LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
The effect of medical male circumcision on urogenital Mycoplasma genitalium among men in Kisumu, Kenya.

BACKGROUND
We determined the prevalence of urethral Mycoplasma genitalium (MG) infection and whether infection was associated with circumcision status among men enrolled in the randomized trial of medical male circumcision to prevent HIV acquisition in Kisumu, Kenya.


METHODS
MG and Trichomonas vaginalis were detected in first void urine by APTIMA transcription-mediated amplification assay. first void urine and urethral swabs were assessed for Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) and Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) by polymerase chain reaction assay. Herpes simplex virus type 2 antibodies were detected by IgG ELISA. Multivariable logistic regression identified factors associated with MG infection.


RESULTS
Specimens were collected between July and September 2010, and 52 (9.9%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 7.3%-12.4%) MG infections were detected among 526 men. N. gonorrhoeae and T. vaginalis were not associated with MG. CT coinfection was 5.8% in MG-infected men, and 0.8% among MG-uninfected men (P = 0.02). MG infection was predominantly asymptomatic (98%). The prevalence of MG was 13.4% in uncircumcised men versus 8.2% in circumcised men (P = 0.06). Being circumcised nearly halved the odds of MG (adjusted odds ratio [aQR] = 0.54; 95% CI: 0.29-0.99), adjusted for other variables significant at the P < 0.05 level: herpes simplex virus type 2 infection (aOR = 2.05; 95% CI: 1.05-4.00), CT infection (aOR = 2.69; 95% CI: 1.44-5.02), and washing the penis ≤1 hour after sex (aOR = 0.47; 95% CI: 0.24-0.95).


CONCLUSIONS
MG infection was reduced among men who were circumcised, adding to the benefits of male circumcision in preventing several sexually transmitted infections.
Exploring convolutional neural network structures and optimization techniques for speech recognition

Recently, convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have been shown to outperform the standard fully connected deep neural networks within the hybrid deep neural network / hidden Markov model (DNN/HMM) framework on the phone recognition task. In this paper, we extend the earlier basic form of the CNN and explore it in multiple ways. We first investigate several CNN architectures, including full and limited weight sharing, convolution along frequency and time axes, and stacking of several convolution layers. We then develop a novel weighted softmax pooling layer so that the size in the pooling layer can be automatically learned. Further, we evaluate the effect of CNN pretraining, which is achieved by using a convolutional version of the RBM. We show that all CNN architectures we have investigated outperform the earlier basic form of the DNN on both the phone recognition and large vocabulary speech recognition tasks. The architecture with limited weight sharing provides additional gains over the full weight sharing architecture. The softmax pooling layer performs as well as the best CNN with the manually tuned fixed-pooling size, and has a potential for further improvement. Finally, we show that CNN pretraining produces significantly better results on a large vocabulary speech recognition task.
Deep Learning of Turbulent Scalar Mixing

Based on recent developments in physics-informed deep learning and deep hidden physics models, we put forth a framework for discovering turbulence models from scattered and potentially noisy spatio-temporal measurements of the probability density function (PDF). The models are for the conditional expected diffusion and the conditional expected dissipation of a Fickian scalar described by its transported single-point PDF equation. The discovered model are appraised against exact solution derived by the amplitude mapping closure (AMC)/ Johnsohn-Edgeworth translation (JET) model of binary scalar mixing in homogeneous turbulence.
Wireless Networks for Medical Applications

With recent developments in the wireless networks field, new and innovative medical applications based on this technology are being developed in the research as well as commercial sectors. This trend has just started and the paper predict wireless networks are going to become an integral part of medical solutions due to its benefits in cutting down healthcare costs and increasing accessibility for patients as well as increasing the efficiency of the healthcare professionals. Same papers give some background on applications of wireless networks in the medical field and discuss the issue and challenges. It also tried to identify some of the standards in use. Another contribution due to this paper is the identification of innovative medical applications of wireless networks developed or currently being developed in the research and business sectors and also talk about the future trends in this field.
The synthetic geo-ecological environmental evaluation of a coastal coal-mining city using spatiotemporal big data : A case study in Longkou , China

