LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Effect of carbohydrate restriction in patients with hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.

BACKGROUND
Hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia is a rare complication of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery. Meals with a high carbohydrate (carb) content and high glycemic index (GI) may provoke these hypoglycemic attacks. The aim of this study is to assess the effects of reducing meal carb content and GI on glycemic responses in patients with post-RYGB hypoglycemia.


METHODS
Fourteen patients with post-RYGB hypoglycemia underwent two meal tests: a mixed meal test (MMT) with a carb content of 30 g and a meal test with the low GI supplement, Glucerna SR 1.5® (Glucerna meal test (GMT)). Plasma glucose and serum insulin levels were measured for a period of 6 h.


RESULTS
Peak glucose levels were reached at T 30 during GMT and at T 60 during MMT, and they were 1.5 ± 0.3 mmol/L lower during GMT than during MMT (7.5 ± 0.4 vs 9.0 ± 0.4 mmol/L, P < 0.005). GMT induced the most rapid rise in plasma insulin: at T 30 plasma, insulin was 30.7 ± 8.5 mU/L higher during GMT than during MMT (P < 0.005). None of the carb-restricted meals induced post-prandial hypoglycemia.


CONCLUSION
A 30-g carb-restricted meal may help to prevent post-prandial hypoglycemia in patients with post-RYGB hypoglycemia. The use of a liquid, low GI, supplement offers no additional advantage.
Digit Recognition via Unsupervised Learning

We present the results of several unsupervised algorithms tested on the MNIST database as well as techniques we used to improve the classification accuracy. We find that spiking neural network outperforms kmeans clustering and reaches the same level as the supervised SVM. We then discuss several inherent issues of unsupervised methods for the handwritten digit classfication problem and propose several methods to further improve the accuracy.
Homeopathic medical practice: Long-term results of a cohort study with 3981 patients

BACKGROUND
On the range of diagnoses, course of treatment, and long-term outcome in patients who chose to receive homeopathic medical treatment very little is known. We investigated homeopathic practice in an industrialized country under everyday conditions.


METHODS
In a prospective, multicentre cohort study with 103 primary care practices with additional specialisation in homeopathy in Germany and Switzerland, data from all patients (age > 1 year) consulting the physician for the first time were observed. The main outcome measures were: Patient and physician assessments (numeric rating scales from 0 to 10) and quality of life at baseline, and after 3, 12, and 24 months.


RESULTS
A total of 3,981 patients were studied including 2,851 adults (29% men, mean age 42.5 +/- 13.1 years; 71% women, 39.9 +/- 12.4 years) and 1,130 children (52% boys, 6.5 +/- 3.9 years; 48% girls, 7.0 +/- 4.3 years). Ninety-seven percent of all diagnoses were chronic with an average duration of 8.8 +/- 8 years. The most frequent diagnoses were allergic rhinitis in men, headache in women, and atopic dermatitis in children. Disease severity decreased significantly (p < 0.001) between baseline and 24 months (adults from 6.2 +/- 1.7 to 3.0 +/- 2.2; children from 6.1 +/- 1.8 to 2.2 +/- 1.9). Physicians' assessments yielded similar results. For adults and young children, major improvements were observed for quality of life, whereas no changes were seen in adolescents. Younger age and more severe disease at baseline were factors predictive of better therapeutic success.


CONCLUSION
Disease severity and quality of life demonstrated marked and sustained improvements following homeopathic treatment period. Our findings indicate that homeopathic medical therapy may play a beneficial role in the long-term care of patients with chronic diseases.
Assessment of myocardial washout of Tc-99m-sestamibi in patients with chronic heart failure: comparison with normal control.

BACKGROUND
In contrast to 201TlCl, 99mTc-sestamibi shows very slow myocardial clearance after its initial myocardial uptake. In the present study, myocardial washout of 99mTc-sestamibi was calculated in patients with non-ischemic chronic heart failure (CHF) and compared with biventricular parameters obtained from first-pass and ECG-gated myocardial perfusion SPECT data.


