LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators for treatment of sustained ventricular arrhythmias in patients with Chagas' heart disease: comparison with a control group treated with amiodarone alone.

AIMS
Evidence is inconclusive concerning the benefit of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) for secondary prevention of mortality in patients with Chagas' heart disease (ChHD). The aim of this study was to compare the outcomes of ChHD patients with life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias (VAs), who were treated either with ICD implantation plus amiodarone or with amiodarone alone.


METHODS AND RESULTS
The ICD group [76 patients; 48 men; age, 57 ± 11 years; left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), 39 ± 12%] and the historical control group treated with amiodarone alone (28 patients; 18 men; age, 54 ± 10 years; LVEF, 41 ± 10%) had comparable baseline characteristics, except for a higher use of beta-blockers in the ICD group (P < 0.0001). Amiodarone was also used in 90% of the ICD group. Therapy with ICD plus amiodarone resulted in a 72% reduced risk of all-cause mortality (P = 0.007) and a 95% reduced risk of sudden death (P = 0.006) compared with amiodarone-only therapy. The survival benefit of ICD was greatest in patients with LVEF < 40% (P = 0.01) and was not significant in those with LVEF ≥ 40% (P = 0.15). Appropriate ICD therapies occurred in 72% of patients and the rates of interventions were similar across patients with LVEF < 40% and ≥40%.


CONCLUSION
Compared with amiodarone-only therapy, ICD implantation plus amiodarone reduced the risk of all-cause mortality and sudden death in ChHD patients with life-threatening VAs. Patients with LVEF < 40% derived significantly more survival benefit from ICD therapy. The majority of ICD-treated patients received appropriate therapies regardless of the LV systolic function.
Aircraft Proximity Maps Based on Data-Driven Flow Modeling

With the forecast increase in air traffic demand over the next decades, it is imperative to develop tools to provide traffic flow managers with the information required to support decision making. In particular, decision-support tools for traffic flow management should aid in limiting controller workload and complexity, while supporting increases in air traffic throughput. Indeed, the growth of air transportation is conditioned on the ability to maintain acceptable safety. While many decision-support tools exist for short-term traffic planning, few have addressed the strategic needs for mediumand long-term planning for time horizons greater than 30 minutes. This paper seeks to address this gap through the introduction of 3D aircraft proximity maps that evaluate the future probability of presence of at least one or two aircraft at any given point of the airspace. Three types of proximity maps are presented: (i) presence maps that indicate the local density of traffic, (ii) conflict maps that determine locations of potential conflicts and their corresponding probabilities, and (iii) outlier proximity maps that show the probability of conflict due to aircraft not belonging to
Ontology Patterns and Beyond - Towards a Universal Pattern Language

In this paper we argue for a broader view of ontology patterns and therefore present different use-cases where drawbacks of the current declarative pattern languages can be seen. We also discuss usecases where a declarative pattern approach can replace procedural-coded ontology patterns. With previous work on an ontology pattern language in mind we argue for a general pattern language.
Modeling and characteristic curves of electric power steering system

Electric Power Steering (EPS) has important significance in improving the auto's dynamic and static performances. This paper deals with the mathematical model and characteristic curves of EPS System. First, the principle and structure of EPS are discussed. Then the characteristics of EPS system are analyzed, including the typical power curves which deal the relationship of the assist torque and the steering wheel torque. At last the EPS system's dynamic model and the computerized simulation model have been established in MATLAB/Simulink in teams of three aspects which are the mechanical steering without power system, EPS system and EPS system with PID control. The simulation result that the actual current of the motor follows precisely the target current validates the designed assist characteristic.
A flexible modified dipole antenna printed on PET film

A flexible transparent modify dipole antenna printed on PET film is presented in this paper. The proposed antenna was designed to operate at 2.4GHz for ISM applications. The impedance characteristic and the radiation characteristic were simulated and measured. The proposed antenna has good performance. It can be easily mounted on conformal shape, because it is fabricated on PET film having the flexible characteristic.
Implementation of multi-site neurocognitive assessments within a pediatric cooperative group: can it be done?

