LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Undiscovered Worlds - Towards a Framework for Real-Time Procedural World Generation

With advances in computer hardware, 3D game worlds are becoming larger and more complex. Consequently the development of game worlds becomes increasingly time and resource intensive. This paper presents a framework for generation of entire virtual worlds using procedural generation. The approach is demonstrated with the example of a virtual city.
What does it mean to be an oncology nurse? Reexamining the life cycle concepts.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES
To summarize the current research pertaining to the concepts initially examined by the Oncology Nursing Society Life Cycle of the Oncology Nurse Task Force and related projects completed in 1994.


DATA SOURCES
Published articles on the 21 concepts from the Oncology Nursing Society Life Cycle of the Oncology Nurse Task Force work. Research published in English from 1995-2009 was obtained from PubMed, CINAHL(R), PsycINFO, ISI Science, and EBSCO Health Source(R): Nursing/Academic Edition databases.


DATA SYNTHESIS
Most of the concepts identified from the Oncology Nursing Society Life Cycle of the Oncology Nurse Task Force have been examined in the literature. Relationships and witnessing suffering were common concepts among studies of the meaning of oncology nursing. Nurses provide holistic care, and not surprisingly, holistic interventions have been found useful to support nurses. Interventions included storytelling, clinical support of nurses, workshops to find balance in lives, and dream work. Additional support comes from mentoring.


CONCLUSIONS
The research identified was primarily descriptive, with very few interventions reported. Findings have been consistent over time in diverse countries.


IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING
This review indicates that although the healthcare system has changed significantly in 15 years, nurses' experiences of providing care to patients with cancer have remained consistent. The need for interventions to support nurses remains.
Feature Subset Selection Using a Genetic Algorithm

Practical pattern classi cation and knowledge discovery problems require selection of a subset of attributes or features (from a much larger set) to represent the patterns to be classi ed. This paper presents an approach to the multi-criteria optimization problem of feature subset selection using a genetic algorithm. Our experiments demonstrate the feasibility of this approach for feature subset selection in the automated design of neural networks for pattern classi cation and knowledge discovery.
Quality improvement intervention to increase adherence to ART prescription policy at HIV treatment clinics in Lusaka, Zambia: A cluster randomized trial

INTRODUCTION
In urban areas, crowded HIV treatment facilities with long patient wait times can deter patients from attending their clinical appointments and picking up their medications, ultimately disrupting patient care and compromising patient retention and adherence.


METHODS
Formative research at eight facilities in Lusaka revealed that only 46% of stable HIV treatment patients were receiving a three-month refill supply of antiretroviral drugs, despite it being national policy for stable adult patients. We designed a quality improvement intervention to improve the operationalization of this policy. We conducted a cluster-randomized controlled trial in sixteen facilities in Lusaka with the primary objective of examining the intervention's impact on the proportion of stable patients receiving three-month refills. The secondary objective was examining whether the quality improvement intervention reduced facility congestion measured through two proxy indicators: daily volume of clinic visits and average clinic wait times for services.


RESULTS
The mean change in the proportion of three-month refills among control facilities from baseline to endline was 10% (from 38% to 48%), compared to a 25% mean change (an increase from 44% to 69%) among intervention facilities. This represents a significant 15% mean difference (95% CI: 2%-29%; P = 0.03) in the change in proportion of patients receiving three-month refills. On average, control facilities had 15 more visits per day in the endline than in the baseline, while intervention facilities had 20 fewer visits per day in endline than in baseline, a mean difference of 35 fewer visits per day (P = 0.1). The change in the mean facility total wait time for intervention facilities dropped 19 minutes between baseline and endline when compared to control facilities (95% CI: -10.2-48.5; P = 0.2).


CONCLUSION
A more patient-centred service delivery schedule of three-month prescription refills for stable patients is viable. We encourage the expansion of this sustainable intervention in Zambia's urban clinics.
Completeness of lung cancer surgery: is mediastinal dissection common practice?

OBJECTIVES
In patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer, surgery offers the best chance of cure when a complete resection, including mediastinal lymph node dissection, is performed. A definition for complete resection and guidelines for intra-operative lymph node staging have been published, but it is unclear whether these guidelines are followed in daily practice. The goal of this study was to evaluate the extent of mediastinal lymph node dissection routinely performed during lung cancer surgery, and hereby the completeness of resection according to the guidelines of the European Society of Thoracic Surgery (ESTS) for intra-operative lymph node staging.


