LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Patient safety risks associated with telecare: a systematic review and narrative synthesis of the literature

BACKGROUND
Patient safety risk in the homecare context and patient safety risk related to telecare are both emerging research areas. Patient safety issues associated with the use of telecare in homecare services are therefore not clearly understood. It is unclear what the patient safety risks are, how patient safety issues have been investigated, and what research is still needed to provide a comprehensive picture of risks, challenges and potential harm to patients due to the implementation and use of telecare services in the home. Furthermore, it is unclear how training for telecare users has addressed patient safety issues. A systematic review of the literature was conducted to identify patient safety risks associated with telecare use in homecare services and to investigate whether and how these patient safety risks have been addressed in telecare training.


METHODS
Six electronic databases were searched in addition to hand searches of key items, reference tracking and citation tracking. Strict inclusion and exclusion criteria were set. All included items were assessed according to set quality criteria and subjected to a narrative synthesis to organise and synthesize the findings. A human factors systems framework of patient safety was used to frame and analyse the results.


RESULTS
22 items were included in the review. 11 types of patient safety risks associated with telecare use in homecare services emerged. These are in the main related to the nature of homecare tasks and practices, and person-centred characteristics and capabilities, and to a lesser extent, problems with the technology and devices, organisational issues, and environmental factors. Training initiatives related to safe telecare use are not described in the literature.


CONCLUSIONS
There is a need to better identify and describe patient safety risks related to telecare services to improve understandings of how to avoid and minimize potential harm to patients. This process can be aided by reframing known telecare implementation challenges and user experiences of telecare with the help of a human factors systems approach to patient safety.
Signs of subclinical coronary atherosclerosis in relation to risk factor distribution in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) and the Heinz Nixdorf Recall Study (HNR)

AIMS
Modern imaging technology allows us the visualization of coronary artery calcification (CAC), a marker of subclinical coronary atherosclerosis. The prevalence, quantity, and risk factors for CAC were compared between two studies with similar imaging protocols but different source populations: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) and the Heinz Nixdorf Recall Study (HNR).


METHODS AND RESULTS
The measured CAC in 2220 MESA participants were compared with those in 3,126 HNR participants with the inclusion criteria such as age 45-75 years, Caucasian race, and free of baseline cardiovascular disease. Despite similar mean levels of CAC of 244.6 among participants in MESA and of 240.3 in HNR (P = 0.91), the prevalence of CAC > 0 was lower in MESA (52.6%) compared with HNR (67.0%) with a prevalence rate ratio of CAC > 0 of 0.78 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.72-0.85] after adjustment for known risk factors. Consequently, among participants with CAC > 0, the participants in MESA tended to have higher levels of CAC than those in HNR (ratio of CAC levels: 1.39; 95% CI: 1.19-1.63), since many HNR participants have small (near zero) CAC values.


CONCLUSIONS
The CAC prevalence was lower in the United States (MESA) cohort than in the German (HNR) cohort, which may be explained by more favourable risk factor levels among the MESA participants. The predictors for increased levels of CAC were, however, similar in both cohorts with the exception that male gender, blood pressure, and body mass index were more strongly associated in the HNR cohort.
The quantitative risks of mesothelioma and lung cancer in relation to asbestos exposure: the Wittenoom data.

