LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Primary complement and antibody deficiencies in autoimmune rheumatologic diseases with juvenile onset: a prospective study at two centers

BACKGROUND
Our aim was to investigate the prevalence and clinical relevance of inherited complement and antibody deficiency states in a large series of patients with various autoimmune rheumatologic diseases (ARD) with juvenile onset.


METHODS
A total number of 117 consecutive patients from 2 tertiary referral hospitals were included in the study. All patients underwent genetic screening for type I C2 deficiency and C4 allotyping. Serum levels of immunoglobulin classes measured systematically throughout their regular medical care were recorded retrospectively.


RESULTS
Our cohort of patients included 84 with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), 21 with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 6 with systemic vasculitis, 2 with juvenile scleroderma, 2 with idiopathic uveitis, 1 with mixed connective tissue disease and 1 with SLE/scleroderma overlap syndrome. We have found 16 patients with evidence of primary immunodeficiency in our series (13.7%), including 7 with C4 deficiency, 5 with selective IgA deficiency, 3 with C2 deficiency and 2 with unclassified hypogammaglobulinemia (one also presented C4D). Of the 84 patients with JIA, 4 (4.8%) had a complement deficiency, which was less prevalent than in the SLE cohort (23.8%), but all of them have exhibited an aggressive disease. Most of our patients with primary antibody deficiencies showed a more complicated and severe disease course and even the co-occurrence of two associated autoimmune diseases (SLE/scleroderma overlap syndrome and SLE/autoimmune hepatitis type 1 overlap).


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings among others demonstrate that complement and immunoglobulin immunodeficiencies need careful consideration in patients with ARD, as they are common and might contribute to a more severe clinical course of the disease.
The DARPA Twitter Bot Challenge

From politicians and nation states to terrorist groups, numerous organizations reportedly conduct explicit campaigns to influence opinions on social media, posing a risk to freedom of expression. Thus, there is a need to identify and eliminate "influence bots" - realistic, automated identities that illicitly shape discussions on sites like Twitter and Facebook - before they get too influential.
2q31.1 microdeletion syndrome: redefining the associated clinical phenotype.

INTRODUCTION
The clinical phenotype of the chromosome 2q31 deletion syndrome consists of limb anomalies ranging from monodactylous ectrodactyly, brachydactyly and syndactyly to camptodactyly. Additional internal organ anomalies-for example, heart defects, ocular anomalies-may be present. Hemizygosity for HOXD13 and EVX2 genes was thought to cause the observed skeletal defects. Recently, based on the phenotype of patients with overlapping 2q31 interstitial deletions, a new SHFM5 locus was proposed, proximal to the HOXD cluster, between EVX2 and marker D2S294. DLX1 and DLX2 haploinsufficiency was suggested as the most plausible explanation for the observed SHFM-like limb anomalies in these cases.


METHODS AND RESULTS
Five unique, interstitial 2q31 deletion patients were selected to further characterise the 2q31 region and to establish a genotype/phenotype correlation map. The size of the deletions was delineated with a chromosome 2 specific tiling path bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) array. The clinical and molecular data for this group of patients were compared to others in the literature. A common locus for the observed skeletal anomalies, including the HOXD genes and surrounding regulatory sequences, was delineated. These results correlate with recently published studies in animal models. In addition, a critical region for the facial gestalt of the 2q31.1 microdeletion syndrome was delineated.


CONCLUSIONS
These results reinforce the hypothesis that the variable skeletal phenotype in 2q31 deletion patients is a result of hemizygosity for the HOXD genes and that the 2q31.1 microdeletion syndrome is a well defined and clinically recognisable phenotype.
A survey on Data Mining approaches for Healthcare

Data Mining is one of the most motivating area of research that is become increasingly popular in health organization. Data Mining plays an important role for uncovering new trends in healthcare organization which in turn helpful for all the parties associated with this field. This survey explores the utility of various Data Mining techniques such as classification, clustering, association, regression in health domain. In this paper, we present a brief introduction of these techniques and their advantages and disadvantages. This survey also highlights applications, challenges and future issues of Data Mining in healthcare. Recommendation regarding the suitable choice of available Data Mining technique is also discussed in this paper.
Correlation of serum pepsinogens and gastrin-17 with atrophic gastritis in gastroesophageal reflux patients: a matched-pairs study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM
An algorithm (GastroPanel) for the non-invasive diagnosis of atrophic gastritis has been previously proposed, based on serum pepsinogen-I, gastrin-17, and Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) antibodies. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether serum markers correlate with and predict gastric atrophy in gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) patients.


