LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Intensive lipid lowering with atorvastatin in patients with coronary heart disease and chronic kidney disease: the TNT (Treating to New Targets) study.

OBJECTIVES
This subanalysis of the TNT (Treating to New Targets) study investigates the effects of intensive lipid lowering with atorvastatin in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) with and without pre-existing chronic kidney disease (CKD).


BACKGROUND
Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with CKD.


METHODS
A total of 10,001 patients with CHD were randomized to double-blind therapy with atorvastatin 80 mg/day or 10 mg/day. Patients with CKD were identified at baseline on the basis of an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 ml/min/1.73 m(2) using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease equation. The primary efficacy outcome was time to first major cardiovascular event.


RESULTS
Of 9,656 patients with complete renal data, 3,107 had CKD at baseline and demonstrated greater cardiovascular comorbidity than those with normal eGFR (n = 6,549). After a median follow-up of 5.0 years, 351 patients with CKD (11.3%) experienced a major cardiovascular event, compared with 561 patients with normal eGFR (8.6%) (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.35; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.18 to 1.54; p < 0.0001). Compared with atorvastatin 10 mg, atorvastatin 80 mg reduced the relative risk of major cardiovascular events by 32% in patients with CKD (HR = 0.68; 95% CI 0.55 to 0.84; p = 0.0003) and 15% in patients with normal eGFR (HR = 0.85; 95% CI 0.72 to 1.00; p = 0.049). Both doses of atorvastatin were well tolerated in patients with CKD.


CONCLUSIONS
Aggressive lipid lowering with atorvastatin 80 mg was both safe and effective in reducing the excess of cardiovascular events in a high-risk population with CKD and CHD.
Accuracy of automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) and real world UK number plate problems

This paper considers real world UK number plates and relates these to ANPR. It considers aspects of the relevant legislation and standards when applying them to real world number plates. The varied manufacturing techniques and varied specifications of component parts are also noted. The varied fixing methodologies and fixing locations are discussed as well as the impact on image capture.
Interactions of iron with manganese, zinc, chromium, and selenium as related to prophylaxis and treatment of iron deficiency.

Iron (Fe) deficiency is considered as the most common nutritional deficiency. Iron deficiency is usually associated with low Fe intake, blood loss, diseases, poor absorption, gastrointestinal parasites, or increased physiological demands as in pregnancy. Nutritional Fe deficiency is usually treated with Fe tablets, sometimes with Fe-containing multimineral tablets. Trace element interactions may have a significant impact on Fe status. Existing data demonstrate a tight interaction between manganese (Mn) and Fe, especially in Fe-deficient state. The influence of Mn on Fe homeostasis may be mediated through its influence on Fe absorption, circulating transporters like transferrin, and regulatory proteins. The existing data demonstrate that the influence of zinc (Zn) on Fe status may be related to their competition for metal transporters. Moreover, Zn may be involved in regulation of hepcidin production. At the same time, human data on the interplay between Fe and Zn especially in terms of Fe-deficiency and supplementation are contradictory, demonstrating both positive and negative influence of Zn on Fe status. Numerous data also demonstrate the possibility of competition between Fe and chromium (Cr) for transferrin binding. At the same time, human data on the interaction between these metals are contradictory. Therefore, while managing hypoferremia and Fe-deficiency anemia, it is recommended to assess the level of other trace elements in parallel with indices of Fe homeostasis. It is supposed that simultaneous correction of trace element status in Fe deficiency may help to decrease possible antagonistic or increase synergistic interactions.
Estimates of Seismic Potential in the Marmara Sea Region from Block Models of Secular Deformation Constrained by Global Positioning System Measurements

We model the geodetically observed secular velocity field in northwestern Turkey with a block model that accounts for recoverable elastic-strain accumulation. The block model allows us to estimate internally consistent fault slip rates and locking depths. The northern strand of the North Anatolian fault zone (NAFZ) carries approximately four times as much right-lateral motion ( 24 mm/yr) as does the southern strand. In the Marmara Sea region, the data show strain accumulation to be highly localized. We find that a straight fault geometry with a shallow locking depth of 6–7 km fits the observed Global Positioning System velocities better than does a stepped fault geometry that follows the northern and eastern edges of the sea. This shallow locking depth suggests that the moment release associated with an earthquake on these faults should be smaller, by a factor of 2.3, than previously inferred assuming a locking depth of 15 km. Online material: an updated version of velocity-field data.
Effect of stepped care on health outcomes in patients with osteoarthritis: an observational study in Dutch general practice.

