFs), two filters that share a similar conical design.


METHODS
A single-center, retrospective study reviewed all Option and Denali IVCF removals during a 36-month period. Attempted retrievals were classified as advanced if the routine "snare and sheath" technique was initially unsuccessful despite multiple attempts or an alternative endovascular maneuver or access site was used. Patient and filter characteristics were documented.


RESULTS
In our study, 63 Option and 45 Denali IVCFs were retrieved, with an average dwell time of 128.73 and 99.3 days, respectively. Significantly higher median fluoroscopy times were experienced in retrieving the Option filter compared with the Denali filter (12.18 vs 6.85 minutes; P = .046). Use of adjunctive techniques was also higher in comparing the Option filter with the Denali filter (19.0% vs 8.7%; P = .079). No significant difference was noted between these groups in regard to gender, age, or history of malignant disease.


CONCLUSIONS
Option IVCF retrieval procedures required significantly longer retrieval fluoroscopy time compared with Denali IVCFs. Although procedure time was not analyzed in this study, as a surrogate, the increased fluoroscopy time may also have an impact on procedural direct costs and throughput.
Arthroscopic debridement and closed pinning for chronic dynamic scapholunate instability.

PURPOSE
For chronic dynamic scapholunate (SL) instability (>3 months after injury) open procedures (capsulodesis, limited intercarpal fusions, tenodesis, SL ligament reconstruction) have become popular in recent years but their long-term results have been suboptimal. We evaluated retrospectively the results of aggressive arthroscopic debridement of the SL ligament to bleeding bone in an effort to induce scar formation and closed pinning of the SL joint in patients unwilling to have an open procedure.


METHODS
Eleven patients (mean age, 37 y) presenting with persistent posttraumatic pain and weakness to the wrist were diagnosed with dynamic SL instability (positive Watson scaphoid shift test result, SL gapping on grip-view radiographs, arthroscopic findings of a Geissler grade III or IV SL tear) and treated. Range of motion, grip strength, radiographic measurements, and the Mayo wrist score were used to evaluate the results.


RESULTS
The mean follow-up period was 33 months (range, 12-76 mo). Three patients had subsequent surgery 9 to 11 months after the procedure. Subsequent surgeries included a dorsal capsulodesis, a four-corner fusion, and a wrist arthrodesis. Of the 8 remaining patients there were 2 excellent, 4 good, 1 fair, and 1 poor result based on the Mayo wrist score. In these patients the mean range of motion was 65 degrees of extension to 59 degrees of flexion and the mean grip strength was 82% of the uninjured contralateral extremity. Although persistent radiographic SL gapping in grip views was noted in all 8 patients none progressed to static instability or dorsal intercalated segment instability.


CONCLUSIONS
The results of this technique are suboptimal; however, it may be an option for patients unwilling to have more than an arthroscopic procedure or those requiring maintenance of wrist motion, provided they understand the risks and benefits of this approach.


TYPE OF STUDY/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE
Therapeutic, Level IV.
A comparative study of pulsed 532-nm potassium titanyl phosphate laser and electrocoagulation in the treatment of spider nevi.

OBJECTIVE
To assess the clinical efficacy and safety of potassium titanyl phosphate (KTP) laser treatment and electrocoagulation (EC) for the treatment of spider nevi (SN).


METHOD
A randomized single-blind intrapatient comparison study was performed. A blinded observer and patients reported the clinical treatment outcome and pain on a visual analogue scale (0-10). Side effects were noted if present.


RESULTS
Mean physician-rated clinical efficacy scores+/-standard error of the mean were 7.7+/-0.7 for KTP laser and 6.2+/-0.9 for EC treatment (p=.05). Patient-rated mean clinical efficacy of KTP laser was 8.3+/-0.6 and of EC was 7.3+/-0.7 (p=.09). Stratification for potential confounding bias, such as location of SN, central bulging vein, and diameter (p=.25) of the treated SN did not reveal any statistically significant differences between the treatments. Treatment with KTP or EC did not result in scarring or pigmentary changes. Pain was reported for KTP treatment (3.1+/-0.4) and EC (6.4+/-0.7) (p<.05).


