LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND
Catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AFCA) is an established therapeutic option for rhythm control in symptomatic patients. Its efficacy and safety among patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction is based on small populations, and data concerning long-term outcome are limited. We performed this meta-analysis to assess safety and long-term outcome of AFCA in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction, to evaluate predictors of recurrence and impact on left ventricular function.


METHODS AND RESULTS
A systematic review was conducted in MEDLINE/PubMed and Cochrane Library. Randomized controlled trials, clinical trials, and observational studies including patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction undergoing AFCA were included. Twenty-six studies were selected, including 1838 patients. Mean follow-up was 23 (95% confidence interval, 18-40) months. Overall complication rate was 4.2% (3.6%-4.8%). Efficacy in maintaining sinus rhythm at follow-up end was 60% (54%-67%). Meta-regression analysis revealed that time since first atrial fibrillation (P=0.030) and heart failure (P=0.045) diagnosis related to higher, whereas absence of known structural heart disease (P=0.003) to lower incidence of atrial fibrillation recurrences. Left ventricular ejection fraction improved significantly during follow-up by 13% (P<0.001), with a significant reduction of patients presenting an ejection fraction <35% (P<0.001). N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide blood levels decreased by 620 pg/mL (P<0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
AFCA efficacy in patients with impaired left ventricular systolic function improves when performed early in the natural history of atrial fibrillation and heart failure. AFCA provides long-term benefits on left ventricular function, significantly reducing the number of patients with severely impaired systolic function.
Recognition of Nastalique Urdu ligatures

There has been considerable work on Arabic OCR. However, all that work is based on Naskh style. Urdu script is based on Arabic alphabet, but uses Nastalique style. The Nastalique style makes OCR in general and character segmentation in particular, a highly challenging task, so most of the researchers avoid the character segmentation phase and go in for higher unit of recognition. For Urdu, the next higher recognition unit considered by researchers is ligature, which lies between character and word. A ligature is a connected component of one or more characters and usually an Urdu word is composed of 1 to 8 ligatures. There are more than 25,000 Urdu ligatures, out of which top 4567 ligatures account for 99% of coverage. From OCR point of view, a ligature can further be segmented into one primary connected component and zero or more secondary connected components. The primary component represents the basic shape of the ligature, while the secondary connected component corresponds to the dots and diacritics marks and special symbols associated with the ligature. To reduce the class count, the ligatures with similar primary components are clubbed together. In this paper, we have presented a system to recognize 9262 ligatures formed from 2190 primary and 17 secondary components. Various combinations of DCT, Gabor filters and zoning based features along with kNN, HMM and SVM classifiers have been tried and a recognition accuracy of 98% has been reported on pre-segmented ligatures.
Effects of treatment in women with gestational diabetes mellitus: systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE
To summarise the benefits and harms of treatments for women with gestational diabetes mellitus.


DESIGN
Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.


DATA SOURCES
Embase, Medline, AMED, BIOSIS, CCMed, CDMS, CDSR, CENTRAL, CINAHL, DARE, HTA, NHS EED, Heclinet, SciSearch, several publishers' databases, and reference lists of relevant secondary literature up to October 2009. Review methods Included studies were randomised controlled trials of specific treatment for gestational diabetes compared with usual care or "intensified" compared with "less intensified" specific treatment.


RESULTS
Five randomised controlled trials matched the inclusion criteria for specific versus usual treatment. All studies used a two step approach with a 50 g glucose challenge test or screening for risk factors, or both, and a subsequent 75 g or 100 g oral glucose tolerance test. Meta-analyses did not show significant differences for most single end points judged to be of direct clinical importance. In women specifically treated for gestational diabetes, shoulder dystocia was significantly less common (odds ratio 0.40, 95% confidence interval 0.21 to 0.75), and one randomised controlled trial reported a significant reduction of pre-eclampsia (2.5 v 5.5%, P=0.02). For the surrogate end point of large for gestational age infants, the odds ratio was 0.48 (0.38 to 0.62). In the 13 randomised controlled trials of different intensities of specific treatments, meta-analysis showed a significant reduction of shoulder dystocia in women with more intensive treatment (0.31, 0.14 to 0.70).


CONCLUSIONS
Treatment for gestational diabetes, consisting of treatment to lower blood glucose concentration alone or with special obstetric care, seems to lower the risk for some perinatal complications. Decisions regarding treatment should take into account that the evidence of benefit is derived from trials for which women were selected with a two step strategy (glucose challenge test/screening for risk factors and oral glucose tolerance test).
Hygiene: new hopes, new horizons.