BACKGROUND
A stepped care strategy (SCS) to improve adequate healthcare use in patients with osteoarthritis was developed and implemented in a primary care region in the Netherlands.


AIM
To assess the association between care that is in line with the SCS recommendations and health outcomes.


DESIGN AND SETTING
Data were used from a 2-year observational study of 313 patients who had consulted their GP because of osteoarthritis.


METHOD
Care was considered 'SCS-consistent' if all advised modalities of the previous steps of the SCS were offered before more advanced modalities of subsequent steps. Pain and physical function were measured with the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (range 0-100); active pain coping with the Pain Coping Inventory (range 10-40); and self-efficacy with the Dutch General Self-Efficacy Scale (range 12-48). Crude and adjusted associations between SCS-consistent care and outcomes were estimated with generalised estimating equations.


RESULTS
No statistically significant differences were found in changes over a 2-year period in pain and physical function between patients who received SCS-inconsistent care (n = 163) and patients who received SCS-consistent care (n = 117). This was also the case after adjusting for possible confounders, that is, -4.3 (95% confidence interval [CI] = -10.3 to 1.7) and -1.9 (95% CI = -7.0 to 3.1), respectively. Furthermore, no differences were found in changes over time between groups in self-efficacy and pain coping.


CONCLUSION
The results raised several important issues that need to be considered regarding the value of the SCS, such as the reasons that GPs provide SCS-inconsistent care, the long-term effects of the SCS, and the effects on costs and side effects.
Women Play Sport, But Not on TV A Longitudinal Study of Televised News Media

One of the long-standing trends in research on gender in sports media is the lack of coverage of women’s sport and the lack of respectful, serious coverage of women’s sport. In this article, we critically interrogate the assumption that the media simply provide fans with what they ‘‘want to see’’ (i.e., men’s sports). Using quantitative and qualitative analysis, we examine 6 weeks of the televised news media coverage on the local news affiliates in Los Angeles (KABC, KNBC, and KCBS) and on a nationally broadcast sports news and highlight show, ESPN’s SportsCenter. Part of an ongoing longitudinal study, the findings demonstrate that the coverage of women’s sport is the lowest ever. We argue that the amount of coverage of women’s sports and the quality of that coverage illustrates the ways in which the news media build audiences for men’s sport while silencing and marginalizing women’s sport. Moreover, the overall lack of coverage of women’s sport, despite the tremendous increased participation of girls and women in sport at the high school, collegiate, and professional level, conveys a message to audiences that sport continues to be by, for, and about men. 1 Department of Health & Kinesiology and Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies Program, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA 2 Department of Sociology and Gender Studies Program, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA 3 Faculty of Fine Arts, Laguna College of Art and Design, Laguna Beach, CA, USA Corresponding Author: Cheryl Cooky, Department of Health & Kinesiology and Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies Program, Purdue University, 800 W. Stadium Ave., Lambert Fieldhouse, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA. Email: ccooky@purdue.edu Communication & Sport 00(0) 1-28 a The Author(s) 2013 Reprints and permission: sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/2167479513476947 com.sagepub.com
Controlled trial of an audit facilitator in diagnosis and treatment of childhood asthma in general practice.

OBJECTIVE
To test whether an audit facilitator could alter the pattern of diagnosis and treatment of childhood asthma.


DESIGN
Randomised stratified controlled trial.


SETTING
12 general practices in Tayside.


SUBJECTS
3373 children aged 1-15 inclusive who had symptoms suggestive of asthma or possible asthma drawn from a systematic review of 10,725 general practice case records.


INTERVENTION
Children were targeted for a clinical review by their general practitioner or practice nurses.


MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Asthma related consultations, prescriptions, hospital attendances, and health service costs 12 months before and after study.