METHODS
The baseline data of the prospective ProGERD study, a study on the long-term course of GERD (n=6215 patients), served to select patients with atrophic gastritis diagnosed in biopsies from gastric antrum and corpus, and control cases without atrophy. A total of 208 pairs were matched for age, sex, GERD status (erosive vs non-erosive), presence of Barrett's esophagus, and histological H. pylori status were retrieved. Serum pepsinogen-I, gastrin-17, and H. pylori antibodies were determined using specific enzyme immunoassays.


RESULTS
A significant negative correlation was found between the degree of corpus atrophy and the level of serum pepsinogen-I. A previously-reported negative correlation between the degree of antral atrophy and serum gastrin-17 could not be confirmed. The low sensitivity (0.32) and specificity (0.70) of the GastroPanel algorithm were mainly due to over diagnosis and under diagnosis of advanced atrophy in the antrum.


CONCLUSION
The diagnostic validity of the GastroPanel algorithm to diagnose gastric atrophy non-invasively is not sufficient for general use in GERD patients.
Profiling the time-course changes in neuromuscular function and muscle damage over two consecutive tournament stages in elite rugby sevens players.

OBJECTIVES
Many International Rugby Board (IRB) sevens competitions require that two tournament stages are played over consecutive weekends, but the impact this has on player physical performance and recovery is lacking. We examined the influence of two consecutive tournaments on neuromuscular function (NMF) and muscle damage in rugby sevens players.


DESIGN
Ten elite international rugby sevens players completed this observational study over 2 tournaments, separated by 5 days, during the IRB sevens series.


METHODS
On the morning of day 1 and 2, of both tournament 1 (T1) and 2 (T2), players performed countermovement jumps (CMJ; jump height [JH]) and capillary blood samples (creatine kinase [CK]) were collected. After the last match of each day, further capillary samples were collected. Additional, CMJ were performed 12 and 60 h post-T1.


RESULTS
Player JH decreased from day 1 to day 2 during T1 (mean ± SD; -6.0 ± 5.4%; P=0.016), was reduced at 12 (-26.1 ± 5.0%; P<0.001) and 60 h post-T1 (-7.1 ± 4.8%; P=0.003) and remained lower, at am day 1 of T2 (-8.0 ± 6.0%; P=0.007), when compared with day 1 of T1. Player JH was lower on day 1 and 2 of T2, compared with T1 (P<0.05). CK concentrations were greater than baseline at all time points during each tournament (P<0.001); no between tournament differences in CK responses existed (P=0.302).


CONCLUSIONS
A single sevens tournament reduces NMF such that players are not fully recovered by the start of the second competition stage, however CK returns to baseline in-between and shows the same pattern across two consecutive tournaments.
Bin packing and cutting stock problems: Mathematical models and exact algorithms

We review the most important mathematical models and algorithms developed for the exact solution of the one-dimensional bin packing and cutting stock problems, and experimentally evaluate, on state-of-the art computers, the performance of the main available software tools.
Savings: The Policy Debate in Europe

Three issues dominate the public policy debate over savings in Continental Europe. First, can private savings substitute for public pensions in the provision of retirement income, given that the current generosity of pay-as-you-go financed pensions is hardly sustainable in the light of population ageing? And if so, which policy steps have to be taken to alleviate this transition? Second, does the evolution of a “new financial landscape” in Europe necessitate policy response in terms of taxation and regulation, specifically considering the increase in pension funds? And third, closely related to the other two issues, is there too much or too little saving in an ageing Europe? Will pension reform and the new financial landscape increase or decrease overall saving? Do we need to subsidise saving more or less than we currently do? The paper reviews economic theory and empirical evidence on these intertwined issues. Most importantly, it identifies many gaps in our theoretical and empirical knowledge that caution us against overly strong policy recommendations. Addresses: MEA, Department of Economics Department of Economics University of Mannheim Universita’ Ca’ Foscari D-68131 Mannheim, Germany I-30121 Venezia, Italy Email: Axel@Boersch-Supan.de Brugiavi@unive.it This paper has profited greatly from comments by James Banks and two anonymous referees. We appreciate the financial support by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Sonderforschungsbereich 504) and by the EU (TMR-Project „Savings, Pensions and Portfolio Choice“).
BER analysis over alpha-mu fading channel using proposed novel MGF

Abstract: In this paper, closed-form expressions of Bit Error Rate (BER) for different modulation techniques such as BPSK, BFSK, DQPSK, BDPSK and MPSK over alpha-mu (α-μ) fading distribution are presented, followed by proposing a novel Moment Generating Function (MGF). Specifically, we have proposed ‘A Novel MGF for Alpha-mu Fading Distribution’. The proposed MGF is a modification of the MGF in Magableh and Matalgah’s (2009) article as proposed MGF is valid for all values of alpha, whereas, the MGF presented in Magableh and Matalgah’s article is valid only for non-integer values of alpha. Further, various closed-form expressions of BER using the proposed MGF are presented in this paper. Also, BER of various modulation schemes based on proposed MGF has been compared with similar results presented in Shin and Lee’s (2004) article as special case of alpha-mu distribution. This shows perfect agreement of our results with that of Shin and Lee.
Pharmacokinetic mass of fentanyl for postoperative analgesia in lean and obese patients.

