LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Patient engagement with a diabetes self-management intervention.

OBJECTIVES
To explore how people living with type 2 diabetes self-manage their condition in everyday life and the impact of the Diabetes Manual programme, a one-to-one structured educational intervention aiming to increase skills and confidence for self-management.


METHOD
Semi-structured interviews with 12 participants on the Diabetes Manual trial, sampled purposively according to baseline self-efficacy and educational attainment.


RESULTS
When describing their experience of living with diabetes, there was little difference between intervention and control participants, although those who had received the programme talked more about the use of blood glucose self-assessment. Programme users were grouped into three categories, Programme Engagers (n = 2), Programme Browsers (n = 4) and Information Seekers (n = 6). Of the two participants engaging with the programme, one described a very positive experience, the other felt unsupported by their practice. None noticed a difference in the approach used by their health professional. Participants' approach to the Diabetes Manual programme suggests they will continue to use it as a resource in the future.


CONCLUSION
Participants used the Diabetes Manual programme in different ways, choosing the timing and depth of engagement. Their experience suggests that the programme requires close communication and openness towards collaborative approaches to improve skills and confidence for self-management.
An Ambient Assisted Living Technology Platform for Informal Carers of the Elderly

For most families with elderly relatives, care within their own home is by far the most preferred option both for the elderly and their carers. However, frequently these carers are the partners of the person with long-term care needs, and themselves are elderly and in need of support to cope with the burdens and stress associated with these duties. When it becomes too much for them, they may have to rely on professional care services, or even use residential care for a respite. In order to support the carers as well as the elderly person, an ambient assisted living platform has been developed. The system records information about the activities of daily living using unobtrusive sensors within the home, and allows the carers to record their own wellbeing state. By providing facilities to schedule and monitor the activities of daily care, and providing orientation and advice to improve the care given and their own wellbeing, the system helps to reduce the burden on the informal carers. Received on 30 August 2016; accepted on 03 February 2017; published on 21 March 2017
The epididymis-specific antimicrobial peptide β-defensin 15 is required for sperm motility and male fertility in the rat (Rattus norvegicus)

Spermatozoa acquire forward motility and fertilizing capacity during their transit through the epididymis. The maturation process involves modifications of the sperm surface by different proteins that are secreted by a series of specialized regions in the epididymal epithelium. Here we show that the rat epididymis-specific β-defensin 15 (Defb15) exhibits an androgen-dependent expression pattern, and it can bind to the acrosomal region of caput sperm. Coculture of caput spermatozoa with Defb15 antibody in vitro resulted in a significant decline in sperm motility. Moreover, the total and progressive motility of the spermatozoa dramatically decreased in rats when Defb15 was downregulated by lentivirus-mediated RNAi in vivo. Remarkably, knock down of Defb15 led to a reduction in fertility and embryonic development failure. In addition, the recombinant Defb15 showed antimicrobial activity in a dose-dependent fashion. These results suggest that Defb15 plays a dual role in both sperm maturation and pathogen defense in rat epididymis.
COPD in Never Smokers

BACKGROUND
Never smokers comprise a substantial proportion of patients with COPD. Their characteristics and possible risk factors in this population are not yet well defined.


METHODS
We analyzed data from 14 countries that participated in the international, population-based Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease (BOLD) study. Participants were aged ≥ 40 years and completed postbronchodilator spirometry testing plus questionnaires about respiratory symptoms, health status, and exposure to COPD risk factors. A diagnosis of COPD was based on the postbronchodilator FEV₁/FVC ratio, according to current GOLD (Global Initiative for Obstructive Lung Disease) guidelines. In addition to this, the lower limit of normal (LLN) was evaluated as an alternative threshold for the FEV₁/FVC ratio.


RESULTS
Among 4,291 never smokers, 6.6% met criteria for mild (GOLD stage I) COPD, and 5.6% met criteria for moderate to very severe (GOLD stage II+) COPD. Although never smokers were less likely to have COPD and had less severe COPD than ever smokers, never smokers nonetheless comprised 23.3% (240/1,031) of those classified with GOLD stage II+ COPD. This proportion was similar, 20.5% (171/832), even when the LLN was used as a threshold for the FEV₁/FVC ratio. Predictors of COPD in never smokers include age, education, occupational exposure, childhood respiratory diseases, and BMI alterations.