METHODS AND RESULTS
After administration of 99mTc-sestamibi, 25 patients with CHF and 8 normal controls (NC) were examined by ECG-gated myocardial perfusion SPECT and planar data acquisition in the early and delayed (interval of 3 hours) phase. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF, %), peak filling rate (PFR, sec(-1)), end-diastolic volume (LVEDV, ml) and end-systolic volume (LVESV, ml) were automatically calculated from the ECG-gated SPECT data. Myocardial washout rates over 3 hours were calculated from the early and delayed planar images. Myocardial washout rates in the CHF group (39.6+/-5.2%) were significantly higher than those in the NC group (31.2+/-5.5%, p < 0.01). The myocardial washout rates for the 33 subjects showed significant correlations with LVEF (r = -0.61, p < 0.001), PFR (r = -0.47, p < 0.01), LVEDV (r = 0.45, p < 0.01) and LVESV (r = 0.48, p < 0.01).


CONCLUSION
The myocardial washout rate of 99Tc-sestamibi is considered to be a novel marker for the diagnosis of myocardial damage in patients with chronic heart failure.
On Expressing Vague Quantification and Scalar Implicatures in the Logic of Partial Information

In this paper, we use the logic of partial information to re-examine some early analyses of vague quantifiers in French such as quelques,peu,beaucoup that are found in particular in the work of O. Ducrot [2]. Our approach is based on the paradigm offered by the logical formalization of the sorites paradox. We claim that this paradox offers a general scheme along which the argumentation structure of all vague quantifiers in French may be expressed. We offer a variational principle approximating Grice's maxims in the case of vague quantification.
Corporate Brand Trust as a Mediator in the Relationship between Consumer Perception of CSR , Corporate Hypocrisy , and Corporate Reputation

The aim of this research is to investigate the relationship between consumer perception of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), corporate brand trust, corporate hypocrisy, and corporate reputation. Based on the one-to-one interview method using a structured questionnaire of 560 consumers in South Korea, the proposed model was estimated by structural equation modeling analysis. The model suggests that consumer perception of CSR influences consumer attitudes toward a corporation (i.e., perceived corporate hypocrisy and corporate reputation) by developing corporate brand trust. This in turn further enhances corporate reputation while decreasing corporate hypocrisy. The findings of our study demonstrate that consumer perception of CSR is an antecedent to corporate brand trust, which fully mediates the relationship between consumer perception of CSR and corporate reputation. In addition, corporate brand trust has the role of partial mediator in the relationship between consumer perception of CSR and corporate hypocrisy. These results imply that to better understand the relationship between consumer perception of CSR and consumer attitudes toward a corporation, it is necessary to consider corporate brand trust as an important mediating variable. The theoretical and practical implications of this study are discussed, together with its limitations and potential for future research. OPEN ACCESS Sustainability 2015, 7 3684
Injectable neurotoxins and fillers: there is no free lunch.

Injection of neurotoxins and filling agents for the treatment of facial aesthetics has increased dramatically during the past few decades due to an increased interest in noninvasive aesthetic improvements. An aging but still youth-oriented population expects effective treatments with minimal recovery time and limited risk of complications. Injectable neurotoxins and soft tissue stimulators and fillers have filled this niche of "lunch-time" procedures. As demand for these procedures has increased, supply has followed with more noncore cosmetic specialty physicians, as well as unsupervised ancillary staff, becoming providers and advertising them as easy fixes. Despite an excellent record of safety and efficacy demonstrated in scores of published studies, injectable agents do carry risks of complications. These procedures require a physician with in-depth knowledge of facial anatomy and injection techniques to ensure patient safety and satisfaction. In general, adverse events are preventable and technique-dependent. Although most adverse events are minor and temporary, more serious complications can occur. The recognition, management, and treatment of poor outcomes are as important as obtaining the best aesthetic results. This review addresses important considerations regarding the complications of injectable neurotoxins and fillers used for "lunch-time" injectable procedures.
Association of PD-1, PD-1 ligands, and other features of the tumor immune microenvironment with response to anti-PD-1 therapy.

PURPOSE
Immunomodulatory drugs differ in mechanism-of-action from directly cytotoxic cancer therapies. Identifying factors predicting clinical response could guide patient selection and therapeutic optimization.


EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN
Patients (N = 41) with melanoma, non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), renal cell carcinoma (RCC), colorectal carcinoma, or castration-resistant prostate cancer were treated on an early-phase trial of anti-PD-1 (nivolumab) at one institution and had evaluable pretreatment tumor specimens. Immunoarchitectural features, including PD-1, PD-L1, and PD-L2 expression, patterns of immune cell infiltration, and lymphocyte subpopulations, were assessed for interrelationships and potential correlations with clinical outcomes.


