LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Phase I study to determine the safety and pharmacokinetics of the novel Raf kinase and VEGFR inhibitor BAY 43-9006, administered for 28 days on/7 days off in patients with advanced, refractory solid tumors.

BACKGROUND
BAY 43--9006, an oral multi-kinase inhibitor, targets serine-threonine kinases and receptor tyrosine kinases, and affects the tumor and vasculature in preclinical models. Based on its pharmacologic effect, it may be a useful cancer treatment. This study determined the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of BAY 43-9006 in 42 patients with advanced, refractory metastatic or recurrent solid tumors. Dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs), safety, pharmacokinetics and tumor response were also evaluated.


PATIENTS AND METHODS
In this open-label, phase I, dose-escalation study, BAY 43--9,006 was administered orally in repeated cycles of 35 days (28 days on/7 days off). Eight doses were investigated: from 50 mg every fourth day to 600 mg twice daily. Treatment continued until unacceptable toxicity, tumor progression or death.


RESULTS
The MTD was 400 mg twice daily. BAY 43-9006 was well tolerated, with mild to moderate toxicities; only six patients discontinued study therapy due to adverse events. DLTs consisted of hand-foot skin reaction in three of seven patients receiving 600 mg twice daily. Stable disease was achieved in 22% of patients; median duration of stable disease was 7.2 months. Consistent with its observed half-life of approximately 27 h, BAY 43-9, 006 accumulated on multiple dosing. Increases in exposure were less than proportional to the increases in dose.


CONCLUSIONS
Results indicate that further clinical investigation of BAY 43--9006 is warranted, and suggest it could be a promising future therapy for patients with cancer.
Morbid obesity attenuates the skeletal abnormalities associated with leptin deficiency in mice.

Leptin-deficient ob/ob mice are morbidly obese and exhibit low total bone mass and mild osteopetrosis. In order to disassociate the skeletal effects of leptin deficiency from those associated with morbid obesity, we evaluated bone mass, architecture, gene expression, and indices of bone turnover in WT mice, ob/ob mice allowed to feed ad libitum (ob/ob), and ob/ob mice pair-fed equivalent to WT mice (pair-fed ob/ob). Mice were maintained at 32 °C (thermoneutral) from 6 to 18 weeks of age to minimize differences in resting energy expenditure. ob/ob mice were heavier, had more abdominal white adipose tissue (WAT), and were hyperglycemic compared with WT mice. Femur length, bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density, and midshaft femur cortical thickness were lower in ob/ob mice than in WT mice. Cancellous bone volume (BV) fraction was higher but indices of bone formation and resorption were lower in ob/ob mice compared with WT mice; reduced bone resorption in ob/ob mice resulted in pathological retention of calcified cartilage. Pair-fed ob/ob mice were lighter and had lower WAT, uterine weight, and serum glucose than ob/ob mice. Similarly, femoral length, BMC, and cortical thickness were lower in pair-fed ob/ob mice compared with ob/ob mice, as were indices of cancellous bone formation and resorption. In contrast, bone marrow adiposity, calcified cartilage, and cancellous BV fraction were higher at one or more cancellous sites in pair-fed ob/ob mice compared with ob/ob mice. These findings indicate that the skeletal abnormalities caused by leptin deficiency are markedly attenuated in morbidly obese ob/ob mice.
Impact of applied progressive deep muscle relaxation training on the health related quality of life among prostate cancer patients--a quasi experimental trial.

PURPOSE
To determine the impact of applied progressive muscle relaxation training on health related quality of life among prostate cancer patients.


METHOD
A quasi-experimental study was conducted at the University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC) over six months. Patients from UMMC received the intervention and patients from UKMMC as a comparison group. The general health related quality of life was measured using Short Form-36 (SF-36).


RESULTS
A total of 77 patients from the intervention group and 78 patients from the comparison group participated in the study. At the end of the study, only 90.9% in intervention group and 87.2% in comparison group completed the study. There were significant differences between intervention and comparison groups for mental component summary (MCS) (p=0.032) and overall health related quality of life (p=0.042) scores. However, there was no significant difference between groups for physical component summary (PCS) (p=0.965).