METHODS
In a retrospective cohort study, the extent of mediastinal lymph node dissection was evaluated in 216 patients who underwent surgery for lung cancer with a curative intent in four different hospitals, three community hospitals and one university hospital. Data regarding clinical staging, the type of resection and extent of lymph node dissection were collected from both the patient's medical record and the surgical and pathology report. Based on histology, location and side of the primary tumour, the extent of mediastinal dissection was compared with the ESTS guidelines for intra-operative lymph node staging.


RESULTS
According to the surgical report interlobar and hilar lymph nodes were dissected in one-third of patients. A mediastinal lymph node exploration was performed in 75% of patients; however, subcarinal lymph nodes were dissected in <50% of patients and at least three mediastinal lymph node stations were investigated in 36% of patients. In 35% of the mediastinal stations explored, lymph nodes were sampled instead of a complete dissection of the entire station. A complete lymph node dissection according to the guidelines of the ESTS was performed in 4% of patients. Despite an incomplete dissection unexpected mediastinal lymph nodes were found in 5% of patients.


CONCLUSIONS
In daily practice, the intended curative resection for lung cancer cannot be considered complete in the majority of patients, because of an incomplete lymph node dissection according to the current guidelines of the ESTS.
THE ENCOMPASSING IMPLICATIONS OF FEEDBACK VERSUS FEEDFORWARD MECHANISMS IN ECONOMETRICS

If expectations are an important ingredient of economic decisions, when expectations alter feedback, models should manifest parameter change. This aspect of the "Lucas critique" therefore has implications for feedforward models when expectations processes change but conditional models do not. Both invariance and encompassing attributes of each type of model are investigated to demonstrate that the Lucas critique is refutable, as well as confirmable, even with incomplete information about how agents form expectations. The approach is applied to the transactions demand for money in the United Kingdom and corroborates earlier work by the author by refuting a claimed expectations interpretation. Copyright 1988 by Royal Economic Society.
Shortening Test Case Execution Time for Embedded Software

Cost-effectiveness is perhaps the most driving characteristic behind a test automation approach aiming to spend less time in testing a software and finding as many faults as possible. Many research papers have been addressing the automation of test case generation activity by means of models, methods, tools and frameworks. However, in a practical software development environment it is not reasonable to automate test case generation if it is not possible to automatically execute them stimulating the software and capturing actual results. This paper presents the results obtained by using a tool, QSEE-TAS, that automates both test execution and test process documentation generation. It also presents the main features of such a tool. Three different embedded software products for computers of scientific experiments of satellites under development at National Institute for Space Research (INPE) were selected for showing the usefulness of QSEE-TAS compared with previous testing execution tools used at INPE.
Does Animation Help Users Build Mental Maps of Spatial Information?

We examine how animating a viewpoint change in a spatial information system affects a user’s ability to build a mental map of the information in the space. We found that animation improves users' ability to reconstruct the information space, with no penalty on task performance time. We believe that this study provides strong evidence for adding animated transitions in many applications with fixed spatial data where the user navigates around the data space.
Low-angle vascular access for neurovascular procedures using the Arstasis AXERA access device.

PURPOSE
To evaluate the safety and efficacy of the Arstasis AXERA access device in patients undergoing neuroendovascular procedures.


MATERIALS AND METHODS
A single-center retrospective study of 94 patients undergoing neurovascular procedures with the use of an AXERA arterial access device was performed. The procedures were performed with 5-6-F vascular sheaths, and hemostasis was obtained with manual compression.


RESULTS
A total of 104 neurovascular procedures (81 diagnostic, 23 interventional) were performed in 94 subjects. Eighty-seven procedures (83%) were performed with a 5-F sheath, and 17 procedures (16%) used a 6-F sheath. Intravenous heparin was administered in 64 procedures (61%), and 32 patients (30%) were taking antiplatelet medications at the time of the procedure. Median time to hemostasis was 4 minutes with manual compression, and outpatients undergoing diagnostic angiography were permitted to ambulate at 1 hour. Complications occurred in a total of 3% of cases; these included one local hematoma (1%) and two failed procedures (2%).


CONCLUSIONS
The new AXERA arterial access device modifies the arterial puncture angle in an attempt to reduce manual compression and ambulation times.
Species, Habitats, Society: An Evaluation of Research Supporting EU's Natura 2000 Network