CONCLUSION
Clinical efficacy of KTP laser and EC for SN is comparable, although there is a tendency toward an advantage in favor of the KTP laser. KTP laser treatment was less painful.
Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activity of Diospyros ebenum Roxb. Leaf Extracts

The therapeutic properties of plants, including antioxidant and antibacterial activity, have been investigated. In the present study the petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, methanol, and aqueous extracts of Diospyros ebenum Roxb. were evaluated for DPPH (2,2diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl) free radical scavenging (antioxidant) activity and antibacterial activity. Antibacterial activity was determined against Bacillus subtilis ATCC6633, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC29737, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC27853, Salmonella typhimurium ATCC23564, and Enterobacter aerogenes ATCC13048 using the agar well diffusion method. Total phenolic and flavonoid content of these extracts was determined as the gallic acid and quercetin equivalent, respectively. Results show that the methanol extract was active against all 5 bacterial strains, whereas the aqueous extract was active against none. The methanol extract had the highest total phenolic content and DPPH free radical scavenging activity (IC50 = 20 μg/ml). The antioxidant and antibacterial potential of the methanol extract of D. ebenum observed in the present study indicates that most active constituents of this plant may be phenolics.
VoIP over WLAN: voice capacity, admission control, QoS, and MAC

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is one of the fastest growing Internet applications. It is a viable alternative to the traditional telephony systems due to its high resource utilization and cost efficiency. Meanwhile, Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) have become a ubiquitous networking technology that has been deployed around the world. Driven by these two popular technologies, Voice over WLAN (VoWLAN) has been emerging as an infrastructure to provide low-cost wireless voice services. However, VoWLAN poses significant challenges since the performance characteristics of wireless networks are much worse than that of their wireline counterparts, and the IEEE 802.11-based WLAN was not originally designed to support delay-sensitive voice traffic. In this paper, we provide a survey of recent advances in VoWLAN voice capacity analysis, call admission schemes, and medium access control (MAC) layer quality of service (QoS) enhancement mechanisms. Some open research issues are presented for further investigation. Copyright # 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Position Control of DC Motor Using Genetic Algorithm Based PID Controller

The aim of this paper is to design a position controller of a DC motor by selection of a PID parameters using genetic algorithm. The model of a DC motor is considered as a third order system. And this paper compares two kinds of tuning methods of parameter for PID controller. One is the controller design by the genetic algorithm, second is the controller design by the Ziegler and Nichols method. It was found that the proposed PID parameters adjustment by the genetic algorithm is better than the Ziegler & Nichols’ method. The proposed method could be applied to the higher order system also. KeywordsDC motor, Genetic algorithm, PID controller, Ziegler Nichols Method
Active music therapy in Parkinson's disease: an integrative method for motor and emotional rehabilitation.

BACKGROUND
Modern management of Parkinson's disease (PD) aims to obtain symptom control, to reduce clinical disability, and to improve quality of life. Music acts as a specific stimulus to obtain motor and emotional responses by combining movement and stimulation of different sensory pathways. We explored the efficacy of active music therapy (MT) on motor and emotional functions in patients with PD.


METHODS
This prospective, randomized, controlled, single-blinded study lasted 3 months. It consisted of weekly sessions of MT and physical therapy (PT). Thirty-two patients with PD, all stable responders to levodopa and in Hoehn and Yahr stage 2 or 3, were randomly assigned to two groups of 16 patients each. We assessed severity of PD with the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, emotional functions with the Happiness Measure, and quality of life using the Parkinson's Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire. MT sessions consisted of choral singing, voice exercise, rhythmic and free body movements, and active music involving collective invention. PT sessions included a series of passive stretching exercises, specific motor tasks, and strategies to improve balance and gait.


RESULTS
MT had a significant overall effect on bradykinesia as measured by the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (p < .034). Post-MT session findings were consistent with motor improvement, especially in bradykinesia items (p < .0001). Over time, changes on the Happiness Measure confirmed a beneficial effect of MT on emotional functions (p < .0001). Improvements in activities of daily living and in quality of life were also documented in the MT group (p < .0001). PT improved rigidity (p < .0001).


CONCLUSIONS
MT is effective on motor, affective, and behavioral functions. We propose active MT as a new method for inclusion in PD rehabilitation programs.
Investigating social consequences of unwanted pregnancy and unsafe abortion in Malawi: the role of stigma.

