LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Validation of a virtual source model for Monte Carlo dose calculations of a flattening filter free linac.

PURPOSE
A linac delivering intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) can benefit from a flattening filter free (FFF) design which offers higher dose rates and reduced accelerator head scatter than for conventional (flattened) delivery. This reduction in scatter simplifies beam modeling, and combining a Monte Carlo dose engine with a FFF accelerator could potentially increase dose calculation accuracy. The objective of this work was to model a FFF machine using an adapted version of a previously published virtual source model (VSM) for Monte Carlo calculations and to verify its accuracy.


METHODS
An Elekta Synergy linear accelerator operating at 6 MV has been modified to enable irradiation both with and without the flattening filter (FF). The VSM has been incorporated into a commercially available treatment planning system (Monaco™ v 3.1) as VSM 1.6. Dosimetric data were measured to commission the treatment planning system (TPS) and the VSM adapted to account for the lack of angular differential absorption and general beam hardening. The model was then tested using standard water phantom measurements and also by creating IMRT plans for a range of clinical cases.


RESULTS
The results show that the VSM implementation handles the FFF beams very well, with an uncertainty between measurement and calculation of <1% which is comparable to conventional flattened beams. All IMRT beams passed standard quality assurance tests with >95% of all points passing gamma analysis (γ < 1) using a 3%/3 mm tolerance.


CONCLUSIONS
The virtual source model for flattened beams was successfully adapted to a flattening filter free beam production. Water phantom and patient specific QA measurements show excellent results, and comparisons of IMRT plans generated in conventional and FFF mode are underway to assess dosimetric uncertainties and possible improvements in dose calculation and delivery.
Alcohol as a risk factor for atrial fibrillation

U ovom radu prikazan je pacijent mladje životne dobi koji ima ponovljenu epizodu tahiaritmije apsolute neposredno nakon konzumiranja veće količine alkoholnih pića. Kod prikazanog pacijenta se po drugi put javlja epizoda tahiaritmije apsolute, postiže se ponovna brza medikamentozna konverzija u sinusni ritam koji se održava bez terapije u intervalima izmedju konzumiranja alkoholnih pića. Cilj ovog rada je da se skrene pažnja na alkohol kao značajan faktor u nastanku aritmija kod mladih ljudi sa strukturno zdravim srcem, da se probudi svest kod šire populacije o štetnom dejstvu ovog proizvoda ne samo na kardiovaskularni sistem već i druge sisteme tj. zdravlje u celini. Budući da aritmija apsoluta osim alkoholom može biti izazvana različitim etiološkim faktorima: hipertenzivna, ishemijska bolest srca, bolest mitralnog zaliska, kardiomiopatije, hipertireoza, degenerativne bolesti, starenje neophodno je hospitalizovati ovakve pacijente i sprovesti odgovarajuće dijagnostičke metode (elektrokardiogram, Holter monitoring srčanog ritma, ehokardiografski pregled) radi iskjučivanja drugih etioloških uzročnika i potvrde alkoholizma kao okidača za nastanak atrijalne fibrilacije.
E-government services effectiveness evaluation framework (E-GEEF): a case study of Indian e-tax service

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Outcomes of 2-level posterior lumbar interbody fusion for 2-level degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis.

OBJECT
A systematic review concerning surgical management of lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis (DS) showed that a satisfactory clinical outcome was significantly more likely with adjunctive spinal fusion than with decompression alone. However, the role of adjunctive fusion and the optimal type of fusion remain controversial. Therefore, operative management for multilevel DS raises more complicated issues. The purpose of this retrospective study was to elucidate clinical and radiological outcomes after 2-level PLIF for 2-level DS with the least bias in determination of operative procedure.


METHODS
Since 2005, all patients surgically treated for lumbar DS at the authors' hospital have been treated using posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) with pedicle screws, irrespective of severity of slippage, patient age, or bone quality. The authors conducted a retrospective review of 20 consecutive cases involving patients who underwent 2-level PLIF for 2-level DS and had been followed up for 2 years or longer (2-level PLIF group). They also analyzed data from 92 consecutive cases involving patients who underwent single-level PLIF for single-level DS during the same time period and had been followed for at least 2 years (1-level PLIF group). This second group served as a control. Clinical status was assessed using the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score. Fusion status and sagittal alignment of the lumbar spine were assessed by comparing serial plain radiographs. Surgery-related complications and the need for additional surgery were evaluated.


