LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Short Segment Fixation for Thoracolumbar Burst Fracture Accompanying Osteopenia : A Comparative Study

OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to compare the results of three types of short segment screw fixation for thoracolumbar burst fracture accompanying osteopenia.


METHODS
The records of 70 patients who underwent short segment screw fixation for a thoracolumbar burst fracture accompanying osteopenia (-2.5< mean T score by bone mineral densitometry <-1.0) from January 2005 to January 2008 were reviewed. Patients were divided into three groups based on whether or not bone fusion and bone cement augmentation procedure 1) Group I (n=26) : short segment fixation with posterolateral bone fusion; 2) Group II (n=23) : bone cement augmented short segment fixation with posterolateral bone fusion; 3) Group III (n=21) : bone cement augmented, short segment percutaneous screw fixation without bone fusion. Clinical outcomes were assessed using a visual analogue scale and modified MacNab's criteria. Radiological findings, including kyphotic angle and vertebral height, and procedure-related complications, such as screw loosening or pull-out, were analyzed.


RESULTS
No significant difference in radiographic or clinical outcomes was noted between patients managed using the three different techniques at last follow up. However, Group I showed more correction loss of kyphotic deformities and vertebral height loss at final follow-up, and Group I had higher screw loosening and implant failure rates than Group II or III.


CONCLUSION
Bone cement augmented procedure can be an efficient and safe surgical techniques in terms of achieving better outcomes with minimal complications for thoracolumbar burst fracture accompanying osteopenia.
An optimisation method for separating and rebuilding one-dimensional dispersive waves from multi-point measurements. Application to elastic or viscoelastic bars

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés.
Infinite executions of lazy and strict computations

Abstract We give axioms for an operation that describes the states from which a computation has infinite executions in several relational and matrix-based models. The models cover non-strict and strict computations which represent finite, infinite and aborting executions with varying precision. Based on the operation we provide an approximation order for a unified description of recursion. Least fixpoints in the approximation order are reduced to least and greatest fixpoints in the underlying semilattice order. We specialise this to a unified description of iteration which satisfies the axioms of a binary operation introduced in previous work. Previous consequences therefore generalise to all discussed computation models in a uniform way. All algebraic results are verified in Isabelle using its integrated automated theorem provers and SMT solvers.
Internet use and verbal aggression: The moderating role of parents and peers

This research investigated the influence of parent–adolescent communication quality, as perceived by the adolescents, on the relationship between adolescents’ Internet use and verbal aggression. Adolescents (N = 363, age range 10–16, MT1 = 12.84, SD = 1.93) were examined twice with a six-month delay. Controlling for social support in general terms, moderated regression analyses showed that Internet-related communication quality with parents determined whether Internet use is associated with an increase or a decrease in adolescents’ verbal aggression scores over time. A three way interaction indicated that high Internet-related communication quality with peers can have disadvantageous effects if the communication quality with parents is low. Implications on resources and risk factors related to the effects of Internet use are discussed. 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Post-Processing OCR Text using Web-Scale Corpora

We introduce a (semi-)automatic OCR post-processing system that utilizes web-scale linguistic corpora in providing high-quality correction. This paper is a comprehensive system overview with the focus on the computational procedures, applied linguistic analysis, and processing optimization.
Interactions between contingency, organizational IT factors, and ERP success

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of some organizational information technology (IT) factors (i.e. IT assets, employees’ IT skills, IT resources, and satisfaction with legacy IT systems) and their interacting effects with two contingency factors (i.e. organization’s size and structure) on enterprise resource planning (ERP) system success. Design/methodology/approach – Surveys were conducted in two European countries. Respondents came from diverse, private, and industrial organizations. Relevant hypotheses were developed and tested using a structural equation modeling technique. Findings – The analysis supported – partially or fully – six of the eight hypotheses formulated. For example, the data indicated strong positive relationships between IT assets and IT resources, on the one hand, and ERP success, on the other. Organization’s size and structure were also found to be moderators in some of the relationships. Also, the analysis revealed that satisfaction with legacy IT systems increased with ERP success, which was an unexpected finding. Originality/value – This study contributes to the literature, being among the few to investigate the effects of organizational IT factors and their interacting effects with relevant contingency factors in the context of ERP system success. Methodologically, the study utilized a “non-deterministic” model to facilitate deeper insights into the effects of variables.
Pulmonary embolism findings on chest radiographs and multislice spiral CT

Multislice spiral CT is becoming an increasingly important tool for diagnosing pulmonary embolism. However, in many instances, a chest radiograph is usually performed as a first-line examination. Many parenchymal, vascular, and other ancillary findings may be observed on both imaging modalities with a highly detailed depiction of abnormalities on multislice CT. A comprehensive review of chest radiograph findings is presented with side-by-side correlations of CT images reformatted mainly in the frontal plane.
Preoperative radiotherapy combined with total mesorectal excision for resectable rectal cancer.

