LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Impact of exercise programs among helicopter pilots with transient LBP

BACKGROUND
Flight related low back pain (LBP) among helicopter pilots is frequent and may influence flight performance. Prolonged confined sitting during flights seems to weaken lumbar trunk (LT) muscles with associated secondary transient pain. Aim of the study was to investigate if structured training could improve muscular function and thus improve LBP related to flying.


METHODS
39 helicopter pilots (35 men and 4 women), who reported flying related LBP on at least 1 of 3 missions last month, were allocated to two training programs over a 3-month period. Program A consisted of 10 exercises recommended for general LBP. Program B consisted of 4 exercises designed specifically to improve LT muscular endurance. The pilots were examined before and after the training using questionnaires for pain, function, quality of health and tests of LT muscular endurance as well as ultrasound measurements of the contractility of the lumbar multifidus muscle (LMM).


RESULTS
Approximately half of the participants performed the training per-protocol. Participants in this subset group had comparable baseline characteristics as the total study sample. Pre and post analysis of all pilots included, showed participants had marked improvement in endurance and contractility of the LMM following training. Similarly, participants had improvement in function and quality of health. Participants in program B had significant improvement in pain, function and quality of health.


CONCLUSIONS
This study indicates that participants who performed a three months exercise program had improved muscle endurance at the end of the program. The helicopter pilots also experienced improved function and quality of health.


TRIAL REGISTRATION
Identifier: NCT01788111 Registration date; February 5th, 2013, verified April 2016.
A clinical randomized trial to evaluate the safety of a noninvasive approach in high-risk patients undergoing major vascular surgery: the DECREASE-V Pilot Study.

OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this research was to perform a feasibility study of prophylactic coronary revascularization in patients with preoperative extensive stress-induced ischemia.


BACKGROUND
Prophylactic coronary revascularization in vascular surgery patients with coronary artery disease does not improve postoperative outcome. If a beneficial effect is to be expected, then at least those with extensive coronary artery disease should benefit from this strategy.


METHODS
One thousand eight hundred eighty patients were screened, and those with > or =3 risk factors underwent cardiac testing using dobutamine echocardiography (17-segment model) or stress nuclear imaging (6-wall model). Those with extensive stress-induced ischemia (> or =5 segments or > or =3 walls) were randomly assigned for additional revascularization. All received beta-blockers aiming at a heart rate of 60 to 65 beats/min, and antiplatelet therapy was continued during surgery. The end points were the composite of all-cause death or myocardial infarction at 30 days and during 1-year follow-up.


RESULTS
Of 430 high-risk patients, 101 (23%) showed extensive ischemia and were randomly assigned to revascularization (n = 49) or no revascularization. Coronary angiography showed 2-vessel disease in 12 (24%), 3-vessel disease in 33 (67%), and left main in 4 (8%). Two patients died after revascularization, but before operation, because of a ruptured aneurysm. Revascularization did not improve 30-day outcome; the incidence of the composite end point was 43% versus 33% (odds ratio 1.4, 95% confidence interval 0.7 to 2.8; p = 0.30). Also, no benefit during 1-year follow-up was observed after coronary revascularization (49% vs. 44%, odds ratio 1.2, 95% confidence interval 0.7 to 2.3; p = 0.48).


CONCLUSIONS
In this randomized pilot study, designed to obtain efficacy and safety estimates, preoperative coronary revascularization in high-risk patients was not associated with an improved outcome.
MATLAB model of analog multiplier based on the sigma-delta modulation

The MATLAB model of the analog multiplier based on the sigma delta modulation is developed. Different modes of multiplier are investigated and obtained results are compared with analytical results.
AIRSF: a new entertainment adaptive framework for stress free air travels

In this paper, we present a new entertainment adaptive framework AIRSF for stress free air travels. Based on the passenger's current and target comfort states, user entertainment preference, and context of use, the system uses a Markov decision process to recommend context-aware and personalized stress reduction entertainment to transfer the passenger from the current state to the target comfort state with the minimum time cost if he/she is stressed, or keep the passenger at comfort state with context-aware and personalized non stress induction entertainment if the passenger is not stressed. Compared to the current in-flight entertainment framework, it can regulate the passenger's physical and psychological states to comfort states with context-aware and personalized stress reduction entertainment; Compared to the current entertainment stress reduction methods, it uses a linear bio feedback system to regulate the user to comfort state with context-aware and personalized entertainment recommendation.
Question-Answering: CNLP at TREC-10 Question Answering Track

