LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Multidisciplinary Overview of Vaginal Atrophy and Associated Genitourinary Symptoms in Postmenopausal Women

INTRODUCTION
Vaginal atrophy, which may affect up to 45% of postmenopausal women, is often associated with one or more urinary symptoms, including urgency, increased frequency, nocturia, dysuria, incontinence, and recurrent urinary tract infection.


AIMS
To provide an overview of the current literature regarding cellular and clinical aspects of vaginal atrophy and response to treatment with local vaginal estrogen therapy.


METHODS
PubMed searches through February 2012 were conducted using the terms "vaginal atrophy," "atrophic vaginitis," and "vulvovaginal atrophy." Expert opinion was based on review of the relevant scientific and medical literature.


MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE
Genitourinary symptoms and treatment of vaginal atrophy from peer-reviewed published literature.


RESULTS
Typically, a diagnosis of vaginal atrophy is made based on patient-reported symptoms, including genitourinary symptoms, and an examination that reveals signs of the disorder; however, many women are hesitant to report vaginal-related symptoms, primarily because of embarrassment.


CONCLUSIONS
Physicians in various disciplines are encouraged to initiate open discussions about vulvovaginal health with postmenopausal women, including recommended treatment options. Goldstein I, Dicks B, Kim NN, and Hartzell R. Multidisciplinary overview of vaginal atrophy and associated genitourinary symptoms in postmenopausal women. Sex Med 2013;1:44-53.
Gastrointestinal stromal tumor of the stomach with lymph node metastasis

BACKGROUND
Lymph node (LN) metastasis of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) is unusual. Unlike gastric adenocarcinomas, routine lymphadenectomy is not recommended unless there is no suspicion for LN metastasis. Herein, we report a case of GIST of the stomach with LN metastasis treated with distal gastrectomy with perigastric LN dissection followed by adjuvant imatinib therapy.


CASE PRESENTATION
A 32-year-old female presented with anemia. Diagnostic investigations including thoracoabdominopelvic computed tomography (CT) scan and gastroscopy revealed a 8 cm gastric antral submucosal tumor without any metastasis. Enlarged periantral LNs were detected during laparotomy and patient underwent distal gastrectomy with en bloc perigastric LN dissection. Pathologic investigation revealed antral stromal tumor with high mitotic and Ki-67 index. Lymph node metastasis was observed in 7 of 12 resected perigastirc nodes. Immunohistochemically, tumor cells were positive for CD117. She was diagnosed as high grade gastric GIST due to the presence of LN metastasis, large tumor size and unfavorable histopathologic features thus underwent adjuvant imatinib treatment (400 mg, daily). No recurrence or metastasis has been detected during a 12-month of postoperative follow-up.


CONCLUSION
Surgery remains the mainstay of treatment in patients with localized, resectable GISTs. Although lymphatic metastasis rarely occurs in patients with GIST, LN dissection should be considered for patients with any suspicion of nodal metastasis. Adjuvant imatinib treatment is recommended according to the well defined prognostic factors.
Postscript: "Endomorphism spectra of graphs" [Discrete Mathematics 109 (1992) 45-57]

Abstract We answer some questions about the existence of graphs with a given endotype posed in Bottcher and Knauer (Discrete Math. 109 (1992) 45–57). All definitions and needed terminology can be found there and for brevity they will not be repeated here. All results have been obtained by computer calculations.
Influence of vitamin C on salivary absorbed dose of 131I in thyroid cancer patients: a prospective, randomized, single-blind, controlled trial.

UNLABELLED
In this study, vitamin C was administered at various times as a sour stimulant to thyroid cancer patients, and the effect on salivary absorbed dose of therapeutic radioiodine ((131)I) was investigated.


METHODS
Patients with differentiated thyroid cancer who had been prepared for thyroid remnant ablation after total thyroidectomy were prospectively recruited and, using a random-number table, were divided into 4 groups. In the hypothyroid condition, the patients in groups A, B, C, and D began sucking vitamin C (100 mg every 4 h in the daytime over 6 d) at 1, 5, 13, and 25 h, respectively, after receiving 3.7 GBq of (131)I. Scintigraphic images of the head and neck were serially acquired after (131)I administration to assess biokinetics in the salivary glands. Calculation of salivary absorbed dose was based on the MIRD schema of the Society of Nuclear Medicine.