BACKGROUND
We previously proposed dosing weights for fentanyl, termed 'pharmacokinetic mass', that span the total body weight (TBW) range from 40 to 210 kg. In this study, we examined the relationships among fentanyl doses needed to achieve postoperative analgesia, corresponding plasma fentanyl concentrations, and pharmacokinetic mass in lean and obese patients undergoing abdominal surgery.


METHODS
A total of 69 patients were studied, with TBW ranging from 48 to 181 kg. Fentanyl infusion was used during surgery. After surgery, fentanyl infusion rates were titrated to achieve analgesia without significant respiratory depression. Plasma fentanyl concentrations were measured when an apparent steady analgesic state was obtained. Comparisons were made for dosing requirements and effective plasma concentrations for 37 lean patients (body mass index < 30, TBW < 85 kg) and 33 obese patients (body mass index > 30, TBW > or = 85 kg).


RESULTS
The average fentanyl dose (microg h(-1)) required to achieve and maintain analgesia over the 4 h postoperative period had a non-linear relationship to TBW; in comparison, fentanyl dose had a strong linear relationship to pharmacokinetic mass: dose (microg h(-1)) = 1.22 x pharmacokinetic mass - 7.5; r = 0.741, P < 0.001. Based on results from our earlier study, the corresponding values of TBW and pharmacokinetic mass are: 52 kg--52 kg; 70 kg--65 kg; 100 kg--83 kg; 120 kg--93 kg; 140 kg--99 kg; 160 kg--104 kg; 180 kg--107 kg; 200 kg--109 kg. In the group comparisons, there was no statistically significant difference in the postoperative fentanyl dose per unit of pharmacokinetic mass between lean and obese patients. The plasma concentration of fentanyl required for analgesia was approximately 1.5 ng ml(-1), and was similar in the two groups.


CONCLUSION
The relationship between dose and pharmacokinetic mass, compared with that of dose vs TBW, may provide confidence for the use of pharmacokinetic mass as a dosing approximation for fentanyl. Fentanyl dose based on TBW may cause overdosing in obese patients.
Optimization of renewable energy hybrid system by minimizing excess capacity

Optimization of renewable energy hybrid system looks into the process of selecting the best components and its sizing with appropriate operation strategy to provide cheap efficient, reliable and cost effective. The technoeconomic analysis usually looks at the cheapest cost of energy produced by of system components while neglecting the excess capacity of the combination. This paper discusses the optimization of the hybrid system in context of minimizing the excess energy and cost of energy. The hybrid of pico hydro, solar, wind and generator and battery as back-up is the basis of assessment. The system configuration of the hybrid is derived based on a theoretical domestic load at a remote location and local solar radiation, wind and water flow rate data. Three demand loads are used in the simulation using HOMER to find the optimum combination and sizing of components. Another set of demand loads is used to investigate the effect of reducing the demand load against the dominant power provider of the system. The results show that the cost of energy can be reduced to about 50% if the demand load is increased to the maximum capacity. Reducing the load to the capacity of the dominant power provider will reduce the cost of energy by 90%. Keywords—Optimization, Hybrid System, Renewable Energy, Techno-Economic, HOMER, Cost of Energy, Excess Capacity
Object tracking in an outdoor environment using fusion of features and cameras

This paper presents methods for tracking moving objects in an outdoor environment. A robust tracking is achieved using feature fusion and multiple cameras. The proposed method integrates spatial position, shape and color information to track object blobs. The trajectories obtained from individual cameras are incorporated by an extended Kalman filter (EKF) to resolve object occlusion. Our results show that integrating simple features makes the tracking effective and that EKF improves the tracking accuracy when long-term or temporary occlusion occurs. The tracked objects are successfully classified into three categories: single person, people group, or vehicle. q 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Leveraging “ big data ” to optimize digital marketing

Leveraging " big data " to optimize digital marketing
Multinational corporation management strategies and international human resources practices: bringing IHRM to the bottom line

This paper examined the relationship between multinational corporations' global management strategies and the resulting international human resource piactices . Four global strategies, which vary in their extent of global integration and local responsiveness, were examined (ethnocentric, regiocentric, polycentric and geocentric) . Data from international human resource professionals in forty-sir companies generally supported the hypothesis that HR practices (recruitment . selection, socialization) varied by global strategy . In particular, strategies varied especially between the ethnocentric and geocentric companies. These strategies were further found to be related to a composite Multinational Corporation Success Index of economic variables (return on capital, sales growth, return on equity . profit margin) . Companies which had ethnocentric strategies were found to be less successful than companies operating under any of the other three strategies . Findings suggested that local responsiveness should be incorporated into the global strategy of multinational companies. Recommendations for international human resource practices based on these results have been given . Keyssords Global management strategies, international human resource practice. selection . recruiting . economic success
A Face Recognition Library using Convolutional Neural Networks

