LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Cognitive dysfunction follows left heart catheterisation but is not related to microembolic count.

BACKGROUND
Left heart catheterisation with coronary angiography (CA) may lead to cognitive dysfunction, as a result of neurological injury. The aim was to assess the incidence of cognitive dysfunction in elderly patients three months after CA and investigate any association between cognitive dysfunction and microembolic count during CA.


METHODS
This was a prospective observational study with a control cohort. Cognitive testing was undertaken at baseline and at 3 months using a battery of 8 neuropsychological tests. Subjects comprised 51 CA patients, aged ≥ 50 years, with normal baseline cognition, and 31 community control participants. Microemboli were measured by Transcranial Doppler throughout the procedure. All patients underwent trans-femoral CA with aortography and ventriculography. Cognitive dysfunction was defined in an individual when their reliable change index score was less than -1.96 on 2 or more tests and/or their combined z score was less than -1.96. Microembolic count was assessed by off-line manual counting and automatic software was also used to count and differentiate gaseous from solid microemboli.


RESULTS
Cognitive dysfunction was identified in 15.7% of patients at 3 months. Microemboli were detected in all patients, predominantly during aortography and ventriculography. The median total embolic count was 365 (IQR 192, 574), the majority being gaseous (84%). There was no multivariable association between cognitive dysfunction at 3 months and microembolic count.


CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrated that cognitive dysfunction following CA is not associated with microembolic load. Cognitive dysfunction occurs in 15.7% of patients at 3 months. This is reassuring for the proceduralist and suggests that other perioperative elements are involved.
Uric acid as a potential disease modifier in patients with multiple system atrophy.

BACKGROUND
Recent studies have suggested that mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress play a key role in the pathogenesis of multiple system atrophy.


METHODS
We evaluated the influence of serum uric acid levels on disease progression in 52 patients with multiple system atrophy using changes in the annualized Unified Multiple System Atrophy Rating Scale scores.


RESULTS
The mean annualized Unified Multiple System Atrophy Rating Scale changes were significantly lower in patients with the highest uric acid quartile compared with those with the lowest quartile (8.4 ± 5.1 vs 20.2 ± 16.0, P = .038). Serum uric acid levels had a significant negative correlation with the annualized Unified Multiple System Atrophy Rating Scale changes (r = -0.40, P = .004). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that only serum uric acid concentration was significantly correlated with the annualized Unified Multiple System Atrophy Rating Scale changes (β = -2.687, P = .011).


CONCLUSIONS
These data suggest that serum uric acid may act as a potential disease modifier in multiple system atrophy.
Functional results after orthotopic bladder substitution: a prospective multicentre study comparing four types of neobladder.

OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to evaluate enterocystometry, voiding pattern and urine leakage of four types of orthotopic bladder substitute.


MATERIAL AND METHODS
At eight urological departments, 78 consecutive men were studied: 66 with an ileal neobladder [30 Studer pouches (S), 24 Hautmann pouches (H) and 12 T-pouches (T)] and 12 with a right colonic [Goldwasser type (G)] neobladder. Enterocystometry, determination of residual urine, micturition protocol and 24 h pad weight test were performed 6 and 12 months postoperatively.


RESULTS
Colonic neobladders had higher pouch pressure at first desire, normal desire and strong desire than ileal neobladders (except at first and normal desire at 12 months) (p < 0.02) and contraction was present more often at both 6 and 12 months (p < 0.01 and p < 0.01). Compliance was good in all types of pouch. Intermittent self-catheterization was more common in H patients at 6 months (p = 0.033). All patients with colonic neobladders used pads during the day and night. In patients with ileal pouches 32% used pads during the day and 70% during the night at 12 months. Urine leakage was higher in patients with colonic bladders at 6 and 12 months during the day (mean/median of 98/31 ml and 82/16 ml versus 10/0 ml and 4/0 ml, p < 0.001). T-pouches had excellent day-time continence, but nocturnal leakage was high.