RESULTS
Seventy-two patients (18, 18, 19, and 17 patients from groups A, B, C, and D, respectively) were eligible for the analysis of salivary dosimetry. Differences in absorbed doses to the parotid salivary gland (0.18 +/- 0.11, 0.16 +/- 0.07, 0.16 +/- 0.09, and 0.16 +/- 0.12 mGy/MBq in groups A, B, C, and D, respectively; P = 0.37) and submandibular salivary gland (0.19 +/- 0.05, 0.17 +/- 0.05, 0.18 +/- 0.07, and 0.17 +/- 0.06 mGy/MBq, respectively; P = 0.28) were not statistically significant among groups. Salivary cumulated activities arising from the first 24 h after (131)I administration accounted for 86.08% +/- 7.89% (range, 75%-98%) of total cumulated activities. Differences in salivary absorbed dose during the first 24 h were not statistically significant among the 4 groups either (P = 0.32 and 0.24, respectively, for the parotid and submandibular salivary glands).


CONCLUSION
Salivary stimulation with vitamin C at any time after (131)I administration has only a limited effect on salivary absorbed dose in thyroid cancer patients.
Investigating users' perspectives on e-learning: An integration of TAM and IS success model

The purpose of this paper is to examine an integrated model of TAM and D&M to explore the effects of quality features, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness on users’ intentions and satisfaction, alongside the mediating effect of usability towards use of e-learning in Iran. Based on the e-learning user data collected through a survey, structural equations modeling (SEM) and path analysis were employed to test the research model. The results revealed that ‘‘intention’’ and ‘‘user satisfaction’’ both had positive effects on actual use of e-learning. ‘‘System quality’’ and ‘‘information quality’’ were found to be the primary factors driving users’ intentions and satisfaction towards use of e-learning. At last, ‘‘perceived usefulness’’ mediated the relationship between ease of use and users’ intentions. The sample consisted of e-learning users of four public universities in Iran. Past studies have seldom examined an integrated model in the context of e-learning in developing countries. Moreover, this paper tries to provide a literature review of recent published studies in the field of e-learning. 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Modeling Power Consumption of NAND Flash Memories Using FlashPower

Flash is the most popular solid-state memory technology used today. A range of consumer electronics products, such as cell-phones and music players, use flash memory for storage and flash memory is increasingly displacing hard disk drives as the primary storage device in laptops, desktops, and servers. There is a rich microarchitectural design space for flash memory, and there are several architectural options for incorporating flash into the memory hierarchy. Exploring this design space requires detailed insights into the power characteristics of flash memory. In this paper, we present FlashPower, a detailed power model for the two most popular variants of NAND flash, namely, the single-level cell (SLC) and 2-bit Multi-Level Cell (MLC) based flash memory chips. FlashPower is built on top of CACTI, a widely used tool in the architecture community for studying various memory organizations. FlashPower takes several parameters like the device technology, microarchitectural layout, bias voltages and workload parameters as input to estimate the power consumption of a flash chip during its various operating modes. We validate FlashPower against chip power measurements from several different manufacturers and show that our results are comparable to the actual chip measurements. We illustrate the versatility of the tool in a design space exploration of power optimal flash memory array configurations.
Home based neuromuscular electrical stimulation as a new rehabilitative strategy for severely disabled patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

BACKGROUND
Passive training of specific locomotor muscle groups by means of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) might be better tolerated than whole body exercise in patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It was hypothesised that this novel strategy would be particularly effective in improving functional impairment and the consequent disability which characterises patients with end stage COPD.


METHODS
Fifteen patients with advanced COPD (nine men) were randomly assigned to either a home based 6 week quadriceps femoris NMES training programme (group 1, n=9, FEV(1)=38.0 (9.6)% of predicted) or a 6 week control period before receiving NMES (group 2, n=6, FEV(1)=39.5 (13.3)% of predicted). Knee extensor strength and endurance, whole body exercise capacity, and health related quality of life (Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire, CRDQ) were assessed.


RESULTS
All patients were able to complete the NMES training programme successfully, even in the presence of exacerbations (n=4). Training was associated with significant improvements in muscle function, maximal and endurance exercise tolerance, and the dyspnoea domain of the CRDQ (p<0.05). Improvements in muscle performance and exercise capacity after NMES correlated well with a reduction in perception of leg effort corrected for exercise intensity (p<0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
For severely disabled COPD patients with incapacitating dyspnoea, short term electrical stimulation of selected lower limb muscles involved in ambulation can improve muscle strength and endurance, whole body exercise tolerance, and breathlessness during activities of daily living.
Parallel Metaheuristics and Cooperative Search

The chapter presents a general view of parallel meta-heuristics for optimization. It recalls the main concepts and strategies in designing parallel meta-heuristics and identifies trends and promising research directions. The focus is on cooperation-based strategies, which display remarkable performances, in particular strategies based on asynchronous exchanges and the creation of new information out of exchanged data to enhance the global guidance of the search.
Sequential Resource Allocation for Nonprofit Operations