BACKGROUND
Short-term preoperative radiotherapy and total mesorectal excision have each been shown to improve local control of disease in patients with resectable rectal cancer. We conducted a multicenter, randomized trial to determine whether the addition of preoperative radiotherapy increases the benefit of total mesorectal excision.


METHODS
We randomly assigned 1861 patients with resectable rectal cancer either to preoperative radiotherapy (5 Gy on each of five days) followed by total mesorectal excision (924 patients) or to total mesorectal excision alone (937 patients). The trial was conducted with the use of standardization and quality-control measures to ensure the consistency of the radiotherapy, surgery, and pathological techniques.


RESULTS
Of the 1861 patients randomly assigned to one of the two treatment groups, 1805 were eligible to participate. The overall rate of survival at two years among the eligible patients was 82.0 percent in the group assigned to both radiotherapy and surgery and 81.8 percent in the group assigned to surgery alone (P=0.84). Among the 1748 patients who underwent a macroscopically complete local resection, the rate of local recurrence at two years was 5.3 percent. The rate of local recurrence at two years was 2.4 percent in the radiotherapy-plus-surgery group and 8.2 percent in the surgery-only group (P<0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Short-term preoperative radiotherapy reduces the risk of local recurrence in patients with rectal cancer who undergo a standardized total mesorectal excision.
Machine-Learning Research Four Current Directions

Machine Learning research has been making great progress in many directions This article summarizes four of these directions and discusses some current open problems The four directions are a improving classi cation accuracy by learning ensembles of classi ers b methods for scaling up supervised learning algorithms c reinforcement learning and d learning complex stochastic models
Randomized comparison of renal effects, efficacy, and safety with once-daily abacavir/lamivudine versus tenofovir/emtricitabine, administered with efavirenz, in antiretroviral-naive, HIV-1-infected adults: 48-week results from the ASSERT study.

BACKGROUND
Abacavir/lamivudine and tenofovir/emtricitabine fixed-dose combinations are commonly used first-line antiretroviral therapies, yet few studies have comprehensively compared their safety profiles.


METHODS
Forty-eight-week data are presented from this multicenter, randomized, open-label study comparing the safety profiles of abacavir/lamivudine and tenofovir/emtricitabine, both administered with efavirenz, in HLA-B*5701-negative HIV-1-infected adults.


RESULTS
Three hundred eighty-five subjects were enrolled in the study. The overall rate of withdrawal was high (28%). Changes in estimated glomerular filtration rate from baseline were similar between arms [difference 0.953 mL.min.1.73 m (95% confidence interval: -1.445 to 3.351), P = 0.435]. Urinary excretion of retinol-binding protein and beta-2 microglobulin increased significantly more in the tenofovir/emtricitabine arm (+50%; +24%) compared with the abacavir/lamivudine arm (no change; -47%) (P < 0.0001). A lower proportion achieved viral load <50 copies per milliliter in the abacavir/lamivudine arm (114 of 192, 59%) compared with the tenofovir/emtricitabine arm (137 of 193, 71%) [difference 11.6% (95% confidence interval: 2.2 to 21.1)]. The overall virological failure rate was low. The adverse event rate was similar between arms (except drug hypersensitivity, reported more in the abacavir/lamivudine arm).


CONCLUSIONS
The study showed no difference in estimated glomerular filtration rate between the arms, however, increases in markers of tubular dysfunction were observed in the tenofovir/emtricitabine arm, the long-term consequence of which is unclear. A significant difference in efficacy favoring tenofovir/emtricitabine was observed.
Spectral function at high temperature

Abstract For a weakly coupled quantum field at high temperature the classical approximation offers a possibility to gain insight into nonperturbative real-time dynamics. I use this to present a nonperturbative approach to the computation of spectral functions in real time. Results are shown for a scalar field in 2 + 1 dimensions.
The Empathy and Systemizing Quotient: The Psychometric Properties of the Dutch Version and a Review of the Cross-Cultural Stability