CONCLUSIONS
The Hautmann pouch and the Studer pouch behaved similarly at enterocystometry and clinically, and continence was good in the majority of patients. The low number of patients with the other two types of pouch precludes definitive statements.
Extraction of Musical Performance Rules Using a Modified Algorithm of Multiple Regression Analysis

This paper describes a music interpretation system for traditional tonal music. The system extracts musical performance rules from human performance using score information, and generate new expressive performances by applying these extracted rules to unseen scores. To link between scores and human actual performances, we have been proposing the original algorithm based on multiple regression analysis. This paper describes the model of music interpretation and its implementation. The algorithm, compared with the simple regression analysis, can extract musical performance rules with more accuracy.
Variation of patterns of malocclusion by site of pharyngeal obstruction in children.

OBJECTIVE
To correlate the type of dental occlusion and the type of pharyngeal lymphoid tissue obstruction in children.


DESIGN
Cross-sectional study.


SETTING
Ambulatory ear, nose, and throat clinic of Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo.


PATIENTS
One hundred fourteen children aged 3 to 12 years presenting with mouth breathing and snoring due to tonsil and/or adenoid enlargement.


INTERVENTIONS
Oroscopy and nasal fiber pharyngoscopy complemented by lateral head radiography to diagnose the type of obstruction, and clinical examination to evaluate the dental occlusion.


MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Tonsil and adenoid obstruction (classified from grades 1-4) and sagittal, transverse, and vertical evaluation of dental occlusion.


RESULTS
Obstructive enlargement of both tonsils and adenoids was detected in 64.9% of the sample; isolated enlargement of the adenoids, in 21.9%; isolated enlargement of the palatine tonsils, in 7.0%; and nonobstructive tonsils and adenoids, in 6.1%. All types of pharyngeal obstruction were related to a high prevalence of posterior crossbite (36.8%). Statistically significant association was found between sagittal dental occlusion and the site of lymphoid tissue obstruction (P = .02). A higher rate of class II relationship (43.2%) was detected in the group with combined adenoid and tonsil obstructive enlargement. Isolated tonsil obstruction showed a higher rate of class III relationship (37.5%).


CONCLUSIONS
Different sites of obstruction of the upper airway due to enlarged lymphoid tissue are associated with different types of dental malocclusion. Findings are relevant to orthodontic and surgical decision making in these mouth-breathing patients.
A land surface soil moisture data assimilation system based on the dual‐UKF method and the Community Land Model

[1] Many studies have shown the deficiencies of the extended Kalman filter (EKF), even though it has become a standard technique used in nonlinear estimation. In the EKF method, the state distribution is propagated analytically through the first-order linearization of the nonlinear system, which can introduce large errors in variable estimation and may lead to suboptimal performance and sometimes divergence of the filter. The unscented Kalman filter (UKF) addresses these problems using a deterministic sampling approach to capture the posterior mean and covariance accurate to the third order for any nonlinearity, while the dual-UKF method uses two UKF filters (one for state variables and one for parameters, in contrast to only one filter in the usual UKF) to simultaneously optimize the model states and parameters using observational data. In this paper, we employ the dual-UKF method to account for the effects of land surface subgridscale heterogeneity and soil water thawing and freezing and implement it into the NCAR Community Land Model version 2.0 to build a data assimilation system for assimilating satellite observations of soil moisture. Experiments for two sites in north and south China show that this dual-UKF-based assimilation system outperforms the usual UKFand EKF-based methods in reproducing the temporal evolution of daily soil moisture, especially under freezing conditions. Furthermore, the improvement also propagates, albeit to a lesser extent, to lower layers where observations are unavailable.
Impact of high-dose peginterferon alfa-2A on virological response rates in patients with hepatitis C genotype 1: a randomized controlled trial.