The geological and ecological (geo-ecological) environment of the coastal coal-mining city is a basic element for human subsistence, and it connects the regional economy with social sustainable development. Using Longkou, a coastal mining city, as an example, a geological and ecological environmental quality assessment was conducted based on spatiotemporal big data. Remote sensing images, a digital elevation model (DEM), and precipitation and interpolation processing were used to generate factor layers. A synthetic evaluation index system was set up, including physical geography, geological conditions, mining intensity, ecological environmental recovery and geological hazards associated with mining. Moreover, an analytical hierarchy process was used to calculate the factor weight of each evaluation factor, and a consistency check was performed to build an assessment model of the geoecological environment of Longkou. The results indicate that multi-factor spatiotemporal big data provide a scientific assessment of the geo-ecological environmental quality with indispensable data and methods. The spatial distribution of geo-ecological environmental quality presented clear specialization of zonality, showing poor quality in the coastal coal mine ore concentration area and good quality in the inland and mountainous areas of Nanshan Mountain. The geo-ecological environmental quality of Longkou was divided into 5 levels as worst, poor, middle, good and better districts. The good and better districts accounted for 76.763% of the total area of the assessment region, indicating that the geoecological environmental quality of the study area was in good condition. The mining intensity and ecological environment recovery were major factors in determining the regional variation of the geoecological environment of Longkou. The possible causes inducing uncertainties and limitations in evaluation of the geo-ecological environmental quality were discussed. The model combining AHP with GIS proposed in this paper is an effective means of evaluating regional geo-ecological environmental quality. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The ubiquitin ligase Stub1 negatively modulates regulatory T cell suppressive activity by promoting degradation of the transcription factor Foxp3.

Regulatory T (Treg) cells suppress inflammatory immune responses and autoimmunity caused by self-reactive T cells. The key Treg cell transcription factor Foxp3 is downregulated during inflammation to allow for the acquisition of effector T cell-like functions. Here, we demonstrate that stress signals elicited by proinflammatory cytokines and lipopolysaccharides lead to the degradation of Foxp3 through the action of the E3 ubiquitin ligase Stub1. Stub1 interacted with Foxp3 to promote its K48-linked polyubiquitination in an Hsp70-dependent manner. Knockdown of endogenous Stub1 or Hsp70 prevented Foxp3 degradation. Furthermore, the overexpression of Stub1 in Treg cells abrogated their ability to suppress inflammatory immune responses in vitro and in vivo and conferred a T-helper-1-cell-like phenotype. Our results demonstrate the critical role of the stress-activated Stub1-Hsp70 complex in promoting Treg cell inactivation, thus providing a potential therapeutic target for the intervention against autoimmune disease, infection, and cancer.
Two-electrode biopotential measurements: power line interference analysis

In this paper, an analysis of power line interference in two-electrode biopotential measurement amplifiers is presented. A model of the amplifier that includes its input stage and takes into account the effects of the common mode input impedance Z/sub C/ is proposed. This approach is valid for high Z/sub C/ values, and also for some recently proposed low-Z/sub C/ strategies. It is shown that power line interference rejection becomes minimal for extreme Z/sub C/ values (null or infinite), depending on the electrode-skin impedance's unbalance /spl Delta/Z/sub E/. For low /spl Delta/Z/sub E/ values, minimal interference is achieved by a low Z/sub C/ strategy (Z/sub C/=0), while for high /spl Delta/Z/sub E/ values a very high Z/sub C/ is required. A critical /spl Delta/Z/sub E/ is defined to select the best choice, as a function of the amplifier's Common Mode Rejection Ratio (CMRR) and stray coupling capacitances. Conclusions are verified experimentally using a biopotential amplifier specially designed for this test.
A Novel Cross‐linked Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) for Vascular Grafts

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) is a water-soluble synthetic polymer with excellent film-forming, emulsifying, and adhesive properties. The aim of this study is to design a simple process for PVA cross-linking with sodium trimetaphosphate to form membrane devices suitable for biomedical applications. This procedure requires no organic solvent, nor melting process to obtain films with high mechanical strength. Fabrication of a small diameter tube from a PVA film is easy with a single wrapping step around a Teflon rod. Dynamic mechanical analysis demonstrated that, upon removal of the applied stress, the PVA film with a Young’s modulus of 2 10 kPa returns to its original size and shape. The wall thickness of PVA tubes is 344 13mm (n1⁄4 12), which is close to the wall thickness of a human artery (350–710mm). Suture retention of a PVA tube is excellent (140 11 g), close to that of human vessels. The burst pressure of PVA tubes is found to be 507 25 mm Hg, more than three times higher than the human healthy systolic arterial pressure. Under arterial pressure, there was no leakage even after needle puncture, contrary to clinical vascular expanded polytetrafluoroethylene prostheses. Finally, PVA tubes of 2 mm in diameter are used to replace a segment of an infrarenal aorta in rats. For at least one week, no mechanical nor thrombotic complications are noticed even in the absence of anticoagulant or antiplatelet treatment. Graft patency is also evidenced with non-invasive imaging techniques. As a conclusion, this novel cross-linking method confers to poly(vinyl alcohol) particular mechanical properties such as compliance, elasticity and resistance to mechanical stress, compatible with the circulatory blood flow.
Development of Resistive Fault Current Limiters Based on YBCO Coated Conductors