This paper describes the retrieval experiments for the main task and list task of the TREC-10 questionanswering track. The question answering system described automatically finds answers to questions in a large document collection. The system uses a two-stage retrieval approach to answer finding based on matching of named entities, linguistic patterns, and keywords. In answering a question, the system carries out a detailed query analysis that produces a logical query representation, an indication of the question focus, and answer clue words.
Liquidity Risk and the Credit Crunch of 2007-2009 : Evidence from Micro-Level Data on Mortgage Loan Applications

I test the hypothesis that the banks’ exposure to liquidity risk contributed to the contraction of mortgage credit during the financial crisis of 2007-2009. I use micro-level data on mortgage loan applications to control for variation in demand conditions and find that lenders who relied less on core-deposit funding or who had larger off-balance sheet exposure to credit lines, exhibited a sharper decline in their propensity to approve loan applications. These two sources of liquidity risk jointly accounted for a $41.5 billion $61.9 billion contraction of mortgage credit during 2007-2009, or 5.2%-7.8% of total mortgage originations during this period.
An alternative treatment for anxiety: a systematic review of human trial results reported for the Ayurvedic herb ashwagandha (Withania somnifera).

OBJECTIVE
To assess existing reported human trials of Withania somnifera (WS; common name, ashwagandha) for the treatment of anxiety.


DESIGN
Systematic review of the literature, with searches conducted in PubMed, SCOPUS, CINAHL, and Google Scholar by a medical librarian. Additionally, the reference lists of studies identified in these databases were searched by a research assistant, and queries were conducted in the AYUSH Research Portal. Search terms included "ashwagandha," "Withania somnifera," and terms related to anxiety and stress. Inclusion criteria were human randomized controlled trials with a treatment arm that included WS as a remedy for anxiety or stress. The study team members applied inclusion criteria while screening the records by abstract review.


INTERVENTION
Treatment with any regimen of WS.


OUTCOME MEASURES
Number and results of studies identified in the review.


RESULTS
Sixty-two abstracts were screened; five human trials met inclusion criteria. Three studies compared several dosage levels of WS extract with placebos using versions of the Hamilton Anxiety Scale, with two demonstrating significant benefit of WS versus placebo, and the third demonstrating beneficial effects that approached but did not achieve significance (p=0.05). A fourth study compared naturopathic care with WS versus psychotherapy by using Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) scores as an outcome; BAI scores decreased by 56.5% in the WS group and decreased 30.5% for psychotherapy (p<0.0001). A fifth study measured changes in Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) scores in WS group versus placebo; there was a 44.0% reduction in PSS scores in the WS group and a 5.5% reduction in the placebo group (p<0.0001). All studies exhibited unclear or high risk of bias, and heterogenous design and reporting prevented the possibility of meta-analysis.


CONCLUSIONS
All five studies concluded that WS intervention resulted in greater score improvements (significantly in most cases) than placebo in outcomes on anxiety or stress scales. Current evidence should be received with caution because of an assortment of study methods and cases of potential bias.
AutoTutor: A simulation of a human tutor

AutoTutor is a computer tutor that simulates the discourse patterns and pedagogical strategies of a typical human tutor. AutoTutor is designed to assist college students in learning the fundamentals of hardware, operating systems, and the Internet in an introductory computer literacy course. Most tutors in school systems are not highly trained in tutoring techniques and have only a modest expertise on the tutoring topic, but they are surprisingly effective in producing learning gains in students. We have dissected the discourse and pedagogical strategies these unskilled tutors exhibit by analyzing approximately 100 hours of naturalistic tutoring sessions. These mechanisms are implemented in AutoTutor. AutoTutor presents questions and problems from a curriculum script, attempts to comprehend learner contributions that are entered by keyboard, formulates dialog moves that are sensitive to the learner’s contributions (such as short feedback, pumps, prompts, elaborations, corrections, and hints), and delivers the dialog moves with a talking head. AutoTutor has seven modules: a curriculum script, language extraction, speech act classification, latent semantic analysis, topic selection, dialog move generation, and a talking head.  1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Cutting circles and polygons from area-minimizing rectangles