The 'Empathy Quotient' (EQ) and 'Systemizing Quotient' (SQ) are used worldwide to measure people's empathizing and systemizing cognitive styles. This study investigates the psychometric properties of the Dutch EQ and SQ in healthy participants (n = 685), and high functioning males with autism spectrum disorder (n = 42). Factor analysis provided support for three subscales of the abridged 28-item EQ: Cognitive Empathy, Emotional Empathy and Social Skills. Overall, the Dutch EQ and SQ appeared reliable and valid tools to assess empathizing and systemizing cognitive style in healthy adults and high functioning adults with autism. The literature showed good cross-cultural stability of the SQ and EQ in Western countries, but in Asian countries EQ is less stable and less sensitive to sex differences.
Supine Cervical Traction After Anterior Cervical Diskectomy and Fusion : A Case Series

Background and Purpose: Cervical traction has been used for more than 50 years for the treatment of cervical disk pathology. However, there is a paucity of research in regard to the use of postoperative traction following surgery. The purpose of this case series is to describe evidence-based treatment using cervical traction for herniated nucleus pulposus (HNP) after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) in the cervical spine. Methods: This case series includes two patients with discogenic symptoms, including radicular symptoms and pathology in an area adjacent to an ACDF. In both cases, treatment was performed more than one year post ACDF and consisted of continuous cervical traction in supine using 15 to 17 pounds at a 12° or 20° angle for 10 to 20 minutes. Findings: After treatment with supine cervical traction, two patients with discogenic pathology and radicular symptoms had a significant reduction in symptoms and at least partial resolution of myopathy/radicular symptoms, including numbness and weakness. Clinical Relevance: Clinicians may be hesitant to use cervical traction after a patient has had ACDF surgery. This article offers examples of two cases in which patients status post ACDF improved with therapy, including the use of cervical traction. Conclusion: Caution should be taken when using cervical traction on the postoperative patient. However, in patients at least one year post ACDF, cervical traction may be a viable treatment for indicated pathology.
External Jugular Vein Cutdown Approach, as a Useful Alternative, Supports the Choice of the Cephalic Vein for Totally Implantable Access Device Placement

Cephalic vein (CV) cut down for totally implantable venous access device (TIVAD) placement has been accepted as an alternative to the percutaneous subclavian vein approach. The aim of this retrospective study was to validate the external jugular vein (EJV) cut-down approach when the CV is not feasible. Patients receiving a TIVAD from January 1995 to December 2003 were included in this study. Age, sex, surgical technique, disease, device used, length of the procedure, and morbidity were considered. A total of 427 TIVADs were placed in 425 patients: 253 men (59.5%) and 172 women (40.5%) aged 31 to 79 years. Of 425 patients, 5 were excluded; 420 underwent a CV cut down on the first attempt, and 391 (93.1%) procedures were successful. Among the final 29 patients, 20 (68.96%) underwent a TIVAD placement through the ipsilateral EJV cut-down approach. In the remaining nine patients (31.04%), TIVAD placement was performed through the ipsilateral internal jugular vein in four cases, via the ipsilateral axillary vein in three cases, and through the ipsilateral coracobrachial vein in the other cases. No immediate postoperative complications were detected in any of the patients. TIVAD placement by the CV cut-down approach is safe and fast, and its success rate is very high. By avoiding the immediate complications associated with the percutaneous approach, the EJV cut down has to be considered a valid, safe, and suitable alternative when the CV is not feasible.
The contribution of health literacy to disparities in self-rated health status and preventive health behaviors in older adults.

PURPOSE
Health literacy is associated with a range of poor health-related outcomes. Evidence that health literacy contributes to disparities in health is minimal and based on brief screening instruments that have limited ability to assess health literacy. The purpose of this study was to assess whether health literacy contributes, through mediation, to racial/ethnic and education-related disparities in self-rated health status and preventive health behaviors among older adults.


METHODS
We undertook a cross-sectional study of a nationally representative sample of 2,668 US adults aged 65 years and older from the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy. Multiple regression analysis was used to assess for evidence of mediation.


RESULTS
Of older adults in the United States, 29% reported fair or poor health status, and 27% to 39% reported not utilizing 3 recommended preventive health care services in the year preceding the assessment (influenza vaccination 27%, mammography 34%, dental checkup 39%). Health literacy and the 4 health outcomes (self-rated health status and utilization of the 3 preventive health care services) varied by race/ethnicity and educational attainment. Regression analyses indicated that, after controlling for potential confounders, health literacy significantly mediated both racial/ethnic and education-related disparities in self-rated health status and receipt of influenza vaccination, but only education-related disparities in receipt of mammography and dental care.