UNLABELLED
This study tested the hypothesis that high-dose peginterferon alfa-2a (PEG-IFNalpha-2a) for the first 12 weeks would increase early and sustained virological response (SVR) rates in patients with chronic hepatitis C genotype 1. Eight hundred ninety-six patients were randomized 1:1 to 360 microg (n = 448) or 180 microg (n = 448) PEG-IFNalpha-2a weekly plus ribavirin at 1000-1200 mg/day for 12 weeks, followed by 36 weeks of 180 microg PEG-IFNalpha-2a weekly plus ribavirin at 1000-1200 mg/day with 871 patients evaluable for the intention-to-treat analysis. Virological responses were assessed by TaqMan (limit of detection 15 IU/mL) at week 4, 8, 12, 24, 48 (end of therapy), and 24 weeks following therapy (SVR). Undetectable hepatitis C virus RNA rates were significantly higher among patients receiving high-dose induction therapy at week 4 (36% versus 26%, P < 0.005), week 8 (61% versus 50%, P < 0.005), and week 12 (74% versus 62%, P < 0.005). However, SVR was not significantly different between patients receiving high-dose (53%) and standard (50%) therapy. Significant baseline prognostic factors for SVR included age, sex, race, histological stage, and viral load. SVR was considerably higher among patients with no or minimal fibrosis (64% and 60%, respectively) compared to those with severe fibrosis/cirrhosis (28% and 24%, respectively). The frequency of serious adverse events and drug discontinuations were similar in both groups, whereas PEG-IFN dose modification, weight and appetite reduction, and grade IV neutropenia were significantly higher in the induction arm.


CONCLUSION
Induction dosing with 360 microg/week PEG-IFNalpha-2a for 12 weeks was well tolerated and enhanced early virological response but not SVR rates. The high SVR rates in patients with minimal fibrosis highlight the benefit of early treatment in patients with hepatitis C virus genotype 1.
Conditional Preference Nets and Possibilistic Logic

CP-nets (Conditional preference networks) are a well-known compact graphical representation of preferences in Artificial Intelligence, that can be viewed as a qualitative counterpart to Bayesian nets. In case of binary attributes it captures specific partial orderings over Boolean interpretations where strict preference statements are defined between interpretations which differ by a single flip of an attribute value. It respects preferential independence encoded by the ceteris paribus property. The popularity of this approach has motivated some comparison with other preference representation setting such as possibilistic logic. In this paper, we focus our discussion on the possibilistic representation of CPnets, and the question whether it is possible to capture the CP-net partial order over interpretations by means of a possibilistic knowledge base and a suitable semantics. We show that several results in the literature on the alleged faithful representation of CP-nets by possibilistic bases are questionable. To this aim we discuss some canonical examples of CP-net topologies where the considered possibilistic approach fails to exactly capture the partial order induced by CP-nets, thus shedding light on the difficulties encountered when trying to reconcile the two frameworks.
A multi-case study of agile requirements engineering and the use of test cases as requirements

[Context] It is an enigma that agile projects can succeed ‘without requirements’ when weak requirements engineering is a known cause for project failures. While agile development projects often manage well without extensive requirements test cases are commonly viewed as requirements and detailed requirements are documented as test cases. [Objective] We have investigated this agile practice of using test cases as requirements to understand how test cases can support the main requirements activities, and how this practice varies. [Method] We performed an iterative case study at three companies and collected data through 14 interviews and 2 focus groups. [Results] The use of test cases as requirements poses both benefits and challenges when eliciting, validating, verifying, and managing requirements, and when used as a documented agreement. We have identified five variants of the test-cases-as-requirements practice, namely de facto, behaviour-driven, story-test driven, stand-alone strict and stand-alone manual for which the application of the practice varies concerning the time frame of requirements documentation, the requirements format, the extent to which the test cases are a machine executable specification and the use of tools which provide specific support for the practice of using test cases as requirements. [Conclusions] The findings provide empirical insight into how agile development projects manage and communicate requirements. The identified variants of the practice of using test cases as requirements can be used to perform in-depth investigations into agile requirements engineering. Practitioners can use the provided recommendations as a guide in designing and improving their agile requirements practices based on project characteristics such as number of stakeholders and rate of change.
Novel genetic markers improve measures of atrial fibrillation risk prediction

AIMS
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with adverse outcome. Whether recently discovered genetic risk markers improve AF risk prediction is unknown.