A set of circles, rectangles, and convex polygons are to be cut from rectangular design plates to be produced, or from a set of stocked rectangles of known geometric dimensions. The objective is to minimize the area of the design rectangles. The design plates are subject to lower and upper bounds of their widths and lengths. The objects are free of any orientation restrictions. If all nested objects fit into one design or stocked plate the problem is formulated and solved as a nonconvex nonlinear programming problem. If the number of objects cannot be cut from a single plate, additional integer variables are needed to represent the allocation problem leading to a nonconvex mixed integer nonlinear optimization problem. This is the first time that circles and arbitrary convex polygons are treated simultaneously in this context. We present exact mathematical programming solutions to both the design and allocation problem. For small number of objects to be cut we compute globally optimal solutions. One key idea in the developed NLP and MINLP models is to use separating hyperplanes to ensure that rectangles and polygons do not overlap with each other or with the circles. Another important idea used when dealing with several resource rectangles is to develop a model formulation which connects the binary variables only to the variables representing the center of the circles or the vertices of the polytopes but not to the nonoverlap or shape constraints. We support the solution process by symmetry breaking constraints. In addition we compute lower bounds, which are constructed by a relaxed model in which each polygon is replaced by the largest circle fitting into that polygon. We have successfully applied several solution techniques to solve this problem among them the Branch&Reduce Optimization Navigator (BARON) and the LindoGlobal solver called from GAMS, and, as described in Rebennack et al. (2008, [21]), a column enumeration approach in which the columns represent the assignments. Good feasible solutions are computed within seconds or minutes usually during preprocessing. In most cases they turn out to be globally optimal. For up to 10 circles, we prove global optimality up to a gap of the order of 10 in short time. Cases with a modest number of objects, for instance, 6 circles and 3 rectangles, are also solved in short time to global optimality. For test instances involving non-rectangular polygons it is difficult to obtain small gaps. In such cases we are content to obtain gaps of the order of 10 percent.
THD Minimization Applied Directly on the Line-to-Line Voltage of Multilevel Inverters

In this paper, total harmonic distortion (THD) minimization of the output voltage of multilevel inverters is discussed. An efficient approach in reducing the harmonic contents of the inverter's output voltage is THD minimization. In multilevel inverters with a fundamental frequency switching strategy (each switch turning on and off once per output cycle), the switching angles can be selected so that the output THD is minimized (such as the so-called optimal-minimization-of-THD strategy). To obtain the optimum switching angles, an optimization algorithm is applied to the output-voltage THD. In three-phase multilevel inverters, the optimization algorithm is commonly applied to the phase voltage of the inverter. This results in the minimum THD in phase voltage but not necessarily in the line-to-line minimum THD, whereas in three-phase applications, the line-voltage harmonics are of the main concern from the load point of view. In this paper, using the genetic algorithm, a THD minimization process is directly applied to the line-to-line voltage of the inverter. This paper is based on a seven-level inverter. To verify the simulation results, a seven-level-cascaded-H-bridge-inverter-based hardware prototype, including an ATMEGA32 AVR microcontroller, has been implemented. Both simulation and experimental results indicate superiority of this approach over the commonly used phase-voltage THD minimization approach.
Contention avoidance and resolution schemes in bufferless all-optical packet-switched networks: a survey

Optical Packet Switching (OPS) is the promising switching technique to utilize the huge bandwidth offered by all-optical networks using the DWDM (Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing) technology. However, optical packet contention is the major problem in an OPS network. Resolution and avoidance are two schemes to deal with the contention problem. A resolution scheme resolves collisions, while an avoidance scheme tries to reduce the number of potential collision events. Many OPS architectures rely on optical buffers to resolve contention. Unfortunately, optical buffering technology is still immature as it relies on bulky optical fiber delay lines. Furthermore, it requires a complex control. Therefore, a bufferless OPS network could still be the most straightforward implementation in the near future. In this article, we survey the contention resolution and avoidance schemes proposed for bufferless OPS networks. We also review the resolution and avoidance schemes that can handle the Quality of Service (QoS) issue in a QoS-capable bufferless OPS network.
A prospective multicenter registry of patients with chronic gastroesophageal reflux disease receiving transoral incisionless fundoplication.

BACKGROUND
This study was undertaken to validate previously reported safety and symptomatic outcomes of transoral incisionless fundoplication (TIF), evaluate the relative benefit of TIF within different gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) subgroups, and to determine predictors of success in community settings.


STUDY DESIGN
Between January 2010 and February 2011, 100 consecutive patients who underwent TIF procedures at 10 centers were enrolled in this prospective, open-label, multicenter, single-arm study. Symptom improvement and objective outcomes of TIF were analyzed at 6-month follow-up.


RESULTS
One hundred TIF procedures were performed. No complications were reported. Median GERD symptom duration was 9 years (range 1 to 35 years) and median duration of proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use was 7 years (1 to 20 years). Maximal medical therapy resulted in incomplete symptom control for 92% of patients; GERD Health-Related Quality of Life (GERD-HRQL) total score was normalized in 73%. Median heartburn and regurgitation scores improved significantly, from 18 (range 0 to 30) and 15 (range 0 to 30) on PPIs before TIF to 3 (range 0 to 25) and 0 (range 0 to 25), respectively; p < 0.001. Median Reflux Symptom Index scores were reduced after TIF from 24 (range 14 to 41) to 7 (range 0 to 44); p < 0.001. Eighty percent of patients were completely off PPIs after TIF vs 92% of patients on PPIs before TIF. Preoperative factors associated with clinical outcomes were less severe heartburn (total GERD-HRQL ≤ 30, p = 0.02) and the presence of esophagitis (p < 0.02).