CONCLUSION
The improvement in MCS and overall QOL showed the potential of APMRT in the management of prostate cancer patients. Future studies should be carried out over a longer duration to provide stronger evidence for the introduction of relaxation therapy among prostate cancer patients as a coping strategy to improve their QOL.
A Resource-Based View of Strategic IT Alignment: How Knowledge Sharing Creates Competitive Advantage

A critical decision problem for top management, and the focus of this study, is whether the CEO (chief executive officer) and CIO (chief information officer) should commit their time to formal planning with the expectation of producing an information technology (IT)-based competitive advantage. Using the perspective of the resource-based view, a model is presented that examines how strategic IT alignment can produce enhanced organizational strategies that yield competitive advantage. One hundred sixty-one CIOs provided data using a postal survey. Results supported seven of the eight hypotheses. They showed that information intensity is an important antecedent to strategic IT alignment, that strategic IT alignment is best explained by multiple constructs which operationalize both process and content measures, and that alignment between the IT plan and the business plan is significantly related to the use of IT for competitive advantage. Study results raise questions about the effect of CEO participation, which appears to be the weak link in the process, and also about the perception of the CIO on the importance of CEO involvement. The paper contributes to our understanding of how knowledge sharing in the alignment process contributes to the creation of superior organizational strategies, provides a framework of the alignment-performance relationship, and furnishes several new constructs. Subject Areas: Competitive Advantage, Information Systems Planning, Knowledge Sharing, Resource-Based View, Strategic Planning, and Structural Equation Modeling.
A new hybrid skirt monopole dielectric resonator antenna

In this paper, a new hybrid dielectric resonator antenna has been proposed. A skirt monopole antenna is applied to excite an inverted-conical-shape DRA leading to improve the radiation performance of the antenna with respect to the recently presented structures. A parametric study on different variables has been performed to achieve a large bandwidth. The best dimensions offer an ultra-wide bandwidth operation with ratio more than 3.5 for the upper-edge frequency of bandwidth to the lower one. Simulation results carried out by Ansoft HFSS demonstrate a nearly-omni-directional radiation pattern over the operating bandwidth. The complete measurements and simulation results will be depicted at the presentation.
Linear optical quantum computing with photonic qubits

Linear optics with photon counting is a prominent candidate for practical quantum computing. The protocol by Knill, Laflamme, and Milburn 2001, Nature London 409, 46 explicitly demonstrates that efficient scalable quantum computing with single photons, linear optical elements, and projective measurements is possible. Subsequently, several improvements on this protocol have started to bridge the gap between theoretical scalability and practical implementation. The original theory and its improvements are reviewed, and a few examples of experimental two-qubit gates are given. The use of realistic components, the errors they induce in the computation, and how these errors can be corrected is discussed.
High step-up dc-dc converter with high efficiency for photovoltaic module integrated converter systems

A new high efficiency high step-up dc-dc converter is proposed for photovoltaic (PV) module integrated converter (MIC) systems. In the proposed converter, two transformers are utilized to double the voltage conversion ratio. Two resonant voltage doubler rectifiers are designed so that the output rectifying diodes are turned off at zero-current. A 260 W prototype was built and tested. Power efficiency of 97 % was obtained at the rated output power for 36 V input voltage.
Effects of a one week multidisciplinary inpatient self-management programme for patients with fibromyalgia: a randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND
Self-management programmes (SMP) are recommended for patients with fibromyalgia. The purpose of this study was to evaluate effects of a one week multidisciplinary inpatient self-management programme on psychological distress, skills as a consumer of health services, self-efficacy, and functional and symptomatic consequences of fibromyalgia (FM).


METHODS
A randomised controlled two-armed, assessor-blinded trial with three-week follow-up to evaluate SMP. Primary outcomes were the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-20) and the Effective Musculoskeletal Consumer Scale (EC-17), while secondary outcomes included the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) and Self-efficacy scales for pain, function and symptoms (ASES).