The Natura 2000 network is regarded as one of the conservation success stories in the global effort to protect biodiversity. However, significant challenges remain in Natura 2000 implementation, owing to its rapid expansion, and lack of a coherent vision for its future. Scientific research is critical for identifying conservation priorities, setting management goals, and reconciling biodiversity protection and society in the complex political European landscape. Thus, there is an urgent need for a comprehensive evaluation of published Natura 2000 research to highlight prevalent research themes, disciplinary approaches, and spatial entities. We conducted a systematic review of 572 scientific articles and conference proceedings focused on Natura 2000 research, published between 1996 and 2014. We grouped these articles into 'ecological' and 'social and policy' categories. Using a novel application of network analysis of article keywords, we found that Natura 2000 research forms a cohesive small-world network, owing to the emphasis on ecological research (79% of studies, with a strong focus on spatial conservation planning), and the underrepresentation of studies addressing 'social and policy' issues (typically focused on environmental impact assessment, multi-level governance, agri-environment policy, and ecosystem services valuation). 'Ecological' and 'social and policy' research shared only general concepts (e.g., Natura 2000, Habitats Directive) suggesting a disconnection between these disciplines. The UK and the Mediterranean basin countries dominated Natura 2000 research, and there was a weak correlation between number of studies and proportion of national territory protected. Approximately 40% of 'social and policy' research and 26% of 'ecological' studies highlighted negative implications of Natura 2000, while 21% of studies found positive social and biodiversity effects. We emphasize the need for designing inter- and transdisciplinary research in order to promote a social-ecological understanding of Natura 2000, and advance EU conservation policies.
Arsenite sequestration at the surface of nano-Fe(OH)2, ferrous-carbonate hydroxide, and green-rust after bioreduction of arsenic-sorbed lepidocrocite by Shewanella putrefaciens.

X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (XAFS) spectroscopy was used in combination with high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (XEDS), Xray powder diffraction, and Mössbauer spectroscopy to obtain detailed information on arsenic and iron speciation in the products of anaerobic reduction of pure and As(V)or As(III)-adsorbed lepidocrocite (c-FeOOH) by Shewanella putrefaciens ATCC 12099. We found that this strain of S. putrefaciens is capable of using Fe(III) in lepidocrocite and As(V) in solution or adsorbed on lepidocrocite surfaces as electron acceptors. Bioreduction of lepidocrocite in the absence of arsenic resulted in the formation of hydroxycarbonate green rust 1 [Fe4Fe III 2(OH)12CO3: GR1(CO3)], which completely converted into ferrous-carbonate hydroxide (Fe2(OH)2CO3: FCH) over nine months. This study thus provides the first evidence of bacterial reduction of stoichiometric GR1(CO3) into FCH. Bioreduction of As(III)-adsorbed lepidocrocite also led to the formation of GR1(CO3) prior to formation of FCH, but the presence of As(III) slows down this transformation, leading to the co-occurrence of both phases after 22-month of aging. At the end of this experiment, As(III) was found to be adsorbed on the surfaces of GR1(CO3) and FCH. After five months, bioreduction of As(V)-bearing lepidocrocite led directly to the formation of FCH in association with nanometer-sized particles of a minor As-rich Fe(OH)2 phase, with no evidence for green rust formation. In this five-month experiment, As(V) was fully converted to As(III), which was dominantly sorbed at the surface of the Fe(OH)2 nanoparticles as oligomers binding to the edges of Fe(OH)6 octahedra at the edges of the octahedral layers of Fe(OH)2. These multinuclear As(III) surface complexes are characterized by As–As pairs at a distance of 3.32 ± 0.02 Å and by As–Fe pairs at a distance of 3.50 ± 0.02 Å and represent a new type of As(III) surface complex. Chemical analyses show that the majority of As(III) produced in the experiments with As present is associated with iron-bearing hydroxycarbonate or hydroxide solids, 0016-7037/$ see front matter 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.gca.2008.12.005 * Corresponding author. Fax: +33 1 44 27 37 85. E-mail address: guillaume.morin@impmc.jussieu.fr (G. Morin). 1360 G. Ona-Nguema et al. / Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 73 (2009) 1359–1381 reinforcing the idea that, at least under some circumstances, bacterial reduction can promote As(III) sequestration instead of mobilizing it into solution. 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Activation and inhibition of the endogenous opioid system in human heart failure.

BACKGROUND
In a canine model of congestive heart failure beta endorphin concentrations were high and opioid receptor antagonists exerted beneficial haemodynamic effects. In humans previous studies have suggested that opioid peptides may modify the perception of breathlessness and fatigue in heart failure.


METHODS
Plasma concentrations of beta endorphin were measured in patients with acute and chronic heart failure and cardiogenic shock. A subgroup of eight patients with New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III-IV heart failure was assessed for acute haemodynamic effects of naloxone, an opioid receptor antagonist. A separate group of 10 patients with class II-III heart failure, was randomised to a double blind placebo controlled study of the effects of intravenous naloxone on cardiopulmonary exercise performance.