BACKGROUND
Neurocognitive functioning is an important construct in childhood cancer survivorship, given the potential neurotoxicity of central nervous system (CNS) diseases and treatments and the relevance for important functional outcomes in adulthood. However, within pediatric oncology cooperative groups there have been significant barriers to neurocognitive data collection that have historically resulted in incomplete data (<30% compliance), thereby limiting progress in understanding the neurocognitive functioning of survivors. This paper describes the development, feasibility, and potential efficacy of a brief neurocognitive battery to maximize collection of psychometrically robust neurocognitive data within a pediatric cooperative group. We hypothesized that a novel set of procedures could result in collection of data from over 80% of eligible children.


PROCEDURE
A novel assessment battery (ALTE07C1) that evaluates a child's cognitive, social, emotional, and behavioral functioning was developed. It included measures that were psychometrically sound, normed, widely available, and could be administered by any licensed psychologist. The battery required approximately 1 hour of administration time. A data monitoring team was developed to ensure prompt data collection.


RESULTS
Approximately 75% (105 of 140) of institutions with eligible patients opened ALTE07C1; 159 participants have been enrolled. The overall compliance rate for submission of neurocognitive data exceeded 90%.


DISCUSSION
Our study supports the feasibility and potential efficacy of a brief neurocognitive battery and a data monitoring team to evaluate children participating in multi-site pediatric oncology trials. Future work will utilize ALTE07C1 as a primary or secondary endpoint for pediatric trials when there is risk for neurocognitive impairment.
Shamanism and Cognitive Evolution

based on cross-cultural research. This approach expands earlier theoretical interpretations offered for the significance of cave art that fail to account for central aspects of cave art material. Clottes & Lewis-Williams (1998), Smith (1992) and Ryan (1999) concur in the interpretation that neurologically-based shamanic practices were central to cave art (cf. Lewis-Williams 1997a,b). Clottes & Lewis-Williams suggest that, in spite of the temporal distance, we have better access to Upper Palaeolithic peoples’ religious experiences than other aspects of their lives because of the neuropsychological basis of those experiences. The commonality in the experiences of shamanism across space and time provides a basis for forming ‘some idea of the social and mental context out of which Upper Palaeolithic religion and art came’ (Clottes & LewisMichael Winkelman
Risk of recurrence after a first unprovoked venous thromboembolism: external validation of the Vienna Prediction Model with pooled individual patient data.

BACKGROUND
In order to stratify patients with a first unprovoked venous thromboembolism (VTE) according to their recurrence risk and to identify those who would actually benefit from indefinite anticoagulation, three prediction models have been developed so far; none of them has been yet externally validated.


OBJECTIVE
To externally validate the Vienna Prediction Model (VPM), a prediction guide for estimating the recurrence risk after a first unprovoked VTE developed through Cox modeling and including sex, D-dimer and index VTE site as predictors.


PATIENTS/METHODS
Nine hundred and four patients pooled from five prospective studies evaluating the prognostic value of D-dimer for VTE recurrence served as the validation cohort. The validity of the VPM in stratifying patients according to their relative recurrence risk (discrimination) and in predicting the absolute recurrence risk (calibration) was tested with survival analysis methods.


RESULTS
The ability of the VPM to distinguish patients' risk for recurrent VTE in the validation cohort was at least as good as in the original cohort, with a calibration slope of 1.17 (95% confidence interval 0.71-1.64; P = 0.456 for the hypothesis of a significant difference from 1), and a c-statistic of 0.626 (vs. 0.651 in the original derivation cohort). The VPM absolute predictions in terms of cumulative rates tended to underestimate the observed recurrence rates at 12 months.