CONCLUSION
This multicenter international study confirms previous evidence that never smokers comprise a substantial proportion of individuals with COPD. Our data suggest that, in addition to increased age, a prior diagnosis of asthma and, among women, lower education levels are associated with an increased risk for COPD among never smokers.
Propionic acid fermentation by Propionibacterium acidipropionici: effect of growth substrate

Batch propionic acid fermentations by Propionibacterium acidipropionici with lactose, glucose, and lactate as the carbon source were studied. In addition to propionic acid, acetic acid, succinic acid and CO2 were also formed from lactose or glucose. However, succinic acid was not produced in a significant amount when lactate was the growth substrate. Compared to fermentations with lactose or glucose at the same pH, lactate gave a higher propionic acid yield, lower cell yield, and lower specific growth rate. The specific fermentation or propionic acid production rate from lactate was, however, higher than that from lactose. Since about equimolar acid products would be formed from lactate, the reactor pH remained relatively unchanged throughout the fermentation and would be easier to control when lactate was the growth substrate. Therefore, lactate would be a preferred substrate over lactose and glucose for propionic acid production using continuous, immobilized cell bioreactors.
Continuous monitoring of business process controls: A pilot implementation of a continuous auditing system at Siemens

In this paper we report on the approach we have developed and the lessons we have learned in an implementation of the monitoring and control layer for continuous monitoring of business process controls (CMBPC) in the US internal IT audit department of Siemens Corporation. The architecture developed by us implements a completely independent CMBPC system running on top of Siemens’ own enterprise information system which has read-only interaction with the application tier of the enterprise system. Among our key conclusions is that “formalizability” of audit procedures and audit judgment is grossly underestimated. Additionally, while cost savings and expedience force the implementation to closely follow the existing and approved internal audit program, a certain level of reengineering of audit processes is inevitable due to the necessity to separate formalizable and non-formalizable parts of the program. Our study identifies the management of audit alarms and the prevention of the alarm floods as critical tasks in the CMBPC implementation process. We develop an approach to solving these problems utilizing the hierarchical structure of alarms and the role-based approach to assigning alarm destinations. We also discuss the content of the audit trail of CMBPC. © 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Design of a powered lower-body exoskeleton for walking assistance

This paper presents the design and mathematical model of a lower extremity exoskeleton device used to make paralyzed people walk again. The design takes into account the anatomy of standard human leg with a total of 11 Degrees of freedom (DoF). A CAD model in SolidWorks is presented along with its fabrication and a mathematical model in MATLAB.
From social psychology to political economy: A model of energy use behavior

Abstract Multiple and complex factors determine people's energy use behavior. However, policies designed to affect individual energy use behavior focus mostly on a limited number of micro, short-run and easily manipulable variables. These have produced limited response. A theoretical framework is proposed in this paper that attempts to provide a comprehensive and integrative view of energy use behavior. The framework examines variables that create and maintain particular types and intensities of energy use behavior. Based on this framework, implications for energy policies and their potential effectiveness have been drawn.
Effect of treatment with Ginkgo biloba extract EGb 761 (oral) on unilateral idiopathic sudden hearing loss in a prospective randomized double-blind study of 106 outpatients