RESULTS
150 patients with FM were randomised to one week one SMP (n = 75) or to a waiting list control group (n = 75). Of these, 58 participants in the treatment group and 60 in the control group completed the study. At three weeks' follow up there was a significant difference in EC-17 (0-100) in favour of the treatment group (mean difference 4.26, 95 CI 0.8 to 7.7, p = 0.02). There were no differences between the groups for any of the other outcomes.


CONCLUSION
This study shows that in patients with FM the SMP had no effect on psychological distress, functional and symptomatic consequences and self-efficacy, except for a small short-term effect on skills and behaviour that are important for managing and participating in health care (EC-17). Clinical Trials.gov Id: NCT01035125.


TRIAL REGISTRATION
Clinical Trials.gov Id: NCT01035125.
Cross-equipment study on charging phenomena of solid insulators in high voltage equipment

This paper reports on a new cross-equipment study on the charging phenomena of solid insulators, evaluating the influence of charging on high-voltage equipment such as gas insulated switchgear (GIS), oil-immersed transformers, gas-insulated transformers and high-voltage vacuum-insulated equipment. New parameters of normalized charge density and surface resistance are introduced to consistently explain all the characteristics of the surface charge density on solid insulators and the decay time constant of the accumulated charges between the equipment. The results show that the surface charge density and the decay constant decrease as the surface resistance of the insulators is lowered. Combinations of insulating media of solid insulators and fluids (gas or liquids) are discussed for GIS and oil-immersed transformers in terms of the relation between the relative permittivity and the volume resistivity. The decay time constant of the accumulated charges is generally dominated by the insulating media of a fluid like oil which has lower volume resistivity than solid insulators in cases like transformers. However, the time constant is determined by the resistivity of the solid insulator rather than the fluid (gas) for GIS. Furthermore, it is suggested that low resistivity coatings on solid insulators are effective in suppressing the charge accumulation on the insulators. These new cross-equipment studies on the charging phenomena are an effective approach to reliable insulation design especially when downsizing high-voltage equipment
Effects of metabolizable protein supply and amino acid supplementation on nitrogen utilization, milk production, and ammonia emissions from manure in dairy cows.

Two experiments were conducted with the objective of investigating the effects of rumen-protected methionine (RPMet) supplementation of metabolizable protein (MP)-deficient or MP-adequate but Met-deficient diets on dairy cow performance. Experiment (Exp.) 1 utilized 36 Holstein dairy cows blocked in 12 blocks of 3 cows each. Cows within block were assigned to one of the following dietary treatments: (1) MP-adequate diet [AMP; positive MP balance according to the National Research Council (2001) dairy model]; (2) an MP-deficient diet supplemented with 100g of rumen-protected Lys (RPLys)/cow per day (DMPL); and (3) DMPL supplemented with 24 g of RPMet/cow per day (DMPLM). Experiment 2 utilized 120 Holstein cows assigned to 6 pens of 20 cows each. Pens (3 per treatment) were assigned to one of the following dietary treatments: (1) AMP diet supplemented with 76 g of RPLys/cow per day (AMPL); and (2) AMPL (74 g of RPLys/cow per day) supplemented with 24 g of RPMet/cow per day (AMPLM). Each experiment lasted for 10 wk (2-wk adaptation and 8-wk experimental periods) following a 2-wk covariate period (i.e., a total of 12 wk). In Exp. 1, the MP-deficient diets decreased apparent total-tract nutrient digestibility but had no statistical effect on dry matter intake (DMI), milk yield, or milk fat percentage and yield. Compared with AMP, DMPL decreased milk protein content; both DMPL and DMPLM diets decreased milk protein yield. Urinary N losses and milk urea-N concentration were decreased by the MP-deficient diets compared with AMP. The ammonia emitting potential of manure from the MP-deficient diets was decreased by about 37% compared with that of AMP manure. Plasma Lys and Met concentrations were not affected by treatment, but concentrations of His, Thr, and Val were lower for the MP-deficient diets compared with AMP. In Exp. 2, the AMPLM diet had lower milk yield than AMPL due to numerically lower DMI; no other effects were observed in Exp. 2. In conclusion, feeding MP-deficient diets supplemented with RPLys and RPMet did not statistically decrease milk yield in dairy cows in Exp. 1. However, without RPMet supplementation, milk protein content was decreased compared with the MP-adequate diet. Other amino acids, possibly His, may limit milk production in MP-deficient, corn or corn silage-based diets. A summary of 97 individual cow data from trials in which MP-deficient diets were fed suggested the National Research Council (2001) model under-predicts milk yield in cows fed MP-deficient diets (MP balance of -20 to -666 g/d) in a linear manner: milk yield under-prediction [National Research Council (2001) MP-allowable milk yield, kg/d - actual milk yield, kg/d] = 0.0991 (±0.0905) + 0.0230 (±0.0003) × MP balance, g/d (R(2)=0.99).
Elementary Introduction to Stochastic Finance in Discrete Time