All over the world there is a growing need for current limiting devices in electrical networks with steadily increasing power demands and fault currents. Production of YBCO coated conductors (CCs) paves the way for the economic viability of superconducting fault current limiters (FCLs) both in power distribution and transmission networks. In a cooperation between AMSC and Siemens the limiting capability of YBCO CCs has been investigated and was demonstrated in a successful laboratory test of a 2.2 MVA medium voltage FCL. This device is based on bifilar coils as switching elements and corresponds to one phase of a 3-phase FCL designed for the 13 kV-class distribution voltage level. In more than 40 switching tests at voltages up to 7.7 kV the device showed excellent limiting performance. Presently this cooperation has entered a new DOE funded joint project that encompasses the design, construction and test of a 115 kV FCL for power transmission within a time frame of 4-5 years and additional partners. AMSC as the project leader is responsible for wire manufacturing, system integration and cryogenics. Siemens' main task is switching modules development, Nexans contributes the high voltage terminations and Los Alamos National Lab investigates AC losses. Installation and testing are planned for a Southern California Edison substation. A project overview and progress under the first phase will be reported.
Interacting Multiple Model Kalman Filter Based Vehicle Lateral Motion Estimation Under Various Road Surface Conditions

In this paper, we present an estimation method of vehicle lateral motion using interacting multiple model (IMM) Kalman filter (KF) to consider various road surface conditions for the vehicle driving on asphalt, wet, or snow road. In a vehicle lateral dynamic model, the exact values of cornering stiffness are unknown so that typical nominal values are used for obtaining the control law for the active safety systems. To cope with this problem, in this paper we propose the IMM which consists of two vehicle dynamic lateral motion models: One model has a nominal dry road parameter, and the other one does parameters regarding the snow road. From IMM KF, we can obtain the stochastically best-blended state of the vehicle over various road surface conditions. From the simulation results on real measured camera sensor data, we observed that the vehicle lateral motion estimation using IMM KF outperforms the estimation using KF of each model. Furthermore, we validated the effectiveness of the proposed method using the virtual lane with the output of IMM KF estimates under various road surface conditions.
Symptom Severity and Quality of Life Among Long-term Colorectal Cancer Survivors Compared With Matched Control Subjects: A Population-Based Study.

BACKGROUND
Data are lacking regarding physical functioning, psychological well-being, and quality of life among colorectal cancer survivors >10 years postdiagnosis.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to examine self-reported physical functioning, quality of life, and psychological well-being in long-term colorectal cancer survivors compared with age- and sex-matched unaffected control subjects.


DESIGN
Participants completed a cross-sectional survey.


SETTINGS
The colorectal cancer survivors and unaffected control subjects were recruited from the Ontario Familial Colorectal Cancer Registry.


PATIENTS
A population-based sample of colorectal cancer survivors (N = 296) and their age- and sex-matched unaffected control subjects (N = 255) were included. Survivors were, on average, 15 years postdiagnosis.


MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Quality of life was measured with the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General scale, bowel dysfunction with the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center scale, urinary dysfunction with the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form, fatigue with the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue scale, and depression with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression scale.


RESULTS
In linear mixed-model analyses adjusting for income, education, race, and comorbid medical conditions, survivors reported good emotional, functional, physical, and overall quality of life, comparable to control subjects. Fatigue and urinary functioning did not differ significantly between survivors and control subjects. Survivors reported significantly higher social quality of life and lower depression compared with unaffected control subjects. The only area where survivors reported significantly worse deficits was in bowel dysfunction, but the magnitude of differences was relatively small.


LIMITATIONS
Generalizability is limited by moderately low participation rates. Findings are likely biased toward healthy participants. No baseline assessment was available to examine change in outcomes over time.


CONCLUSIONS
Long-term colorectal cancer survivors appear to have comparable quality of life and, in some areas, better well-being than their unaffected peers. Bowel dysfunction may continue to be an ongoing issue even 15 years after colorectal cancer diagnosis. Overall quality of life can be expected to be good in this group of older survivors. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww.com/DCR/A476.
Purine: A bi-graph based deep learning framework

type: op op_type: Conv name: conv1 inputs: [ bottom, weight ] outputs: [ top ] location: ip: 127.0.0.1 device: 0 thread: 1 other fields ... Example Op defined in YAML Location: The location that the blob/op resides on, including: ● ip address of the target machine ● what device it is on (CPU/GPU) Thread: Thread is needed for op because both CPU and GPU can be multiple threaded (Streams in terms of NVIDIA GPU).
Anxiety and Depression in COPD: Current Understanding, Unanswered Questions, and Research Needs.

BACKGROUND
Approximately 60 million people in the United States live with one of four chronic conditions: heart disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and major depression. Anxiety and depression are very common comorbidities in COPD and have significant impact on patients, their families, society, and the course of the disease.