Objective: Test of dose–response relationship for Ginkgo biloba extract EGb 761 (oral) in outpatients with acute idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL) of at least 15 dB at one frequency within the speech range occurring less than 10 days before study inclusion. Design: Multicentre, randomized, double-blind phase III study comparing dosages of 120 mg twice daily and 12 mg twice daily over 8 weeks. Main endpoint: Recovery (in dB) of the auditory threshold from the initial measurement to the value on the last day of treatment, averaged over those frequencies from 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, and 3 kHz for which the initial hearing loss amounted to 15 dB or more compared to the level on the opposite side. Patients: 106 patients with an average age of 44 ± 16 years and with hearing loss at affected frequencies 26 dB ± 9 dB included between December 1995 and July 1997. Results: Large majorities of both treatment groups recovered completely. In exploratory analyses of the 96 patients included according to the protocol, patients given the higher dose had less risk of not recovering well (≤10 dB residual hearing loss) (one-sided Fisher test: P = 0.0061), especially if they had no tinnitus (n = 44, P = 0.00702). Conclusion: A higher dosage of EGb 761 (oral) appears to speed up and secure the recovery of ISSHL patients, with a good chance that they will recover completely, even with little treatment. This was already observed after one week of treatment. We find it justified to treat patients who have unilateral ISSHL of less than 75 dB and neither tinnitus nor vertigo with 120 mg oral EGb 761 twice daily.
Anywhere Interfaces Using Handheld Augmented Reality

An investigation of the technology and human factors that drive augmented reality research describes recent developments in handheld AR, concentrating on localization, tracking, interaction, and visualization, and offers several examples illustrating the vast potential and important applications of AR. A related video can be seen here: http://youtu.be/ol371rIyUFY. It shows several real-world examples illustrating the vast potential and important applications of augmented reality.
Randomized Controlled Trial of Home-Based Telehealth Versus In-Person Prolonged Exposure for Combat-Related PTSD in Veterans: Preliminary Results.

OBJECTIVES
Telehealth technology may reduce the effect of treatment barriers and improve participation in treatment for veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The present study is an ongoing randomized controlled trial comparing the effectiveness of prolonged exposure (PE) delivered via in person or home-based video telehealth modalities.


METHOD
A total of 52 veterans with combat-related PTSD were randomized to receive 8-12 weeks of PE through either home-based telehealth or standard in-person office-based care.


RESULTS
Participants evinced significant reductions in symptoms of PTSD, depression, and anxiety from pre- to posttreatment across both conditions. Analyses conducted within a noninferiority framework suggested nonsignificant treatment outcome differences in clinician-reported PTSD and self-reported anxiety between the conditions. Results were inconclusive for self-reported PTSD and depression symptoms. Patient satisfaction ratings did not significantly differ between the two groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Results suggest that PE can be delivered via home-based telehealth with outcomes and satisfaction ratings comparable to in-person practices for certain symptoms, however additional research is needed. This modality has the potential to address stigma- and geographic-related barriers to treatment, such as travel time and cost.
Randomized, Double-Blind, Dose-Finding, Phase II Study of Prasugrel in Japanese Patients Undergoing Elective Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

AIM
Prasugrel is a novel platelet P2Y12 receptor blocker with a faster onset of action and greater platelet inhibition with less response variability than clopidogrel. Our objective was to determine the optimal prasugrel dose in Japanese patients undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with respect to the incidence of bleeding and platelet inhibition.


METHODS
A total of 422 patients were randomly assigned to receive clopidogrel or prasugrel in two strata (standard group: ＜75 years of age and body weight ＞50 kg, n=312; high-risk group: ≥75 years of age and/or body weight ≤50 kg, n=110). The standard group received 20/3.75 or 20/5mg (loading/maintenance doses for three months) of prasugrel or 300/75mg of clopidogrel, while the high-risk group received 20/2.5 or 20/3.75mg of prasugrel or 300/75mg of clopidogrel.


RESULTS
The rates of TIMI major and minor bleeding (primary endpoint) were similar among the three treatment arms in the standard group (20/5mg of prasugrel: 0%; 20/3.75mg of prasugrel: 3.8%; 300/75mg of clopidogrel: 2.9%) and the high-risk group (20/3.75mg of prasugrel: 2.7%; 20/2.5mg of prasugrel: 0%; 300/75mg of clopidogrel: 2.8%). VerifyNow assays revealed sufficient levels of platelet inhibition at Weeks 4 and 12 in both the prasugrel arms of the standard group and the 20/3.75mg of prasugrel arm in the high-risk group. Platelet inhibition was not affected by the CYP2C19 phenotype in the prasugrel groups.


