LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Using Virtual Reality for Developing Design Communication

This paper explores the possibilities of using a Virtual Reality for cooperative idea generation and then attempts