Although promotion of safe hygiene is the single most cost-effective means of preventing infectious disease, investment in hygiene is low both in the health and in the water and sanitation sectors. Evidence shows the benefit of improved hygiene, especially for improved handwashing and safe stool disposal. A growing understanding of what drives hygiene behaviour and creative partnerships are providing fresh approaches to change behaviour. However, some important gaps in our knowledge exist. For example, almost no trials of the effectiveness of interventions to improve food hygiene in developing countries are available. We also need to figure out how best to make safe hygiene practices matters of daily routine that are sustained by social norms on a mass scale. Full and active involvement of the health sector in getting safe hygiene to all homes, schools, and institutions will bring major gains to public health.
Intelligent agent-assisted adaptive order simulation system in the artificial stock market

Agent-based computational economics (ACE) has received increased attention and importance over recent years. Some researchers have attempted to develop an agent-based model of the stock market to investigate the behavior of investors and provide decision support for innovation of trading mechanisms. However, challenges remain regarding the design and implementation of such a model, due to the complexity of investors, financial information, policies, and so on. This paper will describe a novel architecture to model the stock market by utilizing stock agent, finance agent and investor agent. Each type of investor agent has a different investment strategy and learning method. A prototype system for supporting stock market simulation and evolution is also presented to demonstrate the practicality and feasibility of the proposed intelligent agent-based artificial stock market system architecture. 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Body fat abnormality in HIV-infected children and adolescents living in Europe: prevalence and risk factors.

OBJECTIVES
To estimate the prevalence of and identify risk factors for lipodystrophy syndrome (LS) and body fat abnormality in a population of HIV-infected children and adolescents.


DESIGN
Cross-sectional observational study.


METHODS
HIV-infected subjects aged 2-18 years were recruited from 15 HIV centers in Belgium, Italy, and Poland between January 2007 and December 2008. Standardized assessments by the patient's long-term clinician were performed to establish the presence of abnormality. Risk factors were explored in logistic regression models for fat abnormality outcomes and LS (abnormality plus dyslipidemia).


RESULTS
Among 426 subjects (70% white), median age was 12.2 years (interquartile range: 9.0-15.0 years) and median duration of antiretroviral therapy was 5.2 years (interquartile range: 2.2-8.8 years). Prevalence was 57% (n = 235) for LS and 42% (n = 176) for fat abnormality; 90 subjects with abnormality were affected in ≥3 locations. Lipoatrophy occurred in 28% (n = 117) of subjects and lipohypertrophy in 27% (n = 115), most commonly in the face and trunk, respectively. In multivariable analysis, white ethnicity, body mass index, ritonavir/lopinavir, and nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors were each associated with an increased risk of LS (P < 0.05). White ethnicity, history of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-defined disease, and stavudine were associated with risk of lipoatrophy (P < 0.05). Increased risk of lipohypertrophy was associated with body mass index and prior HIV disease.


CONCLUSIONS
Fat abnormality was prevalent in close to half of children and adolescents, who had accumulated long treatment durations. Risk of fat abnormality was associated with specific drugs, including stavudine and ritonavir, and other variables. Our results underline the importance of continued surveillance of children treated with antiretroviral therapy.
Crowded kitchens: the ‘democratisation’ of domesticity?

Building on previous work concerning the gendered nature of domest ic space, this paper focuses on the kitchen as a key site in which gendered role s and responsibilities are experienced and contested. As men have begun to engage more frequently in cooking and other domestic practices (albeit selectively and often on their own terms), the paper argues that kitchens have become ‘crowded’ spaces for women. Drawing on evidence from focus groups, interviews and ethnographic observation of kitchen pra ctices in South Yorkshire (UK), we suggest that men’s entry into the kitchen has facilitated the expression of a more diverse range of masculine subjectivities , while also creating new anxieties for women. Specifically, our evidence suggests that family meals may be e xp ri nced as a site of domestic conflict as well as a celebration of family life; that convenience and shortcuts can be embraced by women without incurring feelings of guilt an d imperfection; that cooking is being embraced as a lifestyle choice by increasing numbers o f men who use it as an opportunity to demonstrate competence and skill , while women are more pragmatic; ; and that kitchens may be experienced as ‘uncanny’ spaces by women as men increasingly assert their presence in this domain. Our analysis confirms tha t w ile the relationship between domestic practices and gendered subjectivities is changing, this does not amount to a fundamental ‘democratisation’ of domesticity with significantly greater equality between men and women.
The mortality rate from anorexia nervosa.

OBJECTIVE
We determined the standardized mortality ratio (SMR) in our anorexia nervosa (AN) patient population.


METHOD
We used a cross-sectional design to study an inception cohort (1981-2000) drawn from the provincial tertiary care eating disorders program at St. Paul's Hospital (British Columbia, Canada). All patients who completed their initial assessment for an eating disorder were included in the study. Vital status, date and cause of death from British Columbia Vital Statistics Agency, date of assessment, date of birth, and diagnosis at the time of assessment were collected for each patient.