This article gives an elementary introduction to stochastic finance (in discrete time). A formalization of random variables is given and some elements of Borel sets are considered. Furthermore, special functions (for buying a present portfolio and the value of a portfolio in the future) and some statements about the relation between these functions are introduced. For details see: [8] (p. 185), [7] (pp. 12, 20), [6] (pp. 3–6).
Effects of Creative, Educational Drama Activities on Developing Oral Skills in Primary School Children

A research study was carried out to determine whether native language teaching courses that utilize creative drama activities are more efficient in developing oral communication skills in primary school students than the traditionally applied native language teaching courses. In the present research, the elements of oral communication skills of primary school students were investigated in terms of pronunciation and interpretation skills. The study group consisted of two groups of fourth-year students attending an elementary school in the provincial city-center of Erzurum, Turkey, during the 2006-2007 educational year. A random sampling technique was used to form the experiment (n = 32) and control (n = 33) groups. An observation form was developed to assess oral communication skills and collect data. The validity of this form was verified by referring it to experts and its reliability was confirmed by seven educators. This measurement tool was applied on the experiment and control groups as both a pre-test and post-test. In concordance with the aim of the study, the traditional method, using a teacher-centered course-book, was implemented in the control group, whereas native language instruction lessons were implemented utilizing drama activities in the experiment group. At the end of this 14 week period, both groups participated in the post-test. Data analysis demonstrated a significant difference between the experiment and control groups oral communication skills. The application of drama activities using native language instruction improved development of pronunciation skills when contrasted with traditional, teacher-centered course-book methods.
Effectiveness of a 30min CPR self-instruction program for lay responders : a controlled randomized study

of CPR ess of this l rescuers kin, and an superior
Penile length and girth restoration in severe Peyronie's disease using circular and longitudinal grafting.

Although this technique is highly reproducible and yields excellent functional results in terms of rigidity and curvature correction, satisfaction rates in these patients are lower than those of the general implant population, as they are more likely to be dissatisfi ed with the size of their penis [ 3 ] . In particular, in a recent series, up to 54% of patients felt that surgery had led to further loss of length, and 48% were dissatisfi ed with postoperative penile length [ 4 ] .
SourceData: a semantic platform for curating and searching figures