This paper studies a sequential resource allocation problem motivated by distribution operations of a nonprofit organization. The alternate objectives that arise in nonprofit, as opposed to commercial, operations lead to new variations on traditional problems in operations research and inventory management. Specifically, we consider the problem of distributing a scarce resource to meet sequentially observed customer demand. In a commercial setting, the amount distributed to each customer is determined to maximize profit; however, this objective may lead to inequitable distributions among customers. Our work in a nonprofit setting solves the sequential resource allocation problem with an objective function aimed at equitable and sustainable service. We define service in terms of fill rate (the ratio of the allocated amount to observed demand) and develop an objective function to maximize the expected minimum fill rate among customers. Through a dynamic programming framework, we characterize the structure of the optimal allocation policy for a given sequence of customers. In addition, we address customer visitation sequencing by identifying properties to consider in sequencing decisions to optimize the objective. For both inventory allocation and customer sequencing decisions, we develop heuristic methods which yield near-optimal solutions. Subject classifications: Inventory/production: sequential resource allocation. Transportation. Area of review: Manufacturing, Service and Supply Chain Operations
Service Level Agreements: Web Services and Security

To support the quality of service guarantee from the service provider side, complex web services require to be contracted through service level agreement. State of the art on web services and web service compositions provides for a number of models for describing quality of service for web services and their compositions, languages for specifying service level agreement in the web service context, and techniques for service level agreement negotiation and monitoring. However, there is no framework for service level agreement composition and composition monitoring, the existing design methodologies for web services do not address the issue of secure workflows development. The present research proposal aims to develop concepts and mechanisms for service level agreement composition and composition monitoring. A methodology that allows a business process designer to derive the skeleton of the concrete secure business processes from the early requirements analysis would benefit.
Gratifications for using CMC technologies: A comparison among SNS, IM, and e-mail

Why and how people choose to use a particular computer-mediated communication (CMC) technology is a major concern. This study seeks to address the issues by applying the uses and gratifications theory, and attempts to explore the general and specific gratifications sought from the use of three CMC technologies. Three separate empirical surveys were conducted to investigate the gratifications sought from social networking sites, instant messaging, and e-mail. Then factor analysis was undertaken to extract the gratifications sought from each CMC technology. The extracted gratifications sought were then compared among the three technologies for concluding the general and specific gratifications. Four general gratifications were extracted among the three CMC technologies, including relationship maintenance, information seeking, amusement, and style. Two gratifications were specific: the sociability gratification sought from using instant messaging and social networking sites; and the gratification of kill time sought from using instant messaging. Moreover, the important levels of gratifications sought from the three CMC technologies were found to be different. Our findings provide evidence to explain why not all traditional CMC technologies are replaced by innovative and advanced ones. The results of this study may be applied to CMC technology design and provide implications for future research. 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Authentication in an Internet Banking Environment; Towards Developing a Strategy for Fraud Detection

This paper outlines a framework for Internet banking security using multi-layered, feed-forward artificial neural networks. Such applications utilise anomaly detection techniques which can be applied for transaction authentication and intrusion detection within Internet banking security architectures. Such fraud 'detection' strategies have the potential to significantly limit present levels of financial fraud in comparison to existing fraud 'prevention' techniques
On Minimax Wavelet Estimators

In the paper minimax rates of convergence for wavelet estimators are studied. The estimators are based on the shrinkage of empirical coefficients β̂jk of wavelet decomposition of unknown function with thresholds λj. These thresholds depend on the regularity of the function to be estimated. In the problem of density estimation and nonparametric regression we establish upper rates of convergence over a large range of functional classes and global error measures. The constructed estimate is minimax (up to constant) for all Lπ error measures, 0 < π à ∞ simultaneously.
Muscle performance in patients with fibromyalgia.

OBJECTIVES
To compare muscle performance in women with fibromyalgia and in healthy women.


PATIENTS AND METHODS
Sixteen women with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) and 85 healthy women who were physically inactive or engaged in recreational sports underwent measurements of four parameters: maximal concentric isokinetic muscle strength of the knee extensors and flexors in the dominant limb, isometric grip strength on a Colin dynamometer, muscle fatigue resistance during 30 maximal concentric isokinetic contractions of the dominant knee flexors and extensors at 180 degrees angular velocity, and static endurance during posture maintenance.


RESULTS
All muscle variables were decreased in the FMS patients as compared to the controls. The decreases were more marked during aerobic than during anaerobic exercise. Mean decreases were 39% (P<0.001) for muscle strength, 40% (P<0.0001) for fatigue resistance, and 81% (P<0.0001) for static endurance. Pain during exercise as evaluated using a visual analog scale was more marked in the FMS patients.