In this work, we propose a face recognition library, with the objective of lowering the implementation complexity of face recognition features on applications in general. The library is based on Convolutional Neural Networks; a special kind of Neural Network specialized for image data. We present the main motivations for the use of face recognition, as well as the main interface for using the library features. We describe the overall architecture structure of the library and evaluated it on a large scale scenario. The proposed library achieved an accuracy of 98.14% when using a required confidence of 90%, and an accuracy of 99.86% otherwise. Keywords—Artificial Intelligence, CNNs, Face Recognition, Image Recognition, Machine Learning, Neural Networks.
Relationships between mindfulness practice and levels of mindfulness, medical and psychological symptoms and well-being in a mindfulness-based stress reduction program

Relationships were investigated between home practice of mindfulness meditation exercises and levels of mindfulness, medical and psychological symptoms, perceived stress, and psychological well-being in a sample of 174 adults in a clinical Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program. This is an 8- session group program for individuals dealing with stress-related problems, illness, anxiety, and chronic pain. Participants completed measures of mindfulness, perceived stress, symptoms, and well-being at pre- and post-MBSR, and monitored their home practice time throughout the intervention. Results showed increases in mindfulness and well-being, and decreases in stress and symptoms, from pre- to post-MBSR. Time spent engaging in home practice of formal meditation exercises (body scan, yoga, sitting meditation) was significantly related to extent of improvement in most facets of mindfulness and several measures of symptoms and well-being. Increases in mindfulness were found to mediate the relationships between formal mindfulness practice and improvements in psychological functioning, suggesting that the practice of mindfulness meditation leads to increases in mindfulness, which in turn leads to symptom reduction and improved well-being
Interpreting diagnostic accuracy studies for patient care.

plot of sensitivity against 1−specificity (or false positive rate). Figure 2 shows an ROC plot of test accuracy of a single test at different thresholds. ROC plots are also used within studies to compare different tests, to compare different groups of patients, and to investigate variability between different test observers (readers). ROC plots are useful in systematic reviews to present results from m ultiple studies. Several concepts need to be considered carefully in the interpretation of data from a diagnostic accuracy study: • How does accuracy change with different diagnostic thresholds? • If paired outcomes (such as sensitivity and specificity) are compared for different scenarios, they often change in opposite directions. For example, sensitivity is often higher in one test and specificity higher in the other. Which is more important? • What are the clinical consequences of a missed (false negative) diagnosis or a false positive diagnosis? Can these risks be presented together—for example, as a relative benefit? • What is the best way to include disease prevalence in the summary of clinical benefit? • Are results presented in terms of what happens to individual patients, which are often the easiest for clinicians (and their patients) to understand?
Free flap transplantation combined with skin grafting and vacuum sealing drainage for repair of circumferential or sub-circumferential soft-tissue wounds of the lower leg

BACKGROUND
This study is aimed at evaluating the operation techniques and clinical significance of free flap transplantation combined with skin grafting and vacuum sealing drainage (VSD) in repairing severe traumatic extensive circumferential or semi-circumferential soft-tissue defects of the lower leg.


MATERIAL AND METHODS
Thirty patients with severe lower leg injuries were treated by free flap transplantation combined with skin grafting and VSD from January 2008 to June 2011. The size of the wounds ranged from 23×8 cm to 44×28 cm and all affected more 70% of the low leg circumferential area. Wounds were complicated by exposure, necrosis, or infection of deep tissues. The wounds were first debrided and covered by VSD. When the condition of the wound had improved (5 to 7 days later), free flaps were harvested to reconstruct damaged tissue and skin grafts and VSD was used to cover granulation tissues around the transplanted flap.


RESULTS
Granulation tissues developed and the area requiring flap cover decreased in all 30 patients after debridement and VSD. In 28 of 30 cases, the transplanted flaps grew well without complication. Peripheral necrosis was observed in only 2 cases, which required a second debridement and skin graft. Ten wound areas covered by grafts were left with scattered peripheral wounds, which healed with the help of 1 more skin graft or dressing change. Morphological appearance and functional recovery were satisfactory in all 30 cases.


CONCLUSIONS
Initial debridement and the temporary VSD cover followed after several days by free flap transplantation combined with skin grafting and VSD protection is a reliable treatment regimen for traumatic large circumferential or sub-circumferential soft tissue wounds of the lower leg with deep tissue exposure.