CONCLUSIONS
The prasugrel dosing regimen of 20/3.75mg has strong antiplatelet effects and the risk of bleeding events is low in Japanese patients undergoing PCI.
A Variational U-Net for Conditional Appearance and Shape Generation

Deep generative models have demonstrated great performance in image synthesis. However, results deteriorate in case of spatial deformations, since they generate images of objects directly, rather than modeling the intricate interplay of their inherent shape and appearance. We present a conditional U-Net [30] for shape-guided image generation, conditioned on the output of a variational autoencoder for appearance. The approach is trained end-to-end on images, without requiring samples of the same object with varying pose or appearance. Experiments show that the model enables conditional image generation and transfer. Therefore, either shape or appearance can be retained from a query image, while freely altering the other. Moreover, appearance can be sampled due to its stochastic latent representation, while preserving shape. In quantitative and qualitative experiments on COCO [20], DeepFashion [21, 23], shoes [43], Market-1501 [47] and handbags [49] the approach demonstrates significant improvements over the state-of-the-art.
Magnetoelectric Transducer Employing Piezoelectric Ceramic/Ferromagnetic Alloy/High-Permeability FeCuNbSiB Composite

This feature of rather large magnetoelectric (ME) coupling at the resonance enables the ME composites to possess great ME energy conversion ability. This paper proposes a new type of ME transducer fabricated from the ferromagnetic alloy FeNi-FACE, high-permeability FeCuNbSiB (Fe<sub>73.5</sub>Cu<sub>1</sub>Nb<sub>3</sub>Si<sub>13.5</sub>B<sub>9</sub>) and piezoelectric PZT-8H to achieve the strong ME coupling. On one hand, the effective mechanical quality factor (<i>Q</i><sub>m</sub>) of the transducer is significantly high because of the high quality factor values of FeNi-FACE, PZT-8H and FeCuNbSiB respectively. On the other hand, FeCuNbSiB acts as the dynamic driver to enhance the effective piezomagnetic coefficient <i>d</i><sub>33</sub> of the FeNi-FACE. A high ME voltage coefficient (MEVC) and a high ME power output can be obtained since the MEVC and power output at resonance strongly depend on the <i>d</i><sub>33</sub> and the <i>Q</i><sub>m</sub>. The experimental results show that the strain coefficient of the FeNi-FACE/FeCuNbSiB laminate at resonance achieves 250 nm/A under <i>H</i><sub>dc</sub> = 23 Oe, which is 6.02 times as high as that for a single FeNi-FACE layer. The maximum MEVC at resonance (α<sub>r</sub>) achieves 4.65 V/Oe, which is 1.6 times larger than that of the previous Terfenol-D/PZT/Terfenol-D (MPM) composite transducer. The new transducer can obtain an output power of 103.7 μW under a resonant excitation H<sub>ac</sub> = 0.4 Oe, which is ~16 times higher than that of the previous ultrasonic-horn-substrate composite transducer and decreases the size by nearly 75%.
Automatic Transliteration of Proper Nouns from Arabic to English

After providing a brief introduction to the transliteration problem, and highlighting some issues specific to Arabic to English translation, a three phase algorithm is introduced as a computational solution to the problem. The algorithm is based on a Hidden Markov Model approach, but also leverages information available in on-line databases. The algorithm is then evaluated, and shown to achieve accuracy approaching 80%.
Superior long-term outcome with idarubicin compared with high-dose daunorubicin in patients with acute myeloid leukemia age 50 years and older.

PURPOSE
Although standard chemotherapy remains associated with a poor outcome in older patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), it is unclear which patients can survive long enough to be considered as cured. This study aimed to identify factors influencing the long-term outcome in these patients.


PATIENTS AND METHODS
The study included 727 older patients with AML (median age, 67 years) treated in two idarubicin (IDA) versus daunorubicin (DNR) Acute Leukemia French Association trials. Prognostic analysis was based on standard univariate and multivariate models and also included a cure fraction model to focus on long-term outcome.


