LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Efficacy and Safety of MMFS-01, a Synapse Density Enhancer, for Treating Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND
Cognitive impairment is a major problem in elderly, affecting quality of life. Pre-clinical studies show that MMFS-01, a synapse density enhancer, is effective at reversing cognitive decline in aging rodents.


OBJECTIVE
Since brain atrophy during aging is strongly associated with both cognitive decline and sleep disorder, we evaluated the efficacy of MMFS-01 in its ability to reverse cognitive impairment and improve sleep.


METHODS
We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-designed trial in older adult subjects (age 50-70) with cognitive impairment. Subjects were treated with MMFS-01 (n = 23) or placebo (n = 21) for 12 weeks and cognitive ability, sleep quality, and emotion were evaluated. Overall cognitive ability was determined by a composite score of tests in four major cognitive domains.


RESULTS
With MMFS-01 treatment, overall cognitive ability improved significantly relative to placebo (p = 0.003; Cohen's d = 0.91). Cognitive fluctuation was also reduced. The study population had more severe executive function deficits than age-matched controls from normative data and MMFS-01 treatment nearly restored their impaired executive function, demonstrating that MMFS-01 may be clinically significant. Due to the strong placebo effects on sleep and anxiety, the effects of MMFS-01 on sleep and anxiety could not be determined.


CONCLUSIONS
The current study demonstrates the potential of MMFS-01 for treating cognitive impairment in older adults.
Evaluation of 17-mm St. Jude Medical Regent prosthetic aortic heart valves by rest and dobutamine stress echocardiography

BACKGROUND
The prosthesis used for aortic valve replacement in patients with small aortic root can be too small in relation to body size, thus showing high transvalvular gradients at rest and/or under stress conditions. This study was carried out to evaluate rest and Dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) hemodynamic response of 17-mm St. Jude Medical Regent (SJMR-17 mm) in relatively aged patients at mean 24 months follow-up.


METHODS AND RESULTS
The study population consisted of 19 patients (2 men, 17 women, mean age 69.2 +/- 7.3 years). All patients underwent rest Doppler echocardiography before and after surgery and basal and DSE at follow up (infused at rate of 5 microg/Kg/min and increased by 5 microg/Kg/min at 5 min intervals up to 40 microg/Kg/min). The following parameters were evaluated at rest and/or under DSE: heart rate (HR), ejection fraction (EF), cardiac output (CO), peak and mean velocity and pressure gradients (MxV, MnV, MxPG, MnPG), effective orifice area (EOA), indexed EOA (EOAi), left ventricular mass (LVM), indexed LVM (LVMi), Velocity Time Integral at left ventricular outflow tract (VTI LVOT) and transvalvular (Aortic VTI), Doppler velocity index (DVI). At rest MxPG and MnPG were 29.2 +/- 7.1 and 16.6 +/- 5.8 mmHg, respectively; EOA and EOAi resulted 1.14 +/- 0.3 cm(2) and 0.76 +/- 0.2 cm(2)/m(2); DVI was normal (0.50 +/- 0.1). At follow-up LVM and LVMi decreased significantly from pre-operative value of 258 +/- 43 g and 157.4 +/- 27.7 g/m(2) to 191 +/- 23.8 g and 114.5 +/- 10.6 g/m(2), respectively. DSE increased significantly HR, CO, EF, MxGP (up to 83.4 +/- 2 1.9 mmHg), MnPG (up to 43.2 +/- 12.7 mmHg). EOA, EOAi, DVI increased insignificantly (from baseline up to 1.2 +/- 0.4 cm(2), 0.75 +/- 0.3 cm(2)/m(2) and 0.48 +/- 0.1 respectively). Two patients developed significant intraventricular gradients.


CONCLUSION
These data show that SJMR 17-mm prostheses can be safely implanted in aortic position in relatively aged patients, offering a satisfactory hemodynamic performance at rest and under DSE, with full utilization of its available orifice, suggesting that a possible mild prosthesis-patient mismatch is not an issue of clinical relevance when this small prosthesis is used. Rest and Dobutamine stress echocardiography is a useful and effective means for evaluating prosthesis hemodynamics and for monitoring the expected LVH regression.
Transistor matching in analog CMOS applications

This paper gives an overview of MOSFET mismatch effects that form a performance/yield limitation for many designs. After a general description of (mis)matching, a comparison over past and future process generations is presented. The application of the matching model in CAD and analog circuit design is discussed. Mismatch effects gain importance as critical dimensions and CMOS power supply voltages decrease.
Applying particle swarm optimization-based decision tree classifier for cancer classification on gene expression data

Background: The application of microarray data for cancer classification is important. Researchers have tried to analyze gene expression data using various computational intelligence methods. Purpose: We propose a novel method for gene selection utilizing particle swarm optimization combined with a decision tree as the classifier to select a small number of informative genes from the thousands of genes in the data that can contribute in identifying cancers. vailable online 27 August 2014
Quantification of coronary artery stenosis with 16-slice MSCT in patients before CABG surgery: comparison to standard invasive coronary angiography.