METHODS AND RESULTS
We derived and validated a novel AF risk prediction model from 32 possible predictors in the Women's Health Study (WHS), a cohort of 20 822 women without cardiovascular disease (CVD) at baseline followed prospectively for incident AF (median: 14.5 years). We then created a genetic risk score (GRS) comprised of 12 risk alleles in nine loci and assessed model performance in the validation cohort with and without the GRS. The newly derived WHS AF risk algorithm included terms for age, weight, height, systolic blood pressure, alcohol use, and smoking (current and past). In the validation cohort, this model was well calibrated with good discrimination [C-index (95% CI) = 0.718 (0.684-0.753)] and improved all reclassification indices when compared with age alone. The addition of the genetic score to the WHS AF risk algorithm model improved the C-index [0.741 (0.709-0.774); P = 0.001], the category-less net reclassification [0.490 (0.301-0.670); P < 0.0001], and the integrated discrimination improvement [0.00526 (0.0033-0.0076); P < 0.0001]. However, there was no improvement in net reclassification into 10-year risk categories of <1, 1-5, and 5+% [0.041 (-0.044-0.12); P = 0.33].


CONCLUSION
Among women without CVD, a simple risk prediction model utilizing readily available risk markers identified women at higher risk for AF. The addition of genetic information resulted in modest improvements in predictive accuracy that did not translate into improved reclassification into discrete AF risk categories.
Hand bone loss in patients with psoriatic arthritis: posthoc analysis of IMPACT II data comparing infliximab and placebo.

OBJECTIVE
In rheumatoid arthritis (RA), anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) treatment is shown to reduce but not to arrest the rate of hand bone loss. This has not been assessed in psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Our objective was to examine changes in cortical hand bone density in patients with PsA treated with placebo or infliximab (IFX).


METHODS
Patients in IMPACT II (Induction and Maintenance Psoriatic Arthritis Clinical Trial 2) were randomized to placebo or IFX. After Week 24, all received IFX. In a subset of 120 patients, cortical hand bone density was assessed at Weeks 0, 24, and 54 by digital X-ray radiogrammetry (dxr-BMD) on the same radiographs scored for joint damage.


RESULTS
Changes from baseline to 24 weeks in dxr-BMD were -0.30% (SD 1.1%) in the placebo group and -0.08% (SD 1.4%) in the IFX group (p = 0.63). Between baseline and 54 weeks the changes were -0.71% (SD 2.1%) in the placebo group and 0.15% (SD 1.7%) in the IFX group (p = 0.07), and between 24 and 54 weeks -0.41% (SD 1.4%) and 0.23% (SD 0.8%), respectively (p = 0.05). No significant correlation was found between change in dxr-BMD and radiographic damage.


CONCLUSION
This pilot study indicates that hand bone loss in PsA patients treated with anti-TNF can be arrested. Assessment of hand bone density may thus be a potential outcome measure for bone involvement and a response variable to treatment in PsA.
A Smart Sensor Web for Ocean Observation: Fixed and Mobile Platforms, Integrated Acoustics, Satellites and Predictive Modeling

In many areas of Earth science, including climate change research and operational oceanography, there is a need for near real-time integration of data from heterogeneous and spatially distributed sensors, in particular in situ and space-based sensors. The data integration, as provided by a smart sensor web, enables numerous improvements, namely, (1) adaptive sampling for more efficient use of expensive space-based and in situ sensing assets, (2) higher fidelity information gathering from data sources through integration of complementary data sets, and (3) improved sensor calibration. Our ocean-observing smart sensor web presented herein is composed of both mobile and fixed underwater in situ ocean sensing assets and Earth Observing System satellite sensors providing larger-scale sensing. An acoustic communications network forms a critical link in the web, facilitating adaptive sampling and calibration. We report on the development of various elements of this smart sensor web, including (a) a cable-connected mooring system with a profiler under real-time control with inductive battery charging; (b) a glider with integrated acoustic communications and broadband receiving capability; (c) an integrated acoustic navigation and communication network; (d) satellite sensor elements; and (e) a predictive model via the Regional Ocean Modeling System interacting with satellite sensor control.
Karst hydrogeology and origin of thermal waters in the Codru Moma Mountains, Romania