CONCLUSIONS
By using a pooled individual patient database as a validation cohort, we confirmed the ability of the VPM to stratify patients with a first unprovoked VTE according to their risk of recurrence.
Adaptive Input Representations for Neural Language Modeling

We introduce adaptive input representations for neural language modeling which extend the adaptive softmax of Grave et al. (2017) to input representations of variable capacity. There are several choices on how to factorize the input and output layers, and whether to model words, characters or sub-word units. We perform a systematic comparison of popular choices for a self-attentional architecture. Our experiments show that models equipped with adaptive embeddings are more than twice as fast to train than the popular character input CNN while having a lower number of parameters. We achieve a new state of the art on the WIKITEXT-103 benchmark of 20.51 perplexity, improving the next best known result by 8.7 perplexity. On the BILLION WORD benchmark, we achieve a state of the art of 24.14 perplexity.1
MapReduce: a flexible data processing tool

MapReduce advantages over parallel databases include storage-system independence and fine-grain fault tolerance for large jobs.
Impact of central hypovolemia on photoplethysmographic waveform parameters in healthy volunteers part 2: frequency domain analysis

The photoplethysmographic (PPG) waveforms are modulated by the respiratory, cardiac and autonomic nervous system. Lower body negative pressure (LBNP) has been used as an experimental tool to simulate loss of central blood volume in humans. The aim of our research is to understanding PPG waveform changes during progressive hypovolemia. With IRB approval, 11 volunteers underwent a LBNP protocol at baseline, 30, 75, and 90 mmHg (or until the subject became symptomatic). Subjects were monitored with finger and ear pulse oximeter probes, ECG, and finger arterial blood pressure monitor (FABP). Heart rate variability (HRV) was analyzed to high frequency (HRV-HF) (0.12–0.4 Hz) and low frequency (HRV-LF) (0.04–0.12 Hz). Frequency analysis of PPG waveforms were computed to low (0.04–0.11 Hz) frequency (PPG-LF), intermediate (0.12–0.18 Hz) frequency (PPG-IF), respiratory (0.19–0.3 Hz) frequency (PPG-Resp.) and cardiac (0.75–2.5 Hz) frequency (PPG-Cardiac)during different phases of LBNP protocol Heart rate increased significantly while systolic, mean and pulse pressure of the FABP declined slowly together with significant reductions in HRV-HF (0.12–0.4 Hz) and HRV-LF (0.04–0.12 Hz) power at LBNP75. There was significant reduction in finger PPG-Cardiac modulation which is consistent with the reduction in the pulse pressure of the FABP. As the LBNP progress there was shift in the amplitude density of the ear PPG-Cardiac to PPG-Resp. Oscillation as an evidence of progressive hypovolemia with reduction in pulse pressure and increase in the respiratory induced variations. At LBNP75, there were significant increased (>140% increase from the baseline) in ear PPG-IF (0.12–0.18 Hz) in the meantime HRV-HF showed significant reduction (>89%) from the baseline. At the symptomatic phase; there was a shift in ear PPG-IF to PPG-Resp. With an increase in the ear PPG-Resp. Modulation to ≥175% from the baseline The pulse oximeter waveform contains a complex mixture of the effect of cardiac, venous, autonomic, and respiratory systems on the central and peripheral circulation. The occurrence of autonomic modulation needs to be taken into account when studying signals that have their origins from central sites (e.g. ear and forehead).
Motivation in second and foreign language learning

Zolt ́n Dörnyei Language Teaching / Volume 31 / Issue 03 / July 1998, pp 117 ­ 135 DOI: 10.1017/S026144480001315X, Published online: 12 June 2009 Link to this article: http://journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S026144480001315X How to cite this article: Zolt ́n Dörnyei (1998). Motivation in second and foreign language learning. Language Teaching, 31, pp 117­135 doi:10.1017/S026144480001315X Request Permissions : Click here
Dual band microstrip patch antenna element with parasitic for GSM

A dual band microstrip patch antenna element, suitable for GSM 900/1800 base station operation is presented. The geometry consists on a smaller patch inside a larger one. Coupling and separation are provided by a U-slot. A single-layer structure has been designed, fabricated and tested. Good agreement has been obtained between theoretical and experimental results. To provide the required bandwidth for the GSM bands a double-layer structure is under analysis.
EM-IMM based land-vehicle navigation with GPS/INS

Integration of the global positioning system (GPS) with the inertial navigation system (INS) is favorable since it provides enhanced positioning accuracy. Its implementation is essentially based on the standard Kalman filter techniques. However, the estimation accuracy is degraded if unknown parameters present in the system model or the model changes with the environment as in the case of intelligent transportation systems (ITS). We propose an expectation-maximization (EM) based interacting multiple model (IMM) method, namely, EM-IMM algorithm, to jointly identify the unknown parameters and to estimate the position information. The IMM is capable of identifying states in jumping dynamic models corresponding to various vehicle driving status, while the EM algorithm is employed to give the maximum likelihood (ML) estimates of the unknown parameters. Compared to the conventional single model Kalman filter based navigation, the proposed algorithm gives improved estimation performance when the land-vehicle drives with changing conditions. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Evidence-based review of lasers, light sources and photodynamic therapy in the treatment of acne vulgaris.