The Ontario Royal Commission in 1984, in its chapter entitled 'Criteria for Evaluating Cohort Studies and the Limitations of Asbestos Epidemiology', commented that 'It is therefore no accident that one of the weakest parts of all asbestos epidemiology is the quality of the quantitative exposure data' (Dupre et al., 1984). Such comments are of particular relevance to the cumulative crocidolite exposure levels used by Hodgson and Darnton (2000) in their mesothelioma and lung cancer risk estimates for the cohort of Australian Blue Asbestos workers (commonly known as the Wittenoom cohort). It is important to realize that while Wittenoom is the name of a very remote town in the northwest of the state of Western Australia, the Wittenoom cohort in fact worked over three mining and various milling operations, and lived in two residential areas (Rogers and Nevill, 1995). The Wittenoom Gorge mine and mill, which operated from 1943 to 1958, initially hired some previously exposed miners from the 1937–46 Yampire Gorge crocidolite mine and mill. A new Wittenoom Gorge mill was constructed in 1949, and various modifications and attempts at dust control were made until its closure in 1958. The Colonial Gorge mine and mill commenced operation in the adjacent gorge in 1953, running until 1966, when it was closed for economic reasons. Throughout the 23 years of employment of the 6500 male Wittenoom cohort, various upgrades were made in production and dust control, but overall the three mines and mills were always extremely dusty. In addition, there was considerable general environmental exposure in several residential areas associated with the crocido-lite mining activities. Dust monitoring was conducted by the Mines' Inspectorate using a konimeter to determine compliance with the general particulate (non-fibre) standard of the day. Many hundreds of such measurements were recorded for the early 1950s until 1966. The vast majority of the results were recorded as 1000+ particles per cc, indicating overloading of the koni-meter, and research has found consequently that these data were never suitable for estimating airborne fibre concentrations. The only attempt at fibre level monitoring was made in the Colonial Gorge mine and mill by one of us (G.M.) in 1966 over 12 shifts, when the then modern mill was operating at full capacity. During this time, some 38 'static' samples were collected using two Casella Long Running Thermal Precipita-tors. In addition, three 'clean air' samples were taken ~100 m outside the mill which, when …
Effect of time from diagnosis to start of radiotherapy on children with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma.

BACKGROUND
Children with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) continue to have poor outcomes, and radiotherapy (RT) is the only temporarily effective treatment. In this retrospective analysis, we studied the effect of time from diagnosis to start of RT on event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) in children with DIPG.


METHODS
Records of children (n = 95) with DIPG treated with RT at a single institution between April 1999 and September 2009 were analyzed. RT was delivered at doses of 54.0-55.8 Gy at 1.8 Gy per fraction, and children were followed prospectively. The effect of gender, race, interruption during treatment course, age at diagnosis, duration of symptoms prior to diagnosis, use of protocol-based chemotherapy, and time from diagnosis to initiation of RT on EFS and OS was assessed by the Cox proportional hazards model.


RESULTS
Time as a continuous variable from diagnosis to start of RT did not affect outcome. Time dichotomized to ≤14 days significantly affected OS (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.70, P = 0.014) and race other than white or black affected EFS (HR = 2.32, P = 0.017). The 95 patients had a 6-month EFS and OS of 60 ± 5% and 94.7 ± 2.3%, respectively, and a 12-month EFS and OS of 11.6 ± 3.1% and 49.5 ± 5%, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Time as a continuous variable did not affect OS or EFS in our cohort; however, children treated within 2 weeks of diagnosis had poor outcomes. Although rapid initiation of RT is desirable, our findings do not support intensive efforts aimed at shortening delays from diagnosis to start of RT.
Influence of urban morphology and sea breeze on hot humid microclimate: the case of Colombo, Sri Lanka

Urbanisation leads to increased thermal stress in hot-humid climates due to increased surface and air temperatures and reduced wind speed. We examined the influence of urban morphology and sea breeze on the microclimate of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Air and surface temperatures, humidity and wind speed were measured at 1 rural and 5 urban sites during the warmest season. The urban sites differed in their height to width (H/W) ratio, ground cover and distance to the sea. Intra-urban air temperature differences were greatest during the daytime. A maximum intra-urban difference of 7 K was recorded on clear days. Maximum temperatures tended to decrease with increasing H/W ratio and proximity to the sea. All urban sites experienced a nocturnal urban heat island (UHI) when the sky was clear or partly cloudy. The temperature differences between sunlit and shaded urban surfaces reached 20 K, which shows the importance of shade in urban canyons (reducing long-wave radiation from surfaces). Within the urban areas, the vapour pressure was high (>30 hPa) and showed little diurnal variation. Wind speeds were low (<2 m s–1) and tended to decrease with increasing H/W ratio. Shading is proposed as the main strategy for lowering air and radiant temperatures; this can be achieved by deeper canyons, covered walkways and shade trees. It is also suggested to open up wind corridors perpendicular to the sea to facilitate deeper sea breeze penetration.
An initial evaluation of automated organization for digital library browsing