RESULTS
Membranous (cell surface) PD-L1 expression by tumor cells and immune infiltrates varied significantly by tumor type and was most abundant in melanoma, NSCLC, and RCC. In the overall cohort, PD-L1 expression was geographically associated with infiltrating immune cells (P < 0.001), although lymphocyte-rich regions were not always associated with PD-L1 expression. Expression of PD-L1 by tumor cells and immune infiltrates was significantly associated with expression of PD-1 on lymphocytes. PD-L2, the second ligand for PD-1, was associated with PD-L1 expression. Tumor cell PD-L1 expression correlated with objective response to anti-PD-1 therapy, when analyzing either the specimen obtained closest to therapy or the highest scoring sample among multiple biopsies from individual patients. These correlations were stronger than borderline associations of PD-1 expression or the presence of intratumoral immune cell infiltrates with response.


CONCLUSIONS
Tumor PD-L1 expression reflects an immune-active microenvironment and, while associated other immunosuppressive molecules, including PD-1 and PD-L2, is the single factor most closely correlated with response to anti-PD-1 blockade. Clin Cancer Res; 20(19); 5064-74. ©2014 AACR.
Ice velocity determined using conventional and multiple-aperture InSAR

We combine conventional Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) and Multiple Aperture InSAR (MAI) to determine the ice surface velocity on the Langjokull and Hofsjokull ice caps in Iceland in 1994. This approach allows the 20 principal ice cap outlets to be fully resolved. We show that MAI leads to displacement estimates of finer resolution (15 versus 150 m) and superior precision (5 versus 15 cm) to those afforded by the alternative technique of speckle tracking. Using SAR data acquired in ascending and descending orbits, we show that ice flows within 15° of the direction of maximum surface slope across 66 % of the ice caps. It is therefore possible to determine ice displacement over the majority of the ice caps using a single SAR image pair, thereby reducing errors associated with temporal fluctuations in ice flow.
The Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on Investment Recommendations

Using a large sample of publicly traded US firms over 16 years, we investigate the impact of corporate socially responsible (CSR) strategies on security analysts’ recommendations. Socially responsible firms receive more favorable recommendations in recent years relative to earlier ones, documenting a changing perception of the value of such strategies by the analysts. Moreover, we find that firms with higher visibility receive more favorable recommendations for their CSR strategies and that analysts with more experience, broader CSR awareness or those with more resources at their disposal, are more likely to perceive the value of CSR strategies more favorably. Our results document how CSR strategies can affect value creation in public equity markets through analyst recommendations. 1 Assistant Professor of Strategic and International Management, London Business School, Regent’s Park, NW1 4SA, London, United Kingdom. Email: iioannou@london.edu, Ph: +44 20 7000 8748, Fx: +44 20 7000 7001. 2 Assistant Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School, Soldiers’ Field Road, Morgan Hall 381, 02163 Boston, MA, USA. Email:gserafeim@hbs.edu, Ph: +1 617 495 6548, Fx: +1 617 496 7387. We are grateful to Constantinos Markides, and seminar participants at the research brown bag (SIM area) of the London Business School, the academic conference on Social Responsibility at University of Washington Tacoma, the 2010 European Academy of Management Conference, and the 2010 Academy of Management Conference. Ioannou acknowledges financial support from the Research and Materials Development Fund (RAMD) at the London Business School. All remaining errors are our own.
On temperatures and tool wear in machining hypereutectic Al–Si alloys with vortex-tube cooling

This study investigates dry machining of hypereutectic silicon–aluminum alloys assisted with vortex-tube (VT) cooling. The objective is to reduce cutting temperatures and tool wear by enhanced heat dissipation through the chilled air generated by a VT. A machining experiment, cutting mechanics analysis, and temperature simulations are employed to (1) model the heat transfer of a cutting tool system with VT cooling applied, (2) explore effects of cooling setting and machining parameters on the cooling efficiency, and (3) evaluate VT cooling effects on tool wear. A390 alloy is machined by tungsten carbides with cutting forces and geometry measured for heat source characterizations as the input of temperature modeling and simulations. VT cooling is approximated as an impinging air jet to estimate the heat convection coefficient that is incorporated into the heat transfer models. The major findings include: (1) VT cooling may reduce tool wear in A390 machining depending upon machining conditions, and the outlet temperature is more critical than the flow rate, (2) cooling effects on temperature reductions, up to 20 1C, decrease with the increase of the cutting speed and feed, and (3) tool temperature decreasing by VT cooling shows no direct correlations with tool wear reductions. r 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Hyperbaric oxygenation accelerates the healing rate of nonischemic chronic diabetic foot ulcers: a prospective randomized study.