CONCLUSIONS
Health literacy contributes to disparities associated with race/ethnicity and educational attainment in self-rated health and some preventive health behaviors among older adults. Interventions addressing low health literacy may reduce these disparities.
Information Theory, Inference, and Learning Algorithms

Find loads of the information theory inference and learning algorithms book catalogues in this site as the choice of you visiting this page. You can also join to the website book library that will show you numerous books from any types. Literature, science, politics, and many more catalogues are presented to offer you the best book to find. The book that really makes you feels satisfied. Or that's the book that will save you from your job deadline.
Face recognition based on perceived facial images and multilayer perceptron neural network using constructive training algorithm

This study presents a modified constructive training algorithm for multilayer perceptron (MLP) which is applied to face recognition problem. An incremental training procedure has been employed where the training patterns are learned incrementally. This algorithm starts with a small number of training patterns and a single hidden-layer using an initial number of neurons. During the training, the hidden neurons number is increased when the mean square error (MSE) threshold of the training data (TD) is not reduced to a predefined value. Input patterns are trained incrementally until all patterns of TD are learned. The aim of this algorithm is to determine the adequate initial number of hidden neurons, the suitable number of training patterns in the subsets of each class and the number of iterations during the training step as well as the MSE threshold value. The proposed algorithm is applied in the classification stage in face recognition system. For the feature extraction stage, this paper proposes to use a biological vision-based facial description, namely perceived facial images, applied to extract features from human face images. Gabor features and Zernike moment have been used in order to determine the best feature extractor. The proposed approach is tested on the Cohn-Kanade Facial Expression Database. Experimental results indicate that a good architecture of neural network classifier can be obtained. The effectiveness of the proposed method compared with the fixed MLP architecture has been proved.
Evaluation of curative and palliative radiotherapy efficacy in extensive stage small cell lung cancer.

OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the efficacy of curative and palliative radiotherapy in the treatment of extensive stage small cell lung cancer (E-SCLC), and compare therapy effect on survival with or without metastatic disease.


METHODS
From January 1998 through December 2004, 128 patients with E-SCLC were treated with radiotherapy and concomitants combined chemotherapy. Radical radiotherapy, consisting of approximately 60 Gy given in up to 30 fractions was performed in 53 (41.4%) of these patients. Others (58.6%) were treated with palliative dose radiotherapy. In all patients, chemotherapy was planned with cisplatin (80 mg/m2) intravenously (i.v.) on day 1, and etoposide (120 mg/m2) i.v. on days 1, 2 and 3, every 3 weeks for 3-6 cycles. Conventional follow-up of patients was conducted at Izmir Oncology Center, Izmir, Turkey. All results were evaluated statistically.


RESULTS
One hundred and twenty-four patients (96.9%) were males. The mean age was 58.49 (+/- 9.01), ranging from 37-78 years. Metastases were initially determined in 64 patients (50%). The median follow up of patients was 287.41 days and median survival was 354.87 days. One year survival rate was 35.8%, and 2-year survival rates was 16.9% in the radical radiotherapy group, while these rates were 26.6% and 8% in the others. According to the statistical findings; the gains in duration of median survival with the curative thoracic irradiation are 151.97 days in all 128 patients.


CONCLUSION
This study shows that curative radiotherapy at the primary tumor provides an additional survival benefit in patients with metastatic disease compared with palliative radiotherapy. This finding raises the question of whether treatment with radical thoracic radiotherapy with concomitant chemotherapy, consisting of first-line drugs, might be more beneficial and cost-effective as well as a less toxic treatment of E-SCLC.
Big-Data Architecture for Cyber Attack Graphs Representing Security Relationships in NoSQL Graph Databases

The construction of cyber attack graphs is well studied in the literature. However, previous approaches generally apply only specific sets of algorithms against fixed data models. We introduce a much more flexible approach for attack graph modeling, analysis, and visualization based on general-purpose and extensible architecture. In this architecture, the model schema is implicit, and evolves with the available data sources, rather than being predetermined at design time. Graph patternmatching queries provide flexible analytic capabilities against arbitrary graph structures. We then process query results in a generic way for visualization. Our highly scalable implementation includes the MongoDB document-oriented NoSQL database, Apache Spark for cluster computing, and the Neo4j graph database. We illustrate our approach with a novel attack graph model that merges a complex blend of network data, including topology, firewall policies, vulnerabilities, attack patterns, and intrusion alerts, through standardized languages for cyber security data. Keywords-attack graphs; topological vulnerability analysis; network attack modeling; cybersecurity standards; cluster computing; NoSQL databases
Vickers Vanguard electrics

An outline of some of the more interesting features of the electric system of the British Vickers Vanguard, new turbo-prop airliner now being flight-tested.