Malawian women in all sectors of society are suffering from social implications of unwanted pregnancy and unsafe abortion. Unwanted pregnancies occur among women who have limited access to family planning and safe abortion. A legally restrictive setting for safe abortion services leads many women to unsafe abortion, which has consequences for them and their families. In-depth interviews were conducted with 485 Malawian stakeholders belonging to different political and social structures. Interviewees identified the impact of unwanted pregnancy and unsafe abortion to be the greatest on young women. Premarital and extramarital pregnancies were highly stigmatized; stigma directly related to abortion was also found. Community-level discussions need to focus on reduction of stigma.
Comparison of fluorescent marker systems with 2 quantitative methods of assessing terminal cleaning practices.

OBJECTIVE
To compare fluorescent markers with aerobic colony counts (ACCs) and an adenosine triphosphate (ATP) bioluminescence assay system for assessing terminal cleaning practices.


DESIGN
A prospective observational survey.


SETTING
A 500-bed university-affiliated community teaching hospital.


METHODS
In a convenience sample of 100 hospital rooms, 5 high-touch surfaces were marked with fluorescent markers before terminal cleaning and checked after cleaning to see whether the marker had been entirely or partially removed. ACC and ATP readings were performed on the same surfaces before and after terminal cleaning.


RESULTS
Overall, 378 (76%) of 500 surfaces were classified as having been cleaned according to fluorescent markers, compared with 384 (77%) according to ACC criteria and 225 (45%) according to ATP criteria. Of 382 surfaces classified as not clean according to ATP criteria before terminal cleaning, those with the marker removed were significantly more likely than those with the marker partially removed to be classified as clean according to ATP criteria (P = .003).


CONCLUSIONS
Fluorescent markers are useful in determining how frequently high-touch surfaces are wiped during terminal cleaning. However, contaminated surfaces classified as clean according to fluorescent marker criteria after terminal cleaning were significantly less likely to be classified as clean according to ACC and ATP assays.
Assuring the quality of volunteered geographic information

Volunteered geographic information (VGI) is a phenomenon of recent years, offering an alternative mechanism for the acquisition and compilation of geographic information. As such it offers substantial advantages, but suffers from a general lack of quality assurance. We discuss the issues involved in the determination of quality for geospatial data, and trace the history of research on VGI quality. We describe three approaches to quality assurance, which we term the crowd-sourcing, social, and geographic approaches respectively. We discuss the advantages and limitations of each, and the research that will be needed to operationalize the geographic approach. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Timed Extensions for SDL

In this paper we propose some extensions necessary to enable the speci-cation and description language SDL to become an appropriate formalism for the design of real-time and embedded systems. The extensions we envisage concern both roles of SDL: First, in order to make SDL a real-time speciication language, allowing to correctly simulate and verify real-time speciications, we propose a set of annotations to express in a exible way assumptions and assertions on timing issues such as execution durations, communication delays, or periodicity of external inputs. Second, in order to make SDL a real-time design language, several useful real-time programming concepts are missing. In particular we propose to extend the basic SDL timer mechanism by introducing new primitives such as cyclic timers, interruptive timers, and access to timer value. All these extensions relies on a clear and powerful time semantics for SDL, which extends the current one, and which is based on timed automata with urgencies.
on Heart Disease Prediction System using Data Mining Techniques

Data mining is the computer based process of analyzing enormous sets of data and then extracting the meaning of the data. Data mining tools predict future trends, allowing business to make proactive, knowledge-driven decisions. Data mining tools can answer business questions that traditionally taken much time consuming to resolve. The huge amounts of data generated for prediction of heart disease are too complex and voluminous to be processed and analyzed by traditional methods. Data mining provides the methodology and technology to transform these mounds of data into useful information for decision making. By using data mining techniques it takes less time for the prediction of the disease with more accuracy. In this paper we survey different papers in which one or more algorithms of data mining used for the prediction of heart disease. Result from using neural networks is nearly 100% in one paper [10] and in [6]. So that the prediction by using data mining algorithm given efficient results. Applying data mining techniques to heart disease treatment data can provide as reliable performance as that achieved in diagnosing heart disease.
Sea Container Terminals: New Technologies, OR Models, and Emerging Research Areas

Due to a rapid growth in world trade and a huge increase in containerized goods, sea container terminals play a vital role in globe-spanning supply chains. Container terminals should be able to handle large ships, with large call sizes within the shortest time possible, and at competitive rates. In response, terminal operators, shipping liners, and port authorities are investing in new technologies to improve container handling infrastructure and operational efficiency. Container terminals face challenging research problems which have received much attention from the academic community. The focus of this paper is to highlight the recent developments in the container terminals, which can be categorized into three areas: (1) innovative container terminal technologies, (2) new OR directions and models for existing research areas, and (3) emerging areas in container terminal research. By choosing this focus, we complement existing reviews on container terminal operations.
Recurrent Gianotti-Crosti syndrome.