OBJECTIVE
To study the effect of systemic hyperbaric oxygenation (HBO) therapy on the healing course of nonischemic chronic diabetic foot ulcers.


RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
From 1999 to 2000, 28 patients (average age 60.2 +/- 9.7 years, diabetes duration 18.2 +/- 6.6 years), of whom 87% had type 2 diabetes, demonstrating chronic Wagner grades I-III foot ulcers without clinical symptoms of arteriopathy, were studied. They were randomized to undergo HBO because their ulcers did not improve over 3 months of full standard treatment. All the patients demonstrated signs of neuropathy. HBO was applied twice a day, 5 days a week for 2 weeks; each session lasted 90 min at 2.5 ATA (absolute temperature air). The main parameter studied was the size of the foot ulcer measured on tracing graphs with a computer. It was evaluated before HBO and at day 15 and 30 after the baseline.


RESULTS
HBO was well tolerated in all but one patient (barotraumatic otitis). The transcutaneous oxygen pressure (TcPO(2)) measured on the dorsum of the feet of the patients was 45.6 +/- 18.1 mmHg (room air). During HBO, the TcPO(2) measured around the ulcer increased significantly from 21.9 +/- 12.1 to 454.2 +/- 128.1 mmHg (P < 0.001). At day 15 (i.e., after completion of HBO), the size of ulcers decreased significantly in the HBO group (41.8 +/- 25.5 vs. 21.7 +/- 16.9% in the control group [P = 0.037]). Such a difference could no longer be observed at day 30 (48.1 +/- 30.3 vs. 41.7 +/- 27.3%). Four weeks later, complete healing was observed in two patients having undergone HBO and none in the control group.


CONCLUSIONS
In addition to standard multidisciplinary management, HBO doubles the mean healing rate of nonischemic chronic foot ulcers in selected diabetic patients. The time dependence of the effect of HBO warrants further investigations.
Neogene Himalayan weathering history and river87Sr86Sr: impact on the marine Sr record

Clastic sediments in the Bengal Fan contain a Neogene history of erosion and weathering of the Himalaya. We present data on clay mineralogy, major element, stable and radiogenic isotope abundances from Lower Miocene-Pleistocene sediments from ODP Leg 116. Nd and Sr isotope data show that the Himalayan provenance for the eroded material has varied little since > 17 Ma. However, from 7 to 1 Ma smectite replaces illite as the dominant clay, while sediment accumulation decreased, implying an interval of high chemical weathering intensity but lower physical erosion rates in the Ganges-Brahmaputra (GB) basin. 0 and H isotopes in clays are correlated with mineralogy and chemistry, and indicate that weathering took place in the paleo-Gangetic flood plain. The 87Sr/ 86Sr ratios of pedogenic clays (vermiculite, smectite) record the isotopic composition of Sr in the weathering environment, and can be used as a proxy for 87Sr/86Sr in the paleo-GB basin. The Sr data from pedogenic clays shows that river 87Sr/86Sr values were near 0.72 prior to 7 Ma, rose rapidly to 2 0.74 in the Pliocene, and returned to I 0.72 in the middle Pleistocene. These are the first direct constraints available on the temporal variability of 87Sr/86Sr in a major river system. The high 87Sr/86Sr values resulted from intensified chemical weathering of radiogenic silicates and a shift in the carbonate-silicate weathering ratio. Modeling of the seawater Sr isotopic budget shows that the high river 87Sr/86Sr values require a ca. 50% decrease in the Sr flux from the GB system in the Pliocene. The relationship between weathering intensity, 87Sr/86Sr and Sr flux is similar to that observed in modem rivers, and implies that fluxes of other elements such as Ca, Na and Si were also reduced. Increased weathering intensity but reduced Sr flux appears to require a late Miocene-Pliocene decrease in Himalayan erosion rates, followed by a return to physically dominated and rapid erosion in the Pleistocene. In contrast to the view that increasing seawater 87Sr/86Sr results from increased erosion, Mio-Pliocene to mid-Pleistocene changes in the seawater Sr budget were the result of reduced erosion rates and Sr fluxes from the Himalaya.
Navigating the bone marrow niche: translational insights and cancer-driven dysfunction