RESULTS
Of 954 patients, 326 diagnosed with AN completed an assessment over the 20 years. The SMR was 10.5 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 5.5-15.5) for AN.


DISCUSSION
Some studies in the literature report that AN has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder in young females. However, others dispute this fact and report an SMR lower than the normal population mortality (SMR = 0.71). Contrary to some reports in the literature, our study confirms a high mortality rate within the AN population.
Contouring algorithm for ion figuring

Ion beam figuring provides a highly deterministic method for the final precision figuring of optical components with advantages over conventional methods. The ion-figuring process involves bombarding a component with a stable beam of accelerated particles, which selectively removes material from the surface. The specific figure corrections are achieved by rastering the fixed-current beam across the workpiece at varying velocities. Unlike conventional methods, ion figuring is a noncontact technique that avoids such problems inherent in traditional fabrication processes as edge roll-off effects, tool wear, and force loading of the work piece. Other researchers have demonstrated that ion beam figuring is effective for correcting of large optical components. This work is directed toward the development of the precision ion-machining system (PIMS) at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). This system is designed for processing small (~ 10 cm diameter) optical components. The ion-figuring process involves obtaining an interferometric error map of the surface, choosing a raster pattern for the beam, and determining the velocities along that path. Because the material removed is the convolution of the fixed ion beam removal and the rastering velocity as a function of position, determining the appropriate velocities from the desired removal map and the known ion beam profile is a deconvolution process. A unique method of performing this deconvolution was developed for the project, which is also applicable to other mathematically similar processes, including computer-controlled polishing. This paper presents the deconvolution algorithm, a comparison of this technique with other methods, and a simulation analysis. Future research will implement this procedure at MSFC.
Goal programming approaches to obtain the priority vectors from the intuitionistic fuzzy preference relations

The priority method on the intuitionistic fuzzy preference relation (IFPR) is proposed. In order to avoid the operational difficulty in dealing with the intuitionistic sets, the equivalent interval matrices of the IFPR are introduced. Based on the multiplicative consistent definition of the fuzzy interval preference relation (FIPR), the goal programming models for deriving the priority vector of the IFPR have been put forward by analyzing the relation between the IFNPR and the IFPR. This goal programming method is generalized to the case of group decision making with the weight information defined by each DM. Two numerical examples are provided to illustrate the application of the proposed models. 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Towards customizable games for stroke rehabilitation

Stroke is the leading cause of long term disability among adults in industrialized nations. The partial paralysis that stroke patients often experience can make independent living difficult or impossible. Research suggests that many of these patients could recover by performing hundreds of daily repetitions of motions with their affected limbs. Yet, only 31% of patients perform the exercises recommended by their therapists. Home-based stroke rehabilitation games may help motivate stroke patients to perform the necessary exercises to recover. In this paper, we describe a formative study in which we designed and user tested stroke rehabilitation games with both stroke patients and therapists. We describe the lessons we learned about what makes games useful from a therapeutic point of view.
Multi-tenancy authorization models for collaborative cloud services

The cloud service model intrinsically caters to multiple tenants, most obviously in public clouds but also in private clouds for large organizations. Currently most cloud service providers (CSPs) isolate user activities and data within a single tenant boundary with no or minimum cross-tenant interaction. It is anticipated that this situation will evolve soon to foster cross-tenant collaboration supported by Authorization as a Service (AaaS). At present there is no widely accepted model for cross-tenant authorization. Recently, Calero et al [12] informally presented a multi-tenancy authorization system (MTAS) which extends the well-known role-based access control (RBAC) model by building trust relations among collaborating tenants. In this paper we formalize this MTAS model and propose extensions for finer-grained cross-tenant trust. We also develop an administration model for MTAS (AMTAS). We demonstrate the utility and practical feasibility of MTAS by means of an example policy specification in XACML. We anticipate researchers will develop additional multi-tenant authorization models before eventual consolidation and unification.
Phase III Trial to Compare Adjuvant Chemotherapy With Capecitabine and Cisplatin Versus Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy in Gastric Cancer: Final Report of the Adjuvant Chemoradiotherapy in Stomach Tumors Trial, Including Survival and Subset Analyses.

PURPOSE
The Adjuvant Chemoradiotherapy in Stomach Tumors (ARTIST) trial tested whether the addition of radiotherapy to adjuvant chemotherapy improved disease-free survival (DFS) in patients with D2-resected gastric cancer (GC).


PATIENTS AND METHODS
Between November 2004 and April 2008, 458 patients with GC who received gastrectomy with D2 lymph node dissection were randomly assigned to either six cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy with capecitabine and cisplatin (XP) or to two cycles of XP followed by chemoradiotherapy and then two additional cycles of XP (XPRT). This final update contains the first publication of overall survival (OS), together with updated DFS and subset analyses.