Entities are further categorized into those that are the object of the measurement (‘assayed components’) and those, if any, that are subjected to targeted and controlled experimental interventions (‘perturbations/interventions’). These two core categories are related to the concepts ‘perturbagen’ and ‘target’ in the Bioassay Ontology (BAO2) and capture an important aspect of the design of experiments where multiple conditions are compared with each other in order to test whether a given perturbation (e.g., the presence or absence of a drug), causes a given response (e.g., a change in gene expression). Additional categories include ‘experimental variables’, ‘reporters’, ‘normalizing components’ and generic ‘biological components’ (Supplementary Data). We developed a web-based tool with a graphical user interface that allows computer-assisted manual extraction of the metadata model described above at the level of individual figure panels based on the information provided in figure legends and in the images. Files that contain raw or minimally processed data, when available, can furthermore be linked or uploaded and attached to the figure. As proof of principle, we have curated a compendium of over 18,000 experiments published across 23 journals. From the 721 papers processed, 381 papers were related to the field of autophagy, and the rest were annotated during the publication process of accepted manuscripts at four partner molecular biology journals. Both sets of papers were processed identically. Out of the 18,157 experimental panels annotated, 77% included at least one ‘intervention/assayed component’ pair, and this supported the broad applicability of the perturbation-centric SourceData model. We provide a breakdown of entities by categories in Supplementary Figure 1. We note that the presence of a perturbation is not a requirement for the model. As such, the SourceData model is also applicable in cases such as correlative observations. The SourceData model is independent of data type (i.e., image-based or numerical values) and is well suited for cell and molecular biology experiments. 77% of the processed entities were explicitly mentioned in the text of the legend. For the remaining entities, curators added the terms based on the labels directly displayed on the image of the figure. SourceData: a semantic platform for curating and searching figures
Sexual functioning, quality of life and pelvic pain 12 months after endometriosis surgery including vaginal resection.

OBJECTIVE
To evaluate sexual function, quality of life and pelvic pain after endometriosis surgery including vaginal resection.


DESIGN
Prospective observational study with 12 months follow up.


SETTING
Regional central hospital and university hospital.


POPULATION
Twenty-two patients with deep endometriotic nodules in the posterior fornix of the vagina undergoing complete excision of endometriosis, including vaginal resection.


METHODS
Sexual functioning was measured with the McCoy Female Sexuality Questionnaire, quality of life with a generic questionnaire (15D) and pain with a 10-point visual analog scale. Questionnaires were completed before and 12 months after the surgery. Main outcome measures. Changes in sexual function scores, quality-of-life scores and pain.


RESULTS
Twelve months after surgery, the sexual satisfaction score was higher (p= 0.03) and the sexual problems score lower (p= 0.04) compared with baseline values. Health-related quality-of-life scores for discomfort and symptoms (p= 0.001), distress (p= 0.04), vitality (p= 0.03) and sexual activity (p= 0.001), and the overall 15D score (p < 0.001), were significantly improved. The severity of all studied types of pain was significantly decreased (p < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Complete excision of endometriosis, including vaginal resection, seems to offer a significant improvement in sexual functioning, quality of life and pelvic pain in symptomatic patients with deeply infiltrating endometriotic nodules in the posterior fornix of the vagina. This surgery may be associated with complications and adverse new-onset symptoms, and should be performed only after thorough consultation with the patient.
Structure-property effects of novel bioresorbable hybrid structures with controlled release of analgesic drugs for wound healing applications.

Over the last decades, wound dressings have developed from the traditional gauze dressing to tissue-engineered scaffolds. A wound dressing should ideally maintain a moist environment at the wound surface, allow gas exchange, act as a barrier to micro-organisms and remove excess exudates. In order to provide these characteristics, we developed and studied bioresorbable hybrid structures which combine a synthetic porous drug-loaded top layer with a spongy collagen sublayer. The top layer, prepared using the freeze-drying of inverted emulsions technique, was loaded with the analgesic drugs ibuprofen or bupivacaine, for controlled release to the wound site. Our investigation focused on the effects of the emulsion's parameters on the microstructure and on the resulting drug-release profile, as well as on the physical and mechanical properties. The structure of the semi-occlusive top layer enables control over vapor transmission, in addition to strongly affecting the drug release profile. Release of the analgesic drugs lasted from several days to more than 100 days. Higher organic:aqueous phase ratios and polymer contents reduced the burst release of both drugs and prolonged their release due to a lower porosity. The addition of reinforcing fibers to this layer improved the mechanical properties. Good binding of the two components, PDLGA and collagen, was achieved due to our special method of preparation, which enables a third interfacial layer in which both materials are mixed to create an "interphase". These new PDLGA/collagen structures demonstrated a promising potential for use in various wound healing applications.