OBJECTIVE
Invasive, selective coronary angiography is the gold standard for evaluation of coronary artery disease (CAD) and degree of stenosis. The purpose of this study was to compare 3-dimensional (3D) reconstructed 16-slice multislice computed tomographic (MSCT) angiography and selective coronary angiography in patients before elective coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) procedure.


METHODS
Sixteen-slice MSCT scans (Philips Mx8000 IDT) were performed in 50 patients (42 male/8 female; mean age, 64.44 +/- 8.66 years) scheduled for elective CABG procedure. Scans were retrospectively electrocardiogram-gated 3D reconstructed. The images of the coronary arteries were evaluated for stenosis by 2 independent radiologists. The results were compared with the coronary angiography findings using the American Heart Association segmental classification for coronary arteries.


RESULTS
Four patients (8%) were excluded for technical reasons. Thirty-eight patients (82.6%) had 3-vessel disease, 4 (8.7 %) had 2-vessel disease, and 4 (8.7%) had an isolated left anterior descending artery stenosis. In the proximal segments all stenoses >50% (56/56) were detected by MSCT; medial segment sensitivity was 97% (73/75), specificity 90.3%; distal segment sensitivity was 90.7% (59/65), specificity 77%.


CONCLUSION
Accurate quantification of coronary stenosis greater than 50% in the proximal and medial segments is possible with high sensitivity and specificity using the new generation of 16-slice MSCTs. There is still a tendency to overestimate stenosis in the distal segments. MSCT seems to be an excellent diagnostic tool for screening patients with possible CAD.
Assessing the effects of interactive blogging on student attitudes towards peer interaction, learning motivation, and academic achievements

Blogs have been increasingly used to supplement traditional classroom lectures in higher education. This paper explores the use of blogs, and how student attitudes towards online peer interaction and peer learning, as well as motivation to learn from peers, may differ when using the blog comments feature, and when students are encouraged to read and comment on each other’s work. We contrast two ways blogs affect learning engagement: (1) solitary blogs as personal digital portfolios for writers; or (2) blogs used interactively to facilitate peer interaction by exposing blogging content and comments to peers. A quasi-experiment was conducted across two semesters, involving 154 graduate and undergraduate students. The result suggests that interactive blogs, compared with isolated blogs, are associated with positive attitudes towards academic achievement in course subjects and in online peer interaction. Students showed positive motivation to learn from peer work, regardless of whether blogs were interactive or solitary.
Water Technology: An Introduction for Environmental Scientists and Engineers

Water resources and quality assessment Water quality management Drinking water treatment and supply Wastewater treatment Sustainability
Upregulation of costimulatory molecules induced by lipopolysaccharide and double-stranded RNA occurs by Trif-dependent and Trif-independent pathways

Both lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) are adjuvants for the adaptive immune response, inducing upregulation of costimulatory molecules (UCM) on antigen-presenting cells. Trif, an adapter protein that transduces signals from Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and TLR3, permits the induction of many cytokines, including interferon-β, which signals through the type I interferon receptor. We show here that LPS-induced UCM was strictly dependent on the TLR4→Trif axis, whereas dsRNA-induced UCM was only partly dependent on the TLR3→Trif axis. But both LPS- and dsRNA-induced UCM were entirely dependent on type I interferon receptor signaling. These findings show that UCM involves an autocrine or paracrine loop, and indicate that an alternative TLR3-independent, Trif-independent pathway contributes to dsRNA-induced UCM.
Augmented Reality Textbook for Future Blended Education

The report presents an augmented reality textbook for future blended education. The efficiency of blended learning is discussed. The characteristics of augmented reality technology are described. An experimental augmented reality textbook for mechanical engineering students’ blended training in the University of Ruse is presented.
A design theory for digital platforms supporting online communities: a multiple case study Open

This research proposes and validates a design theory for digital platforms that support online communities (DPsOC). It addresses ways in which digital platforms can effectively support social interactions in online communities. Drawing upon prior literature on IS design theory, online communities, and platforms, we derive an initial set of propositions for designing effective DPsOC. Our overarching proposition is that three components of digital platform architecture (core, interface, and complements) should collectively support the mix of the three distinct types of social interaction structures of online community (information sharing, collaboration, and collective action). We validate the initial propositions and generate additional insights by conducting an in-depth analysis of an European digital platform for elderly care assistance. We further validate the propositions by analyzing three widely used digital platforms, including Twitter, Wikipedia, and Liquidfeedback, and we derive additional propositions and insights that can guide DPsOC design. We discuss the implications of this research for research and practice. Journal of Information Technology advance online publication, 10 February 2015; doi:10.1057/jit.2014.37
Evidence for quality indicators to evaluate adult trauma care: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE
Multiple quality indicators are available to evaluate adult trauma care, but their characteristics and outcomes have not been systematically compared. We sought to systematically review the evidence about the reliability, validity, and implementation of quality indicators for evaluating trauma care.