In this article we present an evaluation of text clustering and classification methods for creating digital library browse interfaces, focusing on the particular case of collections made up of heterogeneous metadata records. This situation is common in "portal" style digital libraries, which are built by harvesting content from many disparate sources, typically using the Open Archives Protocol for Metadata Harvesting (OAI-PMH). By studying the activity of users in an experimental system, we find that taxonomies built or populated using machine-learning (or "AI") techniques provide a potentially useful avenue for browsing in this digital library scenario.
Which tone-mapping operator is the best? A comparative study of perceptual quality

Tone-mapping operators (TMOs) are designed to generate perceptually similar low-dynamic-range images from high-dynamic-range ones. We studied the performance of 15 TMOs in two psychophysical experiments where observers compared the digitally generated tone-mapped images to their corresponding physical scenes. All experiments were performed in a controlled environment, and the setups were designed to emphasize different image properties: in the first experiment we evaluated the local relationships among intensity levels, and in the second one we evaluated global visual appearance among physical scenes and tone-mapped images, which were presented side by side. We ranked the TMOs according to how well they reproduced the results obtained in the physical scene. Our results show that ranking position clearly depends on the adopted evaluation criteria, which implies that, in general, these tone-mapping algorithms consider either local or global image attributes but rarely both. Regarding the question of which TMO is the best, KimKautz ["Consistent tone reproduction," in Proceedings of Computer Graphics and Imaging (2008)] and Krawczyk ["Lightness perception in tone reproduction for high dynamic range images," in Proceedings of Eurographics (2005), p. 3] obtained the better results across the different experiments. We conclude that more thorough and standardized evaluation criteria are needed to study all the characteristics of TMOs, as there is ample room for improvement in future developments.
Genetic Programming: An Introduction and Tutorial, with a Survey of Techniques and Applications

The goal of having computers automatically solve problems is central to artificial intelligence, machine learning, and the broad area encompassed by what Turing called ‘machine intelligence’ [384]. Machine learning pioneer Arthur Samuel, in his 1983 talk entitled ‘AI: Where It Has Been and Where It Is Going’ [337], stated that the main goal of the fields of machine learning and artificial intelligence is:
Implementation of British Thoracic Society guidelines for acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: impact on quality of life.

BACKGROUND
The British Thoracic Society (BTS) guidelines have not been examined collectively for their impact on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Whether intensive outpatient follow up of COPD patients after acute admission, using these guidelines, improved quality of life compared to the "usual practice" of primary care follow up was investigated.


METHODS
Altogether 103 patients with a new diagnosis of COPD were admitted and screened over a four year period. Seventy patients were excluded because of another dominant medical condition or a mandatory requirement for intervention. Patients were randomised to regular primary care (control group, n = 15) or chest clinic follow up (intervention group, n = 10). Spirometry, oxygen saturation, St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), and Short Form 36 questionnaire were measured at baseline and six months. The intervention group was reviewed at least four times in the six month period and received spirometry, ambulatory oxygen assessment, smoking cessation advice, nebuliser assessment, a steroid trial, advice about nutrition/exercise, and introduction to a patient support group.


RESULTS
There was no significant difference between baseline measurements in the two groups. There was a significant mean (SD) improvement in the SGRQ symptom score from baseline to six months in the intervention group [20.98 (20.36)] compared with the controls [0.23 (12.55)] (p = 0.004). At six months the SGRQ symptom score, impact score, and total score was significantly better in the intervention than the control group (p = 0.01, 0.02, and 0.02).