Background There is a considerable need for effective and safe treatment for acne vulgaris. Objective In a systematic review with an evidence-based approach to assess the effects of optical treatments for acne vulgaris. Methods Original publications of controlled clinical trials were identified through searches in PubMed and the Cochrane Library. Results A total of 16 randomized controlled trials (RCT) and 3 controlled trials (CT) were identified, involving a total of 587 patients. Interventions included photodynamic therapy (PDT; 5 RCTs), infrared lasers (4 RCTs), broad-spectrum light sources (3 RCTs, 1 CT), pulsed dye lasers (PDL; 2 RCTs, 1 CT), intense pulsed light (IPL; 1 RCTs, 2 CTs), and potassium titanyl phosphate laser (1 RCT). The randomization method was mentioned in 6 of 16 RCTs, and one trial described adequate allocation concealment. Most trials were intraindividual trials (12 of 19), which applied blinded response evaluations (12 of 19) and assessed a short-term efficacy up to 12 weeks after treatment (17 of 19). Based on the present best available evidence, we conclude that optical treatments possess the potential to improve inflammatory acne on a short-term basis with the most consistent outcomes for PDT [up to 68% improvement, aminolevulinic acid (ALA), methyl-aminolevulinic acid (MAL) and red light]. IPL-assisted PDT seems to be superior to IPL alone. Only two trials compare optical vs. conventional treatments, and further studies are needed. Side-effects from optical treatments included pain, erythema, oedema, crusting, hyperpigmentation, pustular eruptions and were more intense for treatments combined with ALA or MAL. Conclusion Evidence from controlled clinical trials indicates a short-term efficacy from optical treatments for acne vulgaris with the most consistent outcomes for PDT. We recommend that patients are preoperatively informed of the existing evidence, which indicates that optical treatments today are not included among first line treatments.
Permeability of Cracked Steel Fiber-Reinforced Concrete

This research explores the relationship between permeability and crack width in cracked, steel fiber-reinforced con addition, it inspects the influence of steel fiber reinforcement on concrete permeability. The feedback-controlled splitting tension ~also known as the Brazilian test ! is used to induce cracks of up to 500 mm ~0.02 in.! in concrete specimens without reinforcement, and w steel fiber reinforcement volumes of both 0.5 and 1%. The cracks relax after induced cracking. The steel fibers decrease the pe of specimens with relaxed cracks larger than 100 mm. DOI: 10.1061/ ~ASCE!0899-1561~2002!14:4~355! CE Database keywords: Permeability; Cracking; Fiber reinforced materials; Concrete. ular ties ani gh an rela rtie ect ue es, bar bilto be ica tly tee de elp in ding utful ucete, ber s. 00, n then
Virtual reality spine surgery simulation: an empirical study of its usefulness.

OBJECTIVE
This study explores the usefulness of virtual simulation training for learning to place pedicle screws in the lumbar spine.


METHODS
Twenty-six senior medical students anonymously participated and were randomized into two groups (A = no simulation; B = simulation). Both groups were given 15 minutes to place two pedicle screws in a sawbones model. Students in Group A underwent traditional visual/verbal instruction whereas students in Group B underwent training on pedicle screw placement in the ImmersiveTouch simulator. The students in both groups then placed two pedicle screws each in a lumbar sawbones models that underwent triplanar thin slice computerized tomography and subsequent analysis based on coronal entry point, axial and sagittal deviations, length error, and pedicle breach. The average number of errors per screw was calculated for each group. Semi-parametric regression analysis for clustered data was used with generalized estimating equations accommodating a negative binomial distribution to determine any statistical difference of significance.