RESULTS
Age, WBC count, secondary AML, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status (PS), and adverse-risk and favorable-risk AML subsets (European LeukemiaNet classification) all influenced complete remission (CR) rate and overall survival (OS). IDA random assignment was associated with higher CR rate, but not with longer OS (P = .13). The overall cure rate was 13.3%. Older age and ECOG-PS more than 1 negatively influenced cure rate, which was higher in patients with favorable-risk AML (39.1% v 8.0% in adverse-risk AML; P < .001) and those treated with IDA (16.6% v 9.8% with DNR; P = .018). The long-term impact of IDA was still observed in patients younger than age 65 years, although all of the younger patients in the DNR control arm received high DNR doses (cure rate, 27.4% for IDA v 15.9% for DNR; P = .049). In multivariate analysis, IDA random assignment remained associated with a higher cure rate (P = .04), together with younger age and favorable-risk AML, despite not influencing OS (P = .11).


CONCLUSION
In older patients with AML, younger age, favorable-risk AML, and IDA treatment predict a better long-term outcome.
Patients’ Perceptions of Health Related Quality of Life in Rheumatoid Arthritis and Chronic Low Back Pain

Objectives: To determine how health related quality of life (HRQL) is perceived by patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and chronic low back pain (CLBP) using a textual analysis approach. Patients: Two-hundred and forty-eight outpatients (85% female), mean age 58±13 years (40% RA and 60% CLBP).Methods: Observational descriptive study. Sociodemographic and clinical variables were determined. A questionnaire was designed which included an open question “What does health related quality of life mean to you.” which patients answered in writing. Textual data analysis was performed using a previous described method based on multivariate descriptive statistical methods.Results: The two groups were homogenous with respect to gender, educational level, disease duration, comorbid conditions and global functional status. Patients with RA and CLBP used clearly differentiated terms to describe HRQL (RA: to be able (capable), house; CLBP: life, health, quality). RA patients were specific and primarily concerned with functional status and CLBP patients with health and life. The most characteristic phrase used by RA patients was: “to be able to do housework” and for CLBP: “health is the most important thing for quality of life.” In the factorial representation, the two pathologies were markedly separated.Conclusions: A series of characteristic answers on HRQL may be identified in patients with RA and CLBP, showing that they have different perceptions about what HRQL is according to their pathology. The use of open questions in a group of homogenous patients with specific pathologies could result in more disease-specific responses. Textual statistical analysis of open questions may provide more information than standard methods, and may be considered as valid for the analysis of subjective issues such as quality of life.
Acceptability and outcomes of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube placement and patient quality of life.

BACKGROUND/AIMS
Since its description in 1980, percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy has been a widely used method for insertion of a gastrostomy tube in patients who are unable to swallow or maintain adequate nutrition. This study aimed to assess the perspectives of patients/caregivers in our society regarding the acceptability of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube placement and to evaluate the outcomes.


METHODS
One hundred consecutive adults referred to our unit to be considered for primary percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy feeding at Imam Reza Hospital of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences were evaluated prospectively from October 2007 to June 2009. The nutritional status of patients, complications and quality of life were assessed after percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy insertion for six months. The data were analyzed using SPSS software.


RESULTS
Indications for percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy were neurologic in 66 patients and recurrent pulmonary aspiration in 14 intensive care unit adult patients. Minor complications included percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy site infection in 8 patients and tube blockage in 5 patients. Oral feeding was resumed in 27% of the patients and the tube was removed subsequently after 3-6 months; 42 patients died due to primary diseases (in 1-6 months). The Quality of Life Index scores pre-percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy placement and 6 months after percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy averaged 19.25±11.85 and 30.08±27.74, respectively. A similarly significant difference was also found between mean Quality of Life Index scores pre- and post-percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy placement (p<0.005).


CONCLUSIONS
Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy is a minimally invasive gastrostomy method with low morbidity and mortality rates, and is easy to follow-up and to replace when blockage occurs.