CONCLUSIONS
Transoral incisionless fundoplication is safe and effective in multiple community-based settings in the treatment of medically refractory GERD, as demonstrated by an absence of complications, excellent symptom relief, and complete cessation of PPIs at 6-month follow-up.
The hybrid OmniClimber robot : Wheel based climbing , arm based plane transition , and switchable magnet adhesion

Climbing robots that integrate an articulated arm as their main climbing mechanism can eventually take advantage of their arm for plane transition and thus to operate on 3D structures rather than only climbing planar surfaces. However, they are usually slower than wheel based climbing robots. Within this research we address this problem by integration of a light-weight arm and adhesion mechanism into an omnidirectional wheel based climbing robot, thus forming a hybrid mechanism that is agile in climbing and still able to perform plane transition. A 2DOF (Degree of Freedom) plannar mechanism with 2 linear actuators was designed as a light-weight manipulator for the transition mechanism. Furthermore, we customized and developed actuated switchable magnets both for the robot chassis and also as the adhesion unit of the arm. These units allow us to control the amount of magnetic adhesion force, resulting in better adaptation to different surface characteristics. The adhesion units are safe for climbing applications with a very small power consumption. The conceptual and the detailed design of the mechanisms are presented. The robots were developed and successfully tested on a ferromagnetic structure. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. a t o n r h M s T m c p d f W t t j t w
Attitudes to premarital counseling among students of Abha Health Sciences College.

OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study is to explore the attitudes of the students of Health Sciences College in Abha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) towards premarital counseling.


METHODS
This study was conducted among the students of Health Sciences Colleges in Abha, KSA, during the 2nd semester of the academic year of 1999-2000. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to all available students who answered it under the direct supervision of the Heads of Departments. The questionnaire consisted of 3 main parts; the first part was regarding socio-demographic and scientific characteristics, the 2nd part concerned with attitudes towards premarital counseling while the 3rd part explored the preferred items to be included in premarital counseling. Data of the questionnaire were entered and analyzed by statistical package for social sciences. Association between categorical variables were tested by Chi-square test and considered significant if (P-value less than 0.05).


RESULTS
One hundred and eighty-six students responded, giving a response rate of 70%. Seventy percent of students showed acceptance of premarital counseling while 13% rejected it. Legalization of premarital counseling was agreed on by 19% compared to 41% who refused it. Family history and blood tests for hemoglobinopathies were the most common 2 items preferred to be included in premarital counseling by the respondents.


CONCLUSION
This study showed that most of the students at Health Sciences College in Abha, KSA have good attitudes towards premarital counseling in spite of a few students who justify their refusal by the misunderstanding of Islamic rules. This misunderstanding needs intensification of health education in which religious leaders are involved to clarify and correct this misconception.
Thrombelastographic haemostatic status and antiplatelet therapy after coronary artery bypass surgery (TEG-CABG trial): assessing and monitoring the antithrombotic effect of clopidogrel and aspirin versus aspirin alone in hypercoagulable patients: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND
Hypercoagulability, assessed by the thrombelastography (TEG) assay, has in several observational studies been associated with an increased risk of post-procedural thromboembolic complications. We hypothesize that intensified antiplatelet therapy with clopidogrel and aspirin, as compared to aspirin alone, will improve saphenous vein graft patency in preoperatively TEG-Hypercoagulable coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) patients and reduce their risk for thromboembolic complications and death postoperatively.


METHODS/DESIGN
This is a prospective randomized clinical trial, with an open-label design with blinded evaluation of graft patency. TEG-Hypercoagulability is defined as a TEG maximum amplitude above 69 mm. Two hundred and fifty TEG-Hypercoagulable patients will be randomized to either an interventional group receiving clopidogrel 75 mg daily for three months (after initial oral bolus of 300 mg) together with aspirin 75 mg or a control group receiving aspirin 75 mg daily alone. Monitoring of antiplatelet efficacy and on-treatment platelet reactivity to clopidogrel and aspirin will be conducted with Multiplate aggregometry. Graft patency will be assessed with Multislice computed tomography (MSCT) at three months after surgery.


CONCLUSIONS
The present trial is the first randomized clinical trial to evaluate whether TEG-Hypercoagulable CABG patients will benefit from intensified antiplatelet therapy after surgery. Monitoring of platelet inhibition from instituted antithrombotic therapy will elucidate platelet resistance patterns after CABG surgery. The results could be helpful in redefining how clinicians can evaluate patients preoperatively for their postoperative thromboembolic risk and tailor individualized postoperative antiplatelet therapy.


TRIAL REGISTRATION
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier NCT01046942.