RESULTS
Compared with controls (n = 1563) the intervention group (n = 1585) had more practice initiated consultations for asthma (relative risk 2.18 (95% confidence interval 1.74 to 2.73)), new diagnoses of asthma (2.83 (2.26 to 3.54)), and past diagnoses reaffirmed (1.30 (1.08 to 1.58)), and they were more frequently prescribed inhaled cromoglycate (1.52 (1.02 to 2.25)). Hospital inpatient day rates fell from 152 to 122 in the intervention group and rose from 69 to 117 in the control group between the year before and the year after study. Total primary care costs rose from 30,118 pounds to 37,243 pounds in the intervention group and fell from 29,131 pounds to 27,990 pounds in the control group. Hospital care cost fell in the intervention group from 25,406 pounds to 20,727 pounds and rose in the control group from 12,699 pounds to 19,650 pounds.


CONCLUSION
An audit facilitator can favourably influence the pattern of diagnosis and treatment of childhood asthma in general practice. This may have an impact on health service costs.
Assessment of valve haemodynamics, reverse ventricular remodelling and myocardial fibrosis following transcatheter aortic valve implantation compared to surgical aortic valve replacement: a cardiovascular magnetic resonance study

OBJECTIVE
To compare the effects of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) on aortic valve haemodynamics, ventricular reverse remodelling and myocardial fibrosis (MF) by cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging.


DESIGN
A 1.5 T CMR scan was performed preoperatively and 6 months postoperatively.


SETTING
University hospitals of Leeds and Leicester, UK.


PATIENTS
50 (25 TAVI, 25 SAVR; age 77±8 years) high-risk severe symptomatic aortic stenosis (AS) patients.


MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Valve haemodynamics, ventricular volumes, ejection fraction (EF), mass and MF.


RESULTS
Patients were matched for gender and AS severity but not for age (80±6 vs 73±7 years, p=0.001) or EuroSCORE (22±14 vs. 7±3, p<0.001). Aortic valve mean pressure gradient decreased to a greater degree post-TAVI compared to SAVR (21±8 mm Hg vs. 35±13 mm Hg, p=0.017). Aortic regurgitation reduced by 8% in both groups, only reaching statistical significance for TAVI (p=0.003). TAVI and SAVR improved (p<0.05) left ventricular (LV) end-systolic volumes (46±18 ml/m2 vs. 41±17 ml/m2; 44±22 ml/m2 vs. 32±6 ml/m2 and mass (83±20 g/m2 vs. 65±15 g/m2; 74±11 g/m2 vs. 59±8 g/m2). SAVR reduced end-diastolic volumes (92±19 ml/m2 vs. 74±12 ml/m2, p<0.001) and TAVI increased EF (52±12% vs. 56±10%, p=0.01). MF reduced post-TAVI (10.9±6% vs. 8.5±5%, p=0.03) but not post-SAVR (4.2±2% vs. 4.1±2%, p=0.98). Myocardial scar (p≤0.01) and baseline ventricular volumes (p<0.001) were the major predictors of reverse remodelling.


CONCLUSIONS
TAVI was comparable to SAVR at LV reverse remodelling and superior at reducing the valvular pressure gradient and MF. Future work should assess the prognostic importance of reverse remodelling and fibrosis post-TAVI to aid patient selection.
Milk performance of dairy cows supplemented with rapeseed oil, peanut oil and sunflower seed oil.