CONCLUSION
Aggressive implementation of BTS guidelines after initial hospitalisation may improve respiratory health specific quality of life scores in patients with COPD. Larger studies are needed to confirm this finding.
PERISTAT: indicators for monitoring and evaluating perinatal health in Europe.

BACKGROUND
The PERISTAT project aimed to develop an indicator set for monitoring and describing perinatal health in Europe. The challenge was to define indicators that cover common concerns and have the same meaning within the different European health care systems.


METHODS
PERISTAT included i) a review of existing recommendations on perinatal health indicators, ii) a DELPHI consensus process with a scientific advisory committee composed of a clinician and an epidemiologist or statistician from each European member state as well as with a panel of midwives, and iii) a study of the availability of national statistics to construct recommended indicators. This article describes the first two components.


RESULTS
The review identified 10 international and 13 national recommended indicator sets. It also included indicators routinely compiled by WHO, EUROSTAT and OECD. Because of the methodological limits to using existing indicators for European comparisons, a high priority was placed on improving indicators already collected. Using the DELPHI method based on the results of the review, the scientific committee achieved a consensus on ten core and 23 recommended indicators, including 12 requiring further development.


CONCLUSIONS
The PERISTAT project was successful in identifying a set of indicators, which drew on and consolidated previous work. Consensus was not achieved on precise indicators in areas where uncertainty about appropriate indicators was high, although areas were targeted for future development. Finally, the feasibility study, which is in progress, is an essential part of the project, since it will enable member states to evaluate their capacity to produce these indicators.
Impact of body mass index on mortality in heart failure patients.

BACKGROUND
Higher body mass index (BMI) is associated with incident heart failure (HF), but paradoxically associated with better prognosis, recognized as the obesity paradox in HF. However, the impact of BMI on detailed prognosis on HF and the mechanism of obesity paradox remain still unclear.


MATERIALS AND METHODS
We researched consecutive 648 patients admitted for HF as follows: underweight (BMI < 18·5 kg/m(2) , n = 86), normal (18·5 ≤ BMI < 25, n = 380), overweight (25 ≤ BMI < 30, n = 147) and obese (30 ≤ BMI, n = 35) and compared the results from their laboratory tests and echocardiography. We also followed cardiac and all-cause mortality.


RESULTS
Obese group had a higher prevalence of obesity-related comorbidity (hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia); however, tumour necrosis factor-α, adiponectin, troponin T and systolic pulmonary arterial pressure were higher in the underweight group than in the other groups (P < 0·05, respectively). Left and right ventricular systolic function did not differ among the groups. In the Kaplan-Meier analysis, cardiac and all-cause mortality progressively increased from obese to overweight, normal and underweight group. Importantly, in the Cox proportional hazard analyses after adjusting for known risk factors, BMI was an independent predictor of cardiac and all-cause mortality (P < 0·01, respectively) in HF patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Body mass index was an independent predictor of cardiac death and all-cause mortality in HF patients. Furthermore, lower BMI was associated with higher circulating levels of tumour necrosis factor-α, adiponectin and troponin T and higher systolic pulmonary arterial pressure.
Core mutations, IL28B polymorphisms and response to peginterferon/ribavirin treatment in Swedish patients with hepatitis C virus genotype 1 infection

BACKGROUND
Patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 respond poorly to standard treatment with 50% or less achieving sustained virologic response. Predicting outcome is essential and could help avoid unnecessary treatment and reduce health cost. Recently, an association of amino acid substitutions in the core region and treatment outcome was observed in Japanese patients. In the present study, the impact of these mutations on response kinetics and treatment outcome was explored in Caucasian patients.


METHODS
The core region of HCV pre-treatment samples obtained from 50 patients treated with peginterferon/ribavirin in a previous Swedish clinical trial with genotype 1 infection were sequenced. The alleles at rs12979860, a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), were assessed in order to identify any co-association with this strong response predictor.