RESULTS
With 7 years of follow-up, DFS remained similar between treatment arms (hazard ratio [HR], 0.740; 95% CI, 0.520 to 1.050; P=.0922). OS also was similar (HR, 1.130; 95% CI, 0.775 to 1.647; P=.5272). The effect of the addition of radiotherapy on DFS and OS differed by Lauren classification (interaction P=.04 for DFS; interaction P=.03 for OS) and lymph node ratio (interaction P<.01 for DFS; interaction P<.01 for OS). Subgroup analyses also showed that chemoradiotherapy significantly improved DFS in patients with node-positive disease and with intestinal-type GC. There was a similar trend for DFS and OS by stage of disease.


CONCLUSION
In D2-resected GC, both adjuvant chemotherapy and chemoradiotherapy are tolerated and equally beneficial in preventing relapse. Because results suggest a significant DFS effect of chemoradiotherapy in subsets of patients, the ARTIST 2 trial evaluating adjuvant chemotherapy and chemoradiotherapy in patients with node-positive, D2-resected GC is under way.
Gender Differences in Emotional Intelligence Among Adolescents of Chandigarh

150 students of Xth class from different Government Schools in Chandigarh were selected randomly for assessment of gender differences in emotional intelligence. The data was collected through standardized “Emotional Intelligence Test”. The findings revealed that majority of boys, girls and the total sample had good followed by low emotional intelligence. Girls were found to have higher emotional intelligence than that of boys. However the difference touched only 0.10 level, hence findings are just suggestive of the trend.
Attitude Toward the Viral Ad : Expanding Traditional Advertising Models to Interactive Advertising

As a form of advertising, viral video (VV) advertising is distinct in that its communication medium is the social connections between individuals instead of formal media. After viewing VV advertising, people are engaged in two independent but interrelated processes, i.e., video sharing and embedded brand information processing. Previous research has not examined the interaction between the two processes. This study expands on the mediation of attitude toward the advertisement model proposed by MacKenzie, Lutz, and Belch (1986). Experimental results from three viral video advertisements show that attitude toward the VV advertisement is the major factor affecting video sharing, but attitude toward the brand also has a significant impact on sharing activity. Affect transfer hypothesis (ATH) and its extended models are optimal in explaining viral video advertising, which is different from prior research on non-viral advertising that suggests dual mediation hypothesis as the optimal explanatory theory. © 2012 Direct Marketing Educational Foundation, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Is ICT Adoption for Agriculture Still an Important Issue ?

Attempts to understand and improve the effectiveness of ICT Adoption for Agriculture have been at the forefront of national and regional policies ever since computers became available for agricultural management and production. EFITA* has been sharing these efforts via it’s conferences and the collection of data sets to identify ICT Adoption constraints and trends over time. The 5th EFITA/WCCA conference hosted in Villa Real, Portugal addressed the results emanating from these data sets and the ongoing Adoption efforts. It evaluated them via a plenary discussion of the question: Is ICT Adoption for Agriculture Still an Important Issue? The overwhelming response from conference participants asserted that ICT Adoption for Agriculture and Rural Development remains a major national and international concern. It was suggested that if cost is eliminated as a constraint the other ICT adoption impediments, in both developed and developing countries, are basically the same. Training, as one example was identified as a common, dominant alleviating adoption factor. Public funding to promote ICT Adoption and services was justified with qualifications. It was observed that ICT Adoption for Agriculture should be considered as an issue of public concern beyond farmer’s interests. The EFITA sponsored data sets support some of the conference conclusions. *EFITA European Federation for Information Technology in Agriculture, Food and Environment The support of the Samuel Neaman Institute for Advanced Studies in Science and Technology for preparing the theme background material is gratefully acknowledged. Background Attempts to understand and explain the mechanism and constraints of Technological Innovation Adoption are not new – e.g. Grilliches (1957). Adoption of ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) in rural areas as a unique challenge has long been a specific public concern with regional, national and international strategic significance. Gelb, Schmidt and Rauschkolb (1985) focused as a case study on Extension as did an EU sponsored workshop Gelb, Bonati (1997). Harsh (1986) generalized ICT Adoption trends in Agriculture. They were later evaluated via an EFITA sponsored questionnaire since the 1999 EFITA Conference in Bonn Gelb, et al (2004). The USDA Computer Ownership and Use Surveys NASS (2005) highlight as a comparative baseline the significance of ICT Adoption constraints since 1997 for a very large sample of US farmers. With this indicative, intensive history of effort and studying ICT Adoption issues in mind the EFITA/WCCA 2005 conference deliberated a specific question: Is ICT Adoption in Agriculture and Rural Development still an Important Issue? The conference’s two dedicated sessions and plenary discussion participants had access to additional background material. It included the conference papers, the ongoing analysis of the previous EFITA Questionnaire data sets, several ICT Adoption in Agriculture perspective reviews (currently freely available at http://departments.agri.huji.ac.il/economics/gelb-