METHODS
We report the proceedings of a multidisciplinary workshop on anxiety and depression in COPD that aimed to shed light on the current understanding of these comorbidities, and outline unanswered questions and areas of future research needs.


RESULTS
Estimates of prevalence of anxiety and depression in COPD vary widely but are generally higher than those reported in some other advanced chronic diseases. Untreated and undetected anxiety and depressive symptoms may increase physical disability, morbidity, and health-care utilization. Several patient, physician, and system barriers contribute to the underdiagnosis of these disorders in patients with COPD. While few published studies demonstrate that these disorders associated with COPD respond well to appropriate pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic therapy, only a small proportion of COPD patients with these disorders receive effective treatment.


CONCLUSION
Future research is needed to address the impact, early detection, and management of anxiety and depression in COPD.
VANETs: A Survey on Routing Protocols andIssues

In past few years, VANET (Vehicular Ad-hoc Network) has become a remarkable area for research analysis and development. VANET is a subgroup of MANET (Mobile Ad-hoc Network). VANET and MANET both are wireless networks which are characterized as self-configured and autonomous ad-hoc networks. VANETs differ from MANETs in terms of dynamic topology and high mobility. Due to unstable connectivity, high mobility and network partitioning, information routing in VANETs becomes difficult and challenging, thus creating a need for efficient VANET routing protocols. This paper provides a summary on VANET and gives its routing protocols which focuses on vehicle to vehicle i.e. V2V communication. This paper aims at classifying protocols on the basis of routing information and comparing them using following parameters namely methodology used, benefits/strengths and limitations. The paper compares reactive and proactive routing protocols based on their advantages and disadvantages, also discussing the challenges and research related issues for the routing mechanisms that exist in VANETs.
Combination 830-nm and 633-nm light-emitting diode phototherapy shows promise in the treatment of recalcitrant psoriasis: preliminary findings.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Psoriasis is one of the major problems facing dermatologists worldwide. Planar arrays of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have recently attracted attention in the treatment of difficult dermatological entities, 830 nm in near infrared (near-IR) and 633 nm in visible red. This study was designed to assess the efficacy of combination 830-nm and 633-nm LED phototherapy in the treatment of recalcitrant psoriasis.


SUBJECTS AND METHODS
Nine informed and consenting patients with psoriasis were enrolled in this preliminary study, (3 men, 6 women, mean age 34.3, skin types I to IV). All had chronic psoriasis, which in most cases had proved resistant to conventional treatments. They were treated sequentially with LED arrays delivering continuous-wave 830 nm (near-IR) and 633 nm (red) in two 20-min sessions over 4 or 5 weeks, with 48 h between sessions (830 nm, 60 J/cm(2); 633 nm, 126 J/cm(2)).


RESULTS
All patients completed their LED regimens (4 requiring 1 regimen, 5 requiring a second). Follow-up periods were from 3 to 8 months, except in two patients who were lost to follow-up. Clearance rates at the end of the follow-up period ranged from 60% to 100%. Satisfaction was universally very high.


CONCLUSIONS
The antiinflammatory effects of LED energy at 830 nm and 633 nm have been well documented, as has their use in wound healing. LED phototherapy is easy to apply, pain free and side-effect free, and is well tolerated by patients of all skin types. The promising results of this preliminary study warrant a proper controlled double-blind study with a larger patient population.
Using recurrent neural network models for early detection of heart failure onset

Objective
We explored whether use of deep learning to model temporal relations among events in electronic health records (EHRs) would improve model performance in predicting initial diagnosis of heart failure (HF) compared to conventional methods that ignore temporality.


Materials and Methods
Data were from a health system's EHR on 3884 incident HF cases and 28 903 controls, identified as primary care patients, between May 16, 2000, and May 23, 2013. Recurrent neural network (RNN) models using gated recurrent units (GRUs) were adapted to detect relations among time-stamped events (eg, disease diagnosis, medication orders, procedure orders, etc.) with a 12- to 18-month observation window of cases and controls. Model performance metrics were compared to regularized logistic regression, neural network, support vector machine, and K-nearest neighbor classifier approaches.


Results
Using a 12-month observation window, the area under the curve (AUC) for the RNN model was 0.777, compared to AUCs for logistic regression (0.747), multilayer perceptron (MLP) with 1 hidden layer (0.765), support vector machine (SVM) (0.743), and K-nearest neighbor (KNN) (0.730). When using an 18-month observation window, the AUC for the RNN model increased to 0.883 and was significantly higher than the 0.834 AUC for the best of the baseline methods (MLP).


Conclusion
Deep learning models adapted to leverage temporal relations appear to improve performance of models for detection of incident heart failure with a short observation window of 12-18 months.