The bone marrow niche consists of stem and progenitor cells destined to become mature cells such as haematopoietic elements, osteoblasts or adipocytes. Marrow cells, influenced by endocrine, paracrine and autocrine factors, ultimately function as a unit to regulate bone remodelling and haematopoiesis. Current evidence highlights that the bone marrow niche is not merely an anatomic compartment; rather, it integrates the physiology of two distinct organ systems, the skeleton and the marrow. The niche has a hypoxic microenvironment that maintains quiescent haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and supports glycolytic metabolism. In response to biochemical cues and under the influence of neural, hormonal, and biochemical factors, marrow stromal elements, such as mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), differentiate into mature, functioning cells. However, disruption of the niche can affect cellular differentiation, resulting in disorders ranging from osteoporosis to malignancy. In this Review, we propose that the niche reflects the vitality of two tissues — bone and blood — by providing a unique environment for stem and stromal cells to flourish while simultaneously preventing disproportionate proliferation, malignant transformation or loss of the multipotent progenitors required for healing, functional immunity and growth throughout an organism's lifetime. Through a fuller understanding of the complexity of the niche in physiologic and pathologic states, the successful development of more-effective therapeutic approaches to target the niche and its cellular components for the treatment of rheumatic, endocrine, neoplastic and metabolic diseases becomes achievable.
Atomic redistribution of alloying elements in nanocrystalline austenitic chromium-nickel steels obtained by strong plastic deformation

Abstract The fcc solid solution of the stable austenitic 12Cr30Ni steels has exhibited segregation during heavy cold-working ψ > 80%, T = 24 °C), that gives rise to a ferromagnetic component with a Curie temperature close to 128 °C, which may be associated with a local increase in the nickel concentration to 40%. The redistribution of the alloying elements induced by cold working is attributed, by analogy with the low-temperature irradiation, to the diffusion of the point defects generated by the deformation, to the sinks (grain or sub grain boundaries, phase interfaces, etc.) so that the sink regions have higher or lower concentrations of elements with different atomic radii. Changes that take place in the matrix during redistribution of the alloying elements are evaluated using the Mossbauer spectroscopy.
Predictors of treatment outcome in adults with ADHD treated with OROS<ce:sup loc=post>®</ce:sup> methylphenidate

BACKGROUND
We conducted a post-hoc analysis of the Long-Acting MethylpheniDate in Adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (LAMDA) study to investigate predictors of response in adults with ADHD randomly assigned to Osmotic Release Oral System (OROS)(®)-methylphenidate hydrochloride (MPH) 18, 36 or 72 mg or placebo.


METHODS
LAMDA comprised a 5-week, double-blind (DB) period, followed by a 7-week, open-label (OL) period. A post-hoc analysis of covariance and a logistic regression analysis were undertaken to detect whether specific baseline parameters or overall treatment compliance during the double-blind phase contributed to response. The initial model included all covariates as independent variables; a backward stepwise selection method was used, with stay criteria of p<0.10. Six outcomes were considered: change from baseline CAARS:O-SV (physician-rated) and CAARS:S-S (self-report) scores at DB and OL end points, and response rate (≥30% decrease in CAARS:O-SV score from baseline) and normalization of CAARS:O-SV score at DB end point.


RESULTS
Taking into account a significant effect of OROS(®)-MPH treatment versus placebo in the original analysis (p≤0.015), across the outcomes considered in this post-hoc analysis, higher baseline CAARS scores were most strongly predictive of superior outcomes. Male gender and lower academic achievement were also predictive for improved results with certain outcomes.


CONCLUSIONS
Several baseline factors may help to predict better treatment outcomes in adults receiving OROS(®)-MPH; however, further research is required to confirm these findings and examine their neurobiological underpinnings.