The objective of the study was to investigate the effects of supplementing different plant oils to the basal diet on milk yield and milk composition in mid-lactating dairy cows. Forty Chinese Holstein dairy cows averaging 120 days in milk (DIM) at the start of the experiment (body weight = 580 ± 18.2 kg; milk yield = 33.0 ± 2.00 kg/day) were used in a completely randomized block design. The animals were assigned to four dietary treatments according to DIM and milk yield, and supplemented with no oil (control), 2% rapeseed oil (RSO), 2% peanut oil (PNO) and 2% sunflower seed oil (SFO). Milk yield and milk composition (fat, protein, and lactose) were measured. Dry matter intake was similar in all treatments. The supplementation of plant oil increased milk yield, with the highest milk yield in RSO group. Percentages of milk fat, lactose, solids-not-fat and SCC were not affected by treatments except for an increase in milk protein content in oil supplemented groups. The fatty acid (FA) profile of milk was altered by fat supplementation. Feeding plant oils reduced the proportion of both short-chain (C4:0 to C12:0) and medium-chain (C14:0 to C16:1) fatty acids, and increased the proportion of long-chain (≥ C18:0) fatty acids in milk fat. The inclusion of vegetable oils increased the concentration of cis-9, trans-11 CLA. The cis-9, trans-11 CLA content in milk fat was higher from RSO to PNO and SFO was higher than the control. The TVA concentration was higher in the SFO diet, followed by PNO, RSO, and control diets. The results of this study indicated that linoleic acid was more effective in enhancing contents of TVA and CLA in milk fat than oleic acid. No significant effects of week and treatment by week interaction were found out in this study. Overall, feeding plant oils increased monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids and decreased saturated fatty acids in milk fat. In conclusion, dietary supplementation of RSO increases milk yield the most, while SFO enhances the cis-9, trans-11 CLA content in milk fat more effectively.
Healthcare resource utilization and costs in working-age patients with high-risk atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease: findings from a multi-employer claims database.

OBJECTIVE
Patients with coronary artery disease with diabetes, a history of acute coronary syndromes, cerebrovascular atherosclerotic disease, or peripheral arterial disease are at particularly high risk for a cardiovascular (CV) event and can be defined as having high-risk atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). The objective of this study is to examine healthcare resource utilization (HRU) and total healthcare costs (THC) for patients with ASCVD in a commercially insured population.


METHODS
A retrospective cohort study was conducted using a large, US employer-based, claims database. Patients with an ASCVD diagnosis between October 1, 2008 to September 30, 2009 who met eligibility requirements were included. All-cause and ASCVD-related HRU and THC for the first and second year of follow-up were examined for all patients and by the number of arterial beds affected. Adjusted THC were compared across groups with and without polyvascular disease.


RESULTS
The analysis included 152,290 patients with ASCVD. Use of CV-related medications, hospitalizations, and office visits were highest among patients with three arterial beds affected. Mean all-cause THC for patients with ASCVD were ∼$19,000 per patient in Year 1 or Year 2, with medical costs as the main driver. ASCVD-related THC were also similar for Year 1 ($8699) and Year 2 ($7925) across all patients. Adjusted all-cause and ASCVD-related THC for both years were greatest for patients with three affected arterial beds compared with one or two affected beds (p < 0.001 for each comparison).


CONCLUSIONS
This is the first study in a managed care setting to systematically estimate all-cause and ASCVD-related THC for an aggregated population of ASCVD patients at high risk for a CV event. The economic burden of ASCVD in working-age patients in the US is substantial. Significantly higher HRU and costs were found in patients with polyvascular disease compared with those with only one affected bed.
Cooperative models for synchronization, scheduling and transmission in large scale sensor networks: an overview

What is the difference between classical remote sensing and sensor networks? What kind of data models that one can assume in the context of sensor networks? Can the sensors in the network concurrelty contribute to the sensing objective, without creating network conflicts? It is becoming apparent that methodologies designed to resolve network resource allocation conflicts in the communications among open systems have several bottlenecks when applied to sustain networkign among concurrent sensing nodes. Can we structure the network activities so that they are always directly beneficial to the sensing task? The goal of this paper is to articulate these questions and indicate how some resource allocation conflicts can be removed embracing colaborative networking approaches among the sensors.
Birth Outcomes for Pregnant Women with HIV Using Tenofovir-Emtricitabine.

BACKGROUND
In a previous trial of antiretroviral therapy (ART) involving pregnant women with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, those randomly assigned to receive tenofovir, emtricitabine, and ritonavir-boosted lopinavir (TDF-FTC-LPV/r) had infants at greater risk for very premature birth and death within 14 days after delivery than those assigned to receive zidovudine, lamivudine, and ritonavir-boosted lopinavir (ZDV-3TC-LPV/r).


METHODS
Using data from two U.S.-based cohort studies, we compared the risk of adverse birth outcomes among infants with in utero exposure to ZDV-3TC-LPV/r, TDF-FTC-LPV/r, or TDF-FTC with ritonavir-boosted atazanavir (ATV/r). We evaluated the risk of preterm birth (<37 completed weeks of gestation), very preterm birth (<34 completed weeks), low birth weight (<2500 g), and very low birth weight (<1500 g). Risk ratios with 95% confidence intervals were estimated with the use of modified Poisson models to adjust for confounding.