DATA SOURCES
Search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and The Cochrane Library up to January 14, 2009; the Gray Literature; select journals by hand; reference lists; and articles recommended by experts in the field.


STUDY SELECTION
Studies were selected that evaluated the reliability, validity, or the impact of one or more quality indicators on the quality of care delivered to patients ≥ 18 yrs of age with a major traumatic injury.


DATA EXTRACTION
Reviewers with methodologic and content expertise conducted data extraction independently.


DATA SYNTHESIS
The literature search identified 6869 citations. Review of abstracts led to the retrieval of 538 full-text articles for assessment; 40 articles were selected for review. Of these, 20 (50%) articles were cohort studies and 13 (33%) articles were case series. Five articles used control groups, including three before and after case series, a case-control study, and a nonrandomized controlled trial. A total of 115 quality indicators in adult trauma care was identified, predominantly measures of hospital processes (62%) and outcomes (17%) of care. We did not identify any posthospital or secondary injury prevention quality indicators. Reliability was described for two quality indicators, content validity for 22 quality indicators, construct validity for eight quality indicators, and criterion validity for 46 quality indicators. A total of 58 quality indicators was implemented and evaluated in three studies. Eight quality indicators had supporting evidence for more than one measurement domain. A single quality indicator, peer review for preventable death, had both reliability and validity evidence.


CONCLUSIONS
Although many quality indicators are available to measure the quality of trauma care, reliability evidence, validity evidence, and description of outcomes after implementation are limited.
Simulation of Fractional-Order Low-Pass Filters

The attenuation of standard analog low-pass filters corresponds to a multiple value of decibels per octave. This quantified value is related to the order of the filter. The issue addressed here is concerned with the extension of integer orders to non integer orders, such that the attenuation of a low-pass filter can be continuously adjusted. Fractional differential systems are known to provide such asymptotic behaviors and many results about their simulation are available. But even for a fixed cutoff frequency, their combination does not generate an additive group with respect to the order and they involve stability problems. In this paper, a class of low-pass filters with orders between 0 (the filter is a unit gain) and 1 (standard one-pole filter) is defined to restore these properties. These infinite dimensional filters are not fractional differential but admit some well-posed representations into weighted integrals of standard one-pole filters. Based on this, finite dimensional approximations are proposed and recast into the framework of state-space representations. A special care is given to reduce the computational complexity, through the dimension of the state. In practice, this objective is reached for the complete family, without damaging the perceptive quality, with dimension 13. Then, an accurate low-cost digital version of this family is built in the time-domain. The accuracy of the digital filters is verified on the complete range of parameters (cutoff frequencies and fractional orders). Moreover, the stability is guaranteed, even for time-varying parameters. As an application, a plugin has been implemented which provides a new audio tool for tuning the cutoff frequency and the asymptotic slope in a continuous way. As a very special application, choosing a one-half order combined with a low cutoff frequency (20 Hz or less), the filter fed with a white noise provides a pink noise generator.
Pareto Optimal Reconfiguration of Power Distribution Systems Using a Genetic Algorithm Based on NSGA-II

Reconfiguration, by exchanging the functional links between the elements of the system, represents one of the most important measures which can improve the operational performance of a distribution system. The authors propose an original method, aiming at achieving such optimization through the reconfiguration of distribution systems taking into account various criteria in a flexible and robust approach. The novelty of the method consists in: the criteria for optimization are evaluated on active power distribution systems (containing distributed generators connected directly to the main distribution system and microgrids operated in grid-connected mode); the original formulation (Pareto optimality) of the optimization problem and an original genetic algorithm (based on NSGA-II) to solve the problem in a non-prohibitive execution time. The comparative tests performed on test systems have demonstrated the accuracy and promptness of the proposed algorithm. OPEN ACCESS Energies 2013, 6 1440
Fast scale invariant feature detection and matching on programmable graphics hardware