CONCLUSION
This study of the three pathways supplying energy to muscle confirms that muscle function is globally impaired in FMS patients. The results suggest that the impairment predominates on aerobic processes.
Prevalence of rheumatic heart disease detected by echocardiographic screening.

BACKGROUND
Epidemiologic studies of the prevalence of rheumatic heart disease have used clinical screening with echocardiographic confirmation of suspected cases. We hypothesized that echocardiographic screening of all surveyed children would show a significantly higher prevalence of rheumatic heart disease.


METHODS
Randomly selected schoolchildren from 6 through 17 years of age in Cambodia and Mozambique were screened for rheumatic heart disease according to standard clinical and echocardiographic criteria.


RESULTS
Clinical examination detected rheumatic heart disease that was confirmed by echocardiography in 8 of 3677 children in Cambodia and 5 of 2170 children in Mozambique; the corresponding prevalence rates and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were 2.2 cases per 1000 (95% CI, 0.7 to 3.7) for Cambodia and 2.3 cases per 1000 (95% CI, 0.3 to 4.3) for Mozambique. In contrast, echocardiographic screening detected 79 cases of rheumatic heart disease in Cambodia and 66 cases in Mozambique, corresponding to prevalence rates of 21.5 cases per 1000 (95% CI, 16.8 to 26.2) and 30.4 cases per 1000 (95% CI, 23.2 to 37.6), respectively. The mitral valve was involved in the great majority of cases (87.3% in Cambodia and 98.4% in Mozambique).


CONCLUSIONS
Systematic screening with echocardiography, as compared with clinical screening, reveals a much higher prevalence of rheumatic heart disease (approximately 10 times as great). Since rheumatic heart disease frequently has devastating clinical consequences and secondary prevention may be effective after accurate identification of early cases, these results have important public health implications.
The Knowledge-Learning-Instruction ( KLI ) Framework : Toward Bridging the Science-Practice Chasm to Enhance Robust Student Learning

Executive Summary The volume of research on learning and instruction is enormous. Yet progress in improving educational outcomes has been slow at best. Many learning science results have not been translated into general practice and it appears that most that have been fielded have not yielded significant results in randomized control trials. Addressing the chasm between learning science and educational practice will require massive efforts from many constituencies, but one of these efforts is to develop a theoretical framework that permits a more systematic accumulation of the relevant research base.
Pediatric first aid knowledge and attitudes among staff in the preschools of Shanghai, China

BACKGROUND
Unintentional injury remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among children worldwide. The aims of this study were to assess a baseline level of first aid knowledge and overall attitudes regarding first aid among staff members in Shanghai preschools.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study was carried out among the staff members at selected preschools. A stratified random sampling method was first used to identify suitable subjects. Data were obtained using a multiple-choice questionnaire. A standardized collection of demographics was performed and participants were given the aforementioned questionnaire to indicate knowledge of and attitudes toward first aid.


RESULTS
1067 subjects completed the questionnaire. None of the surveyed employees answered all questions correctly; only 39 individuals (3.7%) achieved passing scores. The relative number of correct answers to specific questions ranged from 16.5% to 90.2%. In particular, subjects lacked knowledge regarding first aid for convulsive seizures (only 16.5% answered correctly), chemical injuries to the eye (23%), inhaled poison (27.6%), and choking and coughing (30.1%). A multiple linear regression analysis showed scores were significantly higher among staff members with more education, those who had received first aid training before or were already healthcare providers, younger employees, and staff members from rural districts. Most employees agreed that giving first aid was helpful; the vast majority felt that it was important and useful for them to learn pediatric first aid.


CONCLUSIONS
The level of first-aid knowledge among preschool staffs in Shanghai was low. There is an urgent need to educate staff members regarding first aid practices and the various risk factors relating to specific injuries.
The cooperative Internet of Things enabled Smart Grid

The strong coupling of Information and Communication (ICT) technologies – especially via the usage of networked embedded devices – with the energy domain, is leading to a sophisticated dynamic ecosystem referred to as the Internet of Energy. In the last mile of the Smart Grid i.e. the future smart home, heterogeneous devices will be able to measure and share their energy consumption, and actively participate in house-wide or building wide energy management systems. The emerging Smart Grid will heavily depend on cooperation that will emerge at various layers (horizontally and vertically), and on the interaction with networked embedded systems that will be realizing its sensing and actuation functionality. We focus here on the enabling aspects of cooperation between the real world such as the Internet of Things and its interactions in the smart house and Smart Grid era.