RESULTS
There were 4646 birth outcomes. Few infants or fetuses were exposed to TDF-FTC-LPV/r (128 [2.8%]) as the initial ART regimen during gestation, in contrast with TDF-FTC-ATV/r (539 [11.6%]) and ZDV-3TC-LPV/r (954 [20.5%]). As compared with women receiving ZDV-3TC-LPV/r, women receiving TDF-FTC-LPV/r had a similar risk of preterm birth (risk ratio, 0.90; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.60 to 1.33) and low birth weight (risk ratio, 1.13; 95% CI, 0.78 to 1.64). As compared to women receiving TDF-FTC-ATV/r, women receiving TDF-FTC-LPV/r had a similar or slightly higher risk of preterm birth (risk ratio, 1.14; 95% CI, 0.75 to 1.72) and low birth weight (risk ratio, 1.45; 95% CI, 0.96 to 2.17). There were no significant differences between regimens in the risk of very preterm birth or very low birth weight.


CONCLUSIONS
The risk of adverse birth outcomes was not higher with TDF-FTC-LPV/r than with ZDV-3TC-LPV/r or TDF-FTC-ATV/r among HIV-infected women and their infants in the United States, although power was limited for some comparisons. (Funded by the National Institutes of Health and others.).
Optimising motor adaptation in childhood obesity.

Childhood obesity is a major public health concern. According to the World Health Organization, more than 22 million children worldwide are classified as overweight (WHO, 2009). In Australia, the most recent data available show that 4.5% of boys and 5.5% of girls ages 2–18 years old are obese (Magarey & Daniels, 2001). Cutoffs for body mass index, weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared, ‡ 30 kg/m2 for obesity are universally accepted for adults. International cutoffs for obesity designed for children (Cole, Bellizzi, Flegal & Dietz, 2000) use age, gender and body mass index to define obesity (e.g. the cutoff for a 2-year-old boy is 20.09 kg/m2, whereas the cutoff for a 171⁄2-year-old girl is 29.84 kg/m2). Current research on the role of occupational therapy in addressing childhood obesity has focussed on weight loss, weight gain prevention, or increases in physical activity by restructuring environments and routines (Ziviani, Desha, Poulsen & Whiteford, 2010). However, weight loss is not immediate. Examining how to maintain children’s safety during weight loss is important. Obesity affects children’s ability to maintain safety (Bazelmans et al., 2004) while performing their occupations. Impairments in motor adaptation, altering actions to cope with continuously changing environments, result in increased safety risks for children who are obese. They also influence occupational performance, ‘the ability to perceive, desire, recall, plan and carry out roles, routines, tasks, and subtasks for the purpose of self-maintenance, productivity, leisure and rest in response to demands of
1 Billion Pages = 1 Million Dollars? Mining the Web to Play "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?"

We exploit the redundancy and volume of infor­ mation on the web to build a computerized player for the ABC TV game show" Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?". The player consists of a question­ answering module and a decision-making mod­ ule. The question-answering module utilizes question transformation techniques, natural lan­ guage parsing, multiple information retrieval al­ gorithms, and multiple search engines; results are combined in the spirit of ensemble learning using an adaptive weighting scheme. Empiri­ cally, the system correctly answers about 7 5% of questions from the Millionaire CD-ROM, 3rd edition-general-interest trivia questions often about popular culture and common knowledge. The decision-making module chooses from al­ lowable actions in the game in order to maxi­ mize expected risk-adjusted winnings, where the estimated probability of answering correctly is a function of past performance and confidence in correctly answering the current question. When given a six question head start (i.e., when start­ ing from the $2,000 level), we find that the sys­ tem performs about as well on average as humans starting at the beginning. Our system demon­ strates the potential of simple but well-chosen techniques for mining answers from unstructured information such as the web.
Embedded System Design: Modeling, Synthesis and Verification

ion Levels 3 Behavior (Function) Structure (Netlist) Physical (Layout) Logic Circuit Processor System