RESULTS
No association between treatment response and substitutions of core residue 91 was found. In contrast, substitutions of core residue 70 were observed in 6/21 (29%) non-responders, but only in one of 29 responders (p = 0.03), and were more common in subgenotype 1b (R70Q in 6 of 13 strains) than in 1a (R70P in 1 of 37 strains, p = 0.004). The rs12979860 SNP upstream of the IL28B gene was overall the strongest response predictor (p = 0.0001). Core 70 substitutions were associated with poorer response kinetics in patients carrying the CT genotype at rs12979860.


CONCLUSIONS
The results indicate that substitutions of core residue 70 are related to treatment response in Caucasian patients with HCV-1b infection, but are of less importance than IL28B polymorphism.
Blockchain contract: Securing a blockchain applied to smart contracts

A new mechanism is proposed for securing a blockchain applied to contracts management such as digital rights management. This mechanism includes a new consensus method using a credibility score and creates a hybrid blockchain by alternately using this new method and proof-of-stake. This makes it possible to prevent an attacker from monopolizing resources and to keep securing blockchains.
Quantifying the effects of seed arrival and environmental conditions on tropical seedling community structure

Though it is recognized that both stochastic and deterministic processes structure all communities, empirical assessments of their relative importance are rare, particularly within any single community. In this paper, we quantify the dynamic effects of dispersal assembly and niche assembly on the seedling layer in a diverse neotropical rain forest. The two theories make divergent predictions regarding the roles of seed arrival and environmental heterogeneity in generating community structure. Put simply, dispersal assembly posits that the stochasticity inherent to seed arrival structures communities, whereas niche assembly suggests that heterogeneity in post-dispersal environmental conditions is more important. We experimentally sowed 15,132 seeds of eight tree species at varying levels of density and diversity. Every six months we censused the seedlings that germinated and assessed the abiotic and biotic conditions of each plot. We assessed the density, diversity, and species composition of three nested subsets of the seedling layer: seedlings germinated from sown seeds, all seedlings germinated between July 2003 and 2004, and all woody seedlings. We partitioned the variance in density and diversity of each subset of the seedling layer into components representing seed-addition treatments and environmental conditions at 6- to 12-month intervals. Seed additions initially explained more variance in the density and diversity than did environmental heterogeneity for seven of eight sown species, but explained little variance in the density or diversity of the entire seedling layer. Species composition was better explained by seed-addition treatments than by environmental heterogeneity for all three subsets and in all time periods. Nevertheless, the variance in community structure explained by seed-addition treatments declined over the two years following germination, presaging shifts in the relative importance of dispersal assembly and niche assembly. Our study quantifies how dispersal assembly and niche assembly may vary among the components of an ecological community and shift dynamically through time.
Toward a new approach for the detection of pain in adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery: near-infrared spectroscopy--a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE
This pilot study examined the discriminant validity and criterion validity of regional cerebral oxygenation measurement (rSO₂), using the near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) technique (INVOS-4100 system, Somanetics, Troy, MI) for measuring pain during nociceptive procedures in adults undergoing cardiac surgery.


METHODS
A repeated-measures, within-subjects design was used, and 40 adult patients participated. Data collection was completed during 2 test periods: (1) while patients were awake, before the induction of anesthesia (first test period); and (2) after the induction of anesthesia, while patients remained under the effects of anesthesia (second test period). Each test period included a baseline, a tactile stimulus (skin disinfection), nociceptive stimuli (e.g., intravenous and arterial line insertions, sternal bone incision and thorax opening), and a postprocedure evaluation.


RESULTS
Increased rSO₂ values (P < .001) were acquired during nociceptive procedures in both test periods. No significant associations were evident between rSO₂, pain behaviors, and the patient's self-report of pain intensity, but this may be attributable to a low range of variability.


CONCLUSIONS
Although further research is needed in critically ill adult patients undergoing more painful procedures, the NIRS may become a promising technique for assessing pain.