RESULTS
A total of 52 pedicle screws were analyzed. The reduction in the average number of errors per screw after a single session of simulation training was 53.7% (P  =  0.0067). The average number of errors per screw in the simulation group was 0.96 versus 2.08 in the non-simulation group. The simulation group outperformed the non-simulation group in all variables measured. The three most benefited measured variables were length error (86.7%), coronal error (71.4%), and pedicle breach (66.7%).


CONCLUSIONS
Computer-based simulation appears to be a valuable teaching tool for non-experts in a highly technical procedural task such as pedicle screw placement that involves sequential learning, depth perception, and understanding triplanar anatomy.
Multimedia Question Answering

By surveying recent research in multimedia question answering, this article explores QA's evolution from text to multimedia and identifies the challenges in the field.
To what extent does the anxiety scale of the Four-Dimensional Symptom Questionnaire (4DSQ) detect specific types of anxiety disorder in primary care? A psychometric study

BACKGROUND
Anxiety scales may help primary care physicians to detect specific anxiety disorders among the many emotionally distressed patients presenting in primary care. The anxiety scale of the Four-Dimensional Symptom Questionnaire (4DSQ) consists of an admixture of symptoms of specific anxiety disorders. The research questions were: (1) Is the anxiety scale unidimensional or multidimensional? (2) To what extent does the anxiety scale detect specific DSM-IV anxiety disorders? (3) Which cut-off points are suitable to rule out or to rule in (which) anxiety disorders?


METHODS
We analyzed 5 primary care datasets with standardized psychiatric diagnoses and 4DSQ scores. Unidimensionality was assessed through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). We examined mean scores and anxiety score distributions per disorder. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to determine optimal cut-off points.


RESULTS
Total n was 969. CFA supported unidimensionality. The anxiety scale performed slightly better in detecting patients with panic disorder, agoraphobia, social phobia, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and specific phobia. ROC-analysis suggested that ≥4 was the optimal cut-off point to rule out and ≥10 the cut-off point to rule in anxiety disorders.


CONCLUSIONS
The 4DSQ anxiety scale measures a common trait of pathological anxiety that is characteristic of anxiety disorders, in particular panic disorder, agoraphobia, social phobia, OCD and PTSD. The anxiety score detects the latter anxiety disorders to a slightly greater extent than GAD and specific phobia, without being able to distinguish between the different anxiety disorder types. The cut-off points ≥4 and ≥10 can be used to separate distressed patients in three groups with a relatively low, moderate and high probability of having one or more anxiety disorders.
New features of disease after diagnosis in 6 forms of systemic vasculitis.

OBJECTIVE
To quantify the occurrence of features of vasculitis that initially present after diagnosis in 6 types of primary vasculitis.


METHODS
Standardized collection of data on 95 disease manifestations in 6 vasculitides, including granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), microscopic polyangiitis (MPA), eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Churg-Strauss; EGPA), polyarteritis nodosa (PAN), giant cell arteritis (GCA), and Takayasu arteritis (TAK), was obtained within a set of multicenter longitudinal, observational cohorts. For each form of vasculitis, the frequency of disease-specific manifestations at diagnosis was compared to the cumulative frequency of each manifestation. The percentage of patients who initially developed severe manifestations after diagnosis, defined as organ- or life-threatening in the small and medium vessel vasculitides (GPA, MPA, EGPA, PAN) and as ischemic/vascular in the large vessel vasculitides (GCA, TAK), was reported.


RESULTS
Out of 838 patients with vasculitis, 490 (59%) experienced ≥ 1 new disease manifestation after diagnosis. On average, patients with vasculitis experienced 1.3 new manifestations after diagnosis (GPA = 1.9, MPA = 1.2, EGPA = 1.5, PAN = 1.2, GCA = 0.7, and TAK = 1.0). New severe manifestations occurred after diagnosis in 224 (27%) out of 838 patients (GPA = 26%, MPA = 19%, EGPA = 21%, PAN = 23%, GCA = 24%, and TAK = 44%). Timing of onset of new manifestations was not significantly associated with disease duration.


CONCLUSION
A majority of patients with vasculitis develop new disease features after diagnosis, including a substantial number of new, severe manifestations. Ongoing assessment of patients with established vasculitis should remain broad in scope.