Abstract Two karst areas within Permian and Triassic carbonate rocks of the Codru Moma Mountains in the northwestern part of Romania yield thermal waters. Major karst springs occur where groundwater flow is intercepted by hydraulic barriers, which also results in the movement of water from deeper levels. At Moneasa, thermal groundwater rises along faults and fractures associated with a thrust, and at Vascau Town, water rises along faults marginal to the Beius Basin. Geochemistry suggests that the thermal component of the Moneasa groundwaters is derived from dolomites and that at least a proportion of the Vascau thermal waters originates from deeply buried Permian sandstones.Résumé Deux régions karstiques développées dans les roches carbonatées du Permien et du Trias des Monts Codru Moma, dans le nord-ouest de la Roumanie, possèdent des sources thermales. Les principales sources karstiques apparaissent là où les écoulements souterrains recoupent des barrières hydrauliques, qui provoquent aussi la remontée d'eaux depuis des niveaux plus profonds. Á Moneasa, les eaux thermominérales remontent le long de failles et de fractures associées à un chevauchement; dans la ville de Vascau, l'eau émerge le long des failles de la marge du bassin de Beius. La géochimie laisse penser que la composante thermale des eaux souterraines de Moneasa provient des dolomies et qu'au moins une partie des eaux thermales de Vascau provient des grès permiens enfouis profondément.Resumen En las Montañas Codru Moma, al Noroeste de Rumanía, hay dos áreas kársticas desarrolladas en rocas carbonatadas del Pérmico y Triásico donde se obtienen aguas termales. Los manantiales kársticos más importantes se originan en los puntos de intersección del flujo subterráneo con barreras hidráulicas, hecho que facilita el desplazamiento del agua desde niveles inferiores. En Moneasa, las aguas subterráneas termales ascienden a través de fallas y fracturas asociadas a mantos de corrimiento (thrusts, por aplicación de cargas superficiales) y, en la ciudad de Vascau, a través de fallas marginales de la cuenca Beius. La geoquímica indica que la componente termal de las aguas subterráneas en Moneasa procede de dolomitas, mientras que al menos una parte de las aguas subterráneas en Vascau procede de areniscas muy profundas del Pérmico.
The exploration of hotel reference prices under dynamic pricing scenarios and different forms of competition

Abstract The reference price, used by consumers to evaluate market prices, has tremendous relevance in dynamic pricing. Reconciling current heterogeneous theories and studies on reference prices, this paper analyzes the impact of hotel price sequences on consumers’ reference prices through a lab and a field experiment. Experiment 1 tests the importance of retrospective price evaluations, while Experiment 2 evaluates the impact of three forms of competition: (i) simultaneous behavior, where firms adjust prices simultaneously; (ii) leader–follower behavior, where one firm acts as the leader; and (iii) independent behavior, where each player takes its rival's strategy as given and seeks to maximize its own profits. The results show that consumers decrease their reference price when competing hotels adjust their prices simultaneously. Relevant managerial implications are drawn for the hospitality industry, which is affected by the presence of online travel agencies that announce the daily rates offered by each competitor.
Community Discovery in Social Networks: Applications, Methods and Emerging Trends

Data sets originating from many different real world domains can be represented in the form of interaction networks in a very natural, concise and meaningful fashion. This is particularly true in the social context, especially given recent advances in Internet technologies and Web 2.0 applications leading to a diverse range of evolving social networks. Analysis of such networks can result in the discovery of important patterns and potentially shed light on important properties governing the growth of such networks. It has been shown that most of these networks exhibit strong modular nature or community structure. An important research agenda thus is to identify communities of interest and study their behavior over time. Given the importance of this problem there has been signi cant activity within this eld particularly over the last few years. In this article we survey the landscape and attempt to characterize the principle methods for community discovery (and related variants) C. C. Aggarwal (ed.), Social Network Data Analytics, DOI 10.1007/978-1-4419-8462-3_4, © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2011 80 SOCIAL NETWORK DATA ANALYTICS and identify current and emerging trends as well as crosscutting research issues within this dynamic eld.