Ever since the introduction of freely programmable hardware components into modern graphics hardware, graphics processing units (GPUs) have become increasingly popular for general purpose computations. Especially when applied to computer vision algorithms where a Single set of Instructions has to be executed on Multiple Data (SIMD), GPU-based algorithms can provide a major increase in processing speed compared to their CPU counterparts. This paper presents methods that take full advantage of modern graphics card hardware for real-time scale invariant feature detection and matching. The focus lies on the extraction of feature locations and the generation of feature descriptors from natural images. The generation of these feature-vectors is based on the Speeded Up Robust Features (SURF) method [1] due to its high stability against rotation, scale and changes in lighting condition of the processed images. With the presented methods feature detection and matching can be performed at framerates exceeding 100 frames per second for 640 times 480 images. The remaining time can then be spent on fast matching against large feature databases on the GPU while the CPU can be used for other tasks.
Spatiotemporal urbanization processes in the megacity of Mumbai , India : A Markov chains-cellular automata urban growth model

Several factors contribute to on-going challenges of spatial planning and urban policy in megacities, including rapid population shifts, less organized urban areas, and a lack of data with which to monitor urban growth and land use change. To support Mumbai’s sustainable development, this research was conducted to examine past urban land use changes on the basis of remote sensing data collected between 1973 and 2010. An integrated Markov ChainseCellular Automata (MCeCA) urban growth model was implemented to predict the city’s expansion for the years 2020e2030. To consider the factors affecting urban growth, the MCeCA model was also connected to multi-criteria evaluation to generate transition probability maps. The results of the multi-temporal change detection show that the highest urban growth rates, 142% occurred between 1973 and 1990. In contrast, the growth rates decreased to 40% between 1990 and 2001 and decreased to 38% between 2001 and 2010. The areas most affected by this degradation were open land and croplands. The MCeCA model predicts that this trend will continue in the future. Compared to the reference year, 2010, increases in built-up areas of 26% by 2020 and 12% by 2030 are forecast. Strong evidence is provided for complex future urban growth, characterized by a mixture of growth patterns. The most pronounced of these is urban expansion toward the north along the main traffic infrastructure, linking the two currently non-affiliated main settlement ribbons. Additionally, urban infill developments are expected to emerge in the eastern areas, and these developments are expected to increase urban pressure. 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Treatment outcomes of recommended first-line antiretroviral regimens in resource-limited clinics.

BACKGROUND
Although used globally, little data exist on the efficacy of nevirapine (NVP) used in combination with tenofovir (TDF)/emtricitabine or lamivudine (XTC), and no large randomized prospective control trials exists comparing this combination with efavirenz (EFV)/TDF/(XTC).


METHODS
As part of the AIDSRelief program, a retrospective review of patient medical chart information along with a cross-sectional viral load, and adherence measurement was conducted between 2004 and 2009. An on-treatment analysis excluded patients who died, transferred out of care, or were lost to follow-up. A switch of antiretrovirals for any reason was considered a failure in the intent-to-treat analysis. Patients with only clinically relevant reasons for switching such as toxicity, adverse effects, viral failure or clinical/immunological failure, lost to follow-up, and death were considered failures as part of the modified-intent-to-treat analysis. Step-wise multiple regression analysis was used to identify variables that were associated with viral suppression.


RESULTS
A random sample of 3862 patients met criteria and were included in this analysis. In the on-treatment analysis, older age (P < 0.004) and baseline CD4 <100 cells per cubic millimeter (P < 0.021) were the most significant variables impacting viral load. Patients on TDF/XTC/EFV achieved higher rates of viral suppression compared with patients on TDF/XTC/NVP or azidothymidine (AZT)/lamivudine (3TC)/NVP.


CONCLUSION
Our data show that patients on TDF/XTC/EFV had better outcomes than patients on TDF/XTC/NVP, AZT/3TC/EFV, or AZT/3TC/NVP. High rates of virologic suppression seen in patients on this regimen are consistent with previous studies and indicate the need to increase use of this regimen in HIV programs to promote sustainable viral suppression over time.
Genetics of emotion regulation

Emotions can be powerful drivers of behavior that may be adaptive or maladaptive for the individual. Thus, the ability to alter one's emotions, to regulate them, should be beneficial to an individual's success of survival and fitness. What is the biological basis of this ability? And what are the biological mechanisms that impart individual differences in the ability to regulate emotion? In this article, we will first introduce readers to the construct of emotion regulation, and the various strategies that individuals may utilize to regulate their emotions. We will then point to evidence that suggests genetic contributions (alongside environmental contributions) to individual differences in emotion regulation. To date, efforts to identify specific genetic mechanisms involved in emotion regulation have focused on common gene variants (i.e. variants that exist in >1% of the population, referred to as polymorphisms) and their association with specific emotion regulation strategies or the neural substrate mediating these strategies. We will discuss these efforts, and conclude with a call to expand the set of experimental paradigms and putative molecular mechanisms, in order to significantly advance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms by which genes are involved in emotion regulation.