To the Editor: Gianotti-Crosti syndrome (GCS) classically presents in children as a self-limited, symmetric erythematous papular eruption affecting the cheeks, extremities, and buttocks. While initial reports implicated hepatitis B virus as the etiologic agent, many other bacterial, viral, and vaccine triggers have since been described. A previously healthy 2-year-old boy presented with a 3-week history of a cutaneous eruption that initially appeared on his legs and subsequently progressed to affect his arms and face. Two weeks after onset of the eruption, he was immunized with intramuscular Vaxigrip influenza vaccination (Sanofi Pasteur), and new lesions appeared at the immunization site on his right upper arm. Physical examination demonstrated an afebrile child with erythematous papules on the cheeks, arms, and legs (Fig 1). He had a localized papular eruption on his right upper arm (Fig 2). There was no lymphadenopathy or hepatosplenomegaly. Laboratory investigations revealed leukocytosis (white cell count, 14,600/mm) with a normal differential, reactive thrombocytosis ( platelet count, 1,032,000/mm), a positive urine culture for cytomegalovirus, and positive IgM serology for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Histopathologic examination of a skin biopsy specimen from the right buttock revealed a perivascular and somewhat interstitial lymphocytic infiltrate in the superficial and mid-dermis with intraepidermal exocytosis of lymphocytes, mild spongiosis and papillary dermal edema. He was treated with 2.5% hydrocortisone cream, and the eruption resolved. Twelve months later, he presented with a similar papular eruption localized to the left upper arm at the site of a recent intramuscular influenza vaccination (Vaxigrip). Although an infection represents the most important etiologic agent, a second event involving immunomodulation might lead to further disease accentuation, thus explaining the association of GCS with vaccinations. In our case, there was evidence of both cytomegalovirus (CMV) and EBV infection as well as a recent history of immunization. Localized accentuation of papules at the immunization site was unusual, as previous cases of GCS following immunizations have had a widespread and typically symmetric eruption. It is possible that trauma from the injection or a component of the vaccine elicited a Koebner response, causing local accentuation. There are no previous reports of recurrence of vaccine-associated GCS. One report documented recurrence with two different infectious triggers. As GCS is a mild and selflimiting disease, further vaccinations are not contraindicated. Andrei I. Metelitsa, MD, FRCPC, and Loretta Fiorillo, MD, FRCPC
The impact of concomitant fibromyalgia on visual analogue scales of pain, fatigue and function in patients with various rheumatic disorders.

OBJECTIVES
To evaluate the impact of concomitant fibromyalgia on the rating of pain, fatigue, and dysfunction, in patients with various rheumatic disorders.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study was carried out in a hospital-based rheumatology unit. Standard clinical and laboratory data were obtained and all patients completed questionnaires on pain, fatigue, and daily function. The rate of concomitant fibromyalgia was estimated using the 1990 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) classification criteria for fibromyalgia and the analysis concentrated on visual analogue scales (VAS).


RESULTS
Six hundred and eighteen visits of 383 patients with inflammatory as well as non-inflammatory rheumatic disorders were analyzed. Concomitant fibromyalgia was noted in 74 patients (23% of the cohort). Patients with rheumatic diseases and concomitant fibromyalgia had significantly higher mean VAS scores for pain, fatigue, and function (79±17, 81±18, 80±18, respectively) as compared to patients who had no features of fibromyalgia (47±28, 50±29, 44±30 respectively; all p values <0.001). The scores reported by patients with rheumatic diseases and concomitant fibromyalgia were similar to the scores obtained from patients with primary FM.


CONCLUSIONS
Concomitant FM is common both among patients with inflammatory and patients with non inflammatory rheumatic disorders. Concomitant FM has a remarkable impact on the severity of symptoms and, moreover, patients with concomitant FM exhibit extreme and significantly distinct levels of pain and fatigue which is as severe as that reported by patients with primary FM. It seems that fibromyalgic features dominate and become the main cause of morbidity in rheumatological patients with concomitant FM.