RESULTS
Plasma concentrations of beta endorphin were usually normal in patients with chronic heart failure and did not correlate with severity as assessed by NYHA class. In 29% of patients with acute heart failure and 71% of those with cardiogenic shock beta endorphin concentrations were high. The median concentration in the cardiogenic shock group was significantly higher than in either of the two heart failure groups and there was some evidence of a relation between beta endorphin concentrations and survival. At the doses tested, naloxone was unable to modify systemic haemodynamics, exercise performance, or symptoms in patients with chronic congestive heart failure.


CONCLUSIONS
Circulating concentrations of beta endorphin are usually normal in patients with chronic congestive heart failure. Inhibition of the endogenous opioid system is unlikely to have therapeutic potential in heart failure.
Mental health services funding and development in KwaZulu-Natal: a tale of inequity and neglect.

BACKGROUND
Globally, a significant 'mental health gap' exists between the major burden of mental and substance use disorders and the provision of psychiatric and mental health services. As a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, South Africa has committed itself to transformation aimed at ending the inequities that characterise mental health service provision and 'closing the gap'.


METHODOLOGY
Budget allocations over a 5-year period to 6 psychiatric and 7 general hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) are compared and current numbers of psychiatric beds and psychiatric personnel in that province are contrasted with the numbers required to comply with national norms.


RESULTS
The mean increase in budget allocations to public psychiatric hospitals was 3.8% per annum, while that to general hospitals over the same period was 10.2% per annum. The median cumulative budget increase for psychiatric hospitals was significantly lower than that of general hospitals (Mann-Whitney U-test, p=0.001). No psychiatric hospitals received specific funding for tertiary services development. KZN has 25% of the acute psychiatric beds and 25% of the psychiatrists required to comply with national norms, with the most serious shortages experienced in northern KZN. There are 0.38 psychiatrists per 100 000 population in KZN.


CONCLUSION
Inequitable funding, inadequate facilities and significant shortages of mental health professionals pervade the mental health and psychiatric services in KZN. There is little evidence of government abiding by its public commitments to redress the inequities that characterise mental health services.
aspcud: A Linux Package Configuration Tool Based on Answer Set Programming

Answer Set Programming (ASP; [3]) owes its increasing popularity as a tool for Knowledge Representation and Reasoning (KRR; [11]) to its attractive combination of a rich yet simple modeling language with high-performance solving capacities. The basic idea of ASP is to represent a given computational problem by a logic program whose answer sets correspond to solutions, and then use an ASP solver for finding answer sets of the program. This approach is closely related to the one pursued in propositional Satisfiability Testing (SAT; [4]), where a given problem is encoded as a propositional theory such that models represent solutions to the problem. Even though, syntactically, ASP programs resemble Prolog programs, they are treated by rather different computational mechanisms, based on advanced Boolean Constraint Satisfaction technology. Albeit SAT and ASP both focus on the generation of propositional models, they differ regarding the semantics of negation, which is classical in SAT and by default in ASP. The built-in completion of “negative knowledge” admits compact problem specifications in ASP, using rules to describe the formation of solution candidates and integrity constraints to deny unintended ones. Pioneering work on Linux package configuration was done by Tommi Syrjänen in [16], using ASP for representing and solving configuration problems for the Debian GNU/Linux system. Following this tradition, we developed the ASP-based Linux package configuration tool aspcud, leveraging modern ASP technology for solving package configuration problems posed in the context of the mancoosi project [13]. As shown in Figure 1, aspcud comprises four components, all of which are freely available at [2] (and via [15]). A given specification (in CUDF; [17]) is first preprocessed and mapped to a set of (logical) facts; this step is explained in Section 2. As detailed in Section 3, the facts are then combined with one or more (first-order) ASP encodings of the package configuration problem and jointly passed to the ASP grounder gringo [7]. (Our ASP encodings, which are also presented in a companion paper [6] detailing multi-criteria optimization capacities of the ASP solver clasp [8] and evaluating them on package configuration problems, are provided here for completeness.) The instantiation of first-order variables upon grounding results in a propositional logic program whose answer sets, representing problem solutions, are in turn computed by clasp. The impact of preprocessing on residual problem size as well as solving efficiency is empirically assessed in Section 4. (We do not vary solving strategies here; an experimental comparison between different solving strategies can be found in [5, 6].) Finally, in Section 5, we discuss and compare our methodology with related package configuration approaches.
Detection of small objects from high-resolution panchromatic satellite imagery based on supervised image segmentation

A new concept for the detection of small objects from modular optoelectronic multispectral scanner (MOMS-02) high spatial resolution panchromatic satellite imagery is presented. We combine supervised shape classification with unsupervised image segmentation in an iterative procedure which allows a target-oriented search for specific object shapes.