RESULTS
The mean JOA score improved significantly from 12.8 points before surgery to 20.4 points at the latest follow-up in the 2-level PLIF group (mean recovery rate 51.8%), and from 14.2 points preoperatively to 22.5 points at the latest follow-up in the single-level PLIF group (mean recovery rate 55.3%). At the final follow-up, 95.0% of patients in the 2-level PLIF group and 96.7% of those in the 1-level PLIF group had achieved solid spinal fusion, and the mean sagittal alignment of the lumbar spine was more lordotic than before surgery in both groups. Early surgery-related complications, including transient neurological complications, occurred in 6 patients in the 2-level PLIF group (30.0%) and 11 patients in the 1-level PLIF group (12.0%). Symptomatic adjacent-segment disease was found in 4 patients in the 2-level PLIF group (20.0%) and 10 patients in the 1-level PLIF group (10.9%).


CONCLUSIONS
The clinical outcome of 2-level PLIF for 2-level lumbar DS was satisfactory, although surgery-related complications including symptomatic adjacent-segment disease were not negligible.
Aesthetic surgery of the face and neck.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
The reader is presumed to have a basic understanding of facial anatomy and facial rejuvenation procedures. After reading this article, the reader should also be able to: 1. Identify the essential anatomy of the face as it relates to facelift surgery. 2. Describe the common types of facelift procedures, including their strengths and weaknesses. 3. Apply appropriate preoperative and postoperative management for facelift patients. 4. Describe common adjunctive procedures. Physicians may earn 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit by successfully completing the examination based on material covered in this article. This activity should take one hour to complete. The examination begins on page 464. As a measure of the success of the education we hope you will receive from this article, we encourage you to log on to the Aesthetic Society website and take the preexamination before reading this article. Once you have completed the article, you may then take the examination again for CME credit. The Aesthetic Society will be able to compare your answers and use these data for future reference as we attempt to continually improve the CME articles we offer. ASAPS members can complete this CME examination online by logging on to the ASAPS members-only website (http://www.surgery.org/members) and clicking on "Clinical Education" in the menu bar. Modern aesthetic surgery of the face began in the first part of the 20th century in the United States and Europe. Initial limited excisions gradually progressed to skin undermining and eventually to a variety of methods for contouring the subcutaneous facial tissue. This particular review focuses on the cheek and neck. While the lid-cheek junction, eyelids, and brow must also be considered to obtain a harmonious appearance, those elements are outside the scope of this article. Overall patient management, including patient selection, preoperative preparation, postoperative care, and potential complications are discussed.
Modeling and Characterization of Piezoelectric $d_{33}$ -Mode MEMS Energy Harvester

This paper presents the modeling, fabrication, and characterization of a piezoelectric microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) energy harvester using a d33 piezoelectric mode. A theoretical analysis and an analytical modeling for the d33-mode device were first performed to estimate the output power as a function of the material parameters and device geometry. A PbTiO3 seed layer was newly applied as an interlayer between the ZrO2 and Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 (PZT) thin films to improve the piezoelectric property of the sol-gel spin-coated PZT thin film. The fabricated cantilever PZT film with an interdigital shaped electrode exhibited a remnant polarization of 18.5 C/cm2, a coercive field of less than 60 kV/cm, a relative dielectric constant of 1125.1, and a d33 piezoelectric constant of 50 pC/N. The fabricated energy-harvesting device generated an electrical power of 1.1 W for a load of 2.2 M with 4.4 Vpeak-to-peak from a vibration with an acceleration of 0.39 g at its resonant frequency of 528 Hz. The corresponding power density was 7.3 mW cm-3 · g-2. The experimental results were compared with those numerically calculated using the equations derived from the dynamic and analytical modeling. The fabricated device was also compared with other piezoelectric MEMS energy-harvesting devices.
Model Predictive Direct Current Control for a grid-connected converter: LCL-filter versus L-filter

This paper presents a modified Model Predictive Direct Current Control (MPDCC) strategy for use with a Neutral Point Clamped (NPC) converter connected to the grid via an LCL-filter. The modified MPDCC strategy incorporates an Active Damping (AD) scheme based on the Virtual Resistor (VR) concept, which suppresses spectral content around the resonant frequency of the LCL-filter, enabling low levels of grid current distortion to be achieved with low switching frequencies. Through simulation the proposed scheme is compared against conventional MPDCC with a direct connection to the grid (L-filter). By comparing the trade-off curves of grid current distortion against device switching losses, it is shown that the performance of the proposed strategy is superior to that of conventional MPDCC with a direct grid-connection across a range of operating points.
A Kernel for Semi-Supervised Learning With MultiView Point Cloud Regularization

In semi-supervised learning (SSL), we learn a predictive model from a collection of labeled data and a typically much larger collection of unlabeled data. These lecture notes present a framework called multi-view point cloud regularization (MVPCR) [5], which unifies and generalizes several semi-supervised kernel methods that are based on data-dependent regularization in reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces (RKHS). Special cases of MVPCR include co-regularized least squares (CoRLS) [7, 3, 6], manifold regularization (MR) [1, 8, 4], and graph-based semisupervised learning. An accompanying theorem shows how to reduce any MVPCR problem to standard supervised learning with a new multi-view kernel.
Antipyretic and antinociceptive activity of Diospyros lotus L. in animals.

OBJECTIVE
To evaluate pharmacologically the traditional use of Diospyros lotus as antipyretic and antinociceptive in various animal models.


METHODS
In vivo experimental models were used in this study. Antipyretic activity of extract/fractions was evaluated in brewer's yeast induced hyperthermic mice while antinociceptive activity was studied in acetic acid induced writhing test at 50 and 100 mg/kg i.p.


RESULTS
The crude extract strongly ameliorated the induced pyrexia during various assessment times. Upon fractionation, the antipyretic effects were strongly augmented by the chloroform and ethyl acetate fractions of the plant. However, hexane and butanol fractions were insignificant in their effect as antipyretic. The extract showed marked inhibition on the noxious simulation induced by post acetic acid injection. The effect was strongly supported by other fraction expect hexane.


CONCLUSIONS
In short, our study scientifically validated the traditional use of the plant as antipyretic.
Sports- and Recreation-Related Concussions in US Youth.

OBJECTIVE
The incidence of sports- and recreation-related concussions (SRRCs) in the United States is unknown. More than 44 million youth participate in sports annually, thus understanding the frequency of SRRCs in children is important on a population level. Our objective was to determine the number of SRRCs occurring annually among US youth ≤18 years old.


METHODS
We identified SRRCs using 3 national databases: MarketScan, National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, and National High School Sports Related Injury Surveillance System, Reporting Injury Online. We determined the number of SRRCs seen in health care settings (outpatient, inpatient, and emergency department) and SRRCs reported to certified high school athletic trainers (ATCs). We used these data and findings in recently published literature to generate a national estimate of SRRCs.


RESULTS
We estimate that between 1.1 and 1.9 million SRRCs occur annually in US children aged ≤18 years. Most children with SRRCs, 511 590 to 1 240 972, were not seen in health care settings. Of children with SRRCs seen in health care settings, most were seen as outpatients with 377 978 visits, compared with between 115 479 and 166 929 ED visits, and between 2886 and 4936 hospitalizations.


CONCLUSIONS
This study provides the most accurate and precise estimate to date of the number of concussions among US children annually. SRRCs are a common injury in children. Providers in all health care settings need to be trained in concussion care. There is a need for better surveillance to enhance our understanding of the epidemiology of concussions in youth.
Advantage of Pulsatility in Left Ventricular Reverse Remodeling and Aortic Insufficiency Prevention During Left Ventricular Assist Device Treatment.

BACKGROUND
A continuous flow (CF) left ventricular assist device (LVAD) has various advantages over a pulsatile flow (PF) LVAD, but the extent of preventing aortic insufficiency (AI) by each type of LVAD remains controversial.


METHODSANDRESULTS
Of 86 patients with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy who underwent LVAD implantation between 2006 and 2015, 20 propensity score-matched patients with PF LVADs and 20 with CF LVADs were enrolled in this study. There were no significant differences in the baseline variables of both groups. During the 6-month LVAD treatment, the LV ejection fraction of the PF group was significantly higher than that of the CF group; the PF group also had a wider pulse pressure and less enlargement of the aortic root (P<0.05 for all). Patients in the PF group experienced more frequent opening of the native aortic valve and less AI than those in the CF group (P<0.05 for both). The PF LVAD was explanted in 5 patients (25%), and a CF LVAD was explanted in 1 patient (5%).


CONCLUSIONS
Compared with CF LVADs, PF LVADs seem to have an advantage in improving LV reverse remodeling and preventing AI. It may be best to incorporate pulsatility into current CF LVADs while retaining their existing benefits.
Interactive spacetime control for animation

Interactive Spacetime Control for Animation Michael F. Cohen* Department of Computer Science University of Utah Salt Lake City, Utah 84112 This paper describes new techniques to design physically based, goal directed motion of synthetic creatures. More specifically, it concentrates on developing an interactive framework for specifying constraints and objectives for the motion, and for guiding the numericrd solution of the optimization problem thus defined. The ability to define, modify and guide constrained spacetime problems is provided through an interactive user interface. Innovations that are introduced include, (1) the subdivision of spacetime into discrete pieces, or Spacetime Windows, over which subproblems can be formulated and solved, (2) the use of cubic B-spline approximation techniques to define a C2 function for the creature’s time dependent degrees of freedom, (3) the use of both symbolic and numerical processes to construct and solve the constrained optimization problem, and (4) the ability to specify inequality and conditional constraints. Creatures, in the context of this work, consist of rigid links connected by joints defining a set of generalized degrees of freedom. Hybrid symbolic and numeric techniques to solve the resulting complex constrained optimization problems are made possible by the special structure of physically based models of such creatures, and by the recent development of symbolic algebraic languages. A graphical user interface process handles communication between the user and two other processes; one devoted to symbolic differentiation and manipulation of the constraints and objectives, and one that performs the iterative numerical solution of the optimization problem. The user interface itself provides both high and low level definition of, interaction with, and inspection of, the optimization process and the resulting animation. Implementation issues and experiments with the Spacetime Windows system are discussed, CR Categories: 1.3.7: [Computer Graphics] ThreeDimensional Graphics and Realism; 1.6.3 [Simulation and Modeling] Applications; G.].6 [Constrained Optimization] Additional
Acne vulgaris and the quality of life of adult dermatology patients.

OBJECTIVE
To determine the effects of acne vulgaris on the quality of life of adult dermatology patients.


DESIGN
Cross-sectional and longitudinal questionnaire study.


PATIENTS
Sixty patients with acne vulgaris attending appointments with their dermatologists.


MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Findings using Skindex, a validated 29-item instrument to measure the effects of skin disease on patients' quality of life. Results are reported as 3 scale scores (functioning, emotions, and symptoms) and a composite score (average scale score). In addition, dermatologists rated the clinical severity of patients' skin disease, and patients responded to a global question about how they are bothered by acne. Higher Skindex scores indicate greater effects on quality of life.


RESULTS
Patients with acne experienced functioning and emotional effects from their skin disease comparable with those of patients with psoriasis, but experienced fewer symptoms (for patients with acne and psoriasis, respectively, Skindex functioning scores of 14.9 and 22.8 [P=.08]; emotion scores, 39.2 and 38.9 [P=.95]; and symptoms scores, 29.5 and 42.1 [P<.05]). Skindex scores were higher in older patients than in younger patients, and patients aged 40 years or older were less likely to report improvement in their acne after 3 months (43% vs 85%; P<.05). Among patients reporting no improvement in their acne, older patients reported greater effects of their acne on their quality of life. Furthermore, in multivariate analyses, older adults reported more effects of acne on their quality of life than younger adults, even after controlling for sex and acne severity as judged by the dermatologist.


CONCLUSIONS
Acne vulgaris significantly affects patients' quality of life. Regardless of the severity of acne, older adults were more affected by their acne.
VCAM-1 promotes osteolytic expansion of indolent bone micrometastasis of breast cancer by engaging α4β1-positive osteoclast progenitors.

Breast cancer patients often develop locoregional or distant recurrence years after mastectomy. Understanding the mechanism of metastatic recurrence after dormancy is crucial for improving the cure rate for breast cancer. Here, we characterize a bone metastasis dormancy model to show that aberrant expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1), in part dependent on the activity of the NF-κB pathway, promotes the transition from indolent micrometastasis to overt metastasis. By interacting with the cognate receptor integrin α4β1, VCAM-1 recruits monocytic osteoclast progenitors and elevates local osteoclast activity. Antibodies against VCAM-1 and integrin α4 effectively inhibit bone metastasis progression and preserve bone structure. These findings establish VCAM-1 as a promising target for the prevention and inhibition of metastatic recurrence in bone.
The Effects of Vitamin E and Omega-3 PUFAs on Endothelial Function among Adolescents with Metabolic Syndrome

AIM
The present study aims to explore the effects of vitamin E and omega-3 on endothelial function indicators among adolescents with metabolic syndrome.


METHOD
In a randomized, double blind, and placebo-controlled trial, 90 young individuals, aged 10 to 18 years, with metabolic syndrome were randomly assigned to receive either vitamin E tablets (400 IU/day) or omega-3 tablets (2.4 gr/day) or placebo. For assessing endothelial functional state, the serum level of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was measured by ELISA test.


RESULTS
The use of omega-3 supplementation for eight weeks led to significant increase in serum HDL level compared with the group treated with vitamin E or placebo group. In this regard, no significant correlations were found between the change in VEGF and baseline levels of other markers including anthropometric indices and serum lipids. Omega-3 could significantly reduce VEGF with the presence of other baseline variables (Beta = -12.55; P = 0.012).


CONCLUSION
The administration of omega-3 can effectively improve endothelial function in adolescents with metabolic syndrome by reducing the level of serum VEGF, as a major index for atherosclerosis progression and endothelial destabilization. Omega-3 can be proposed as a VEGF antagonist for improving endothelial function in metabolic syndrome. The clinical implications of our findings should be assessed in future studies.
The Geographies of Jewish Life: Building a Home Within Which Jewish Education Can Dwell

This essay reviews the Geographical section of the International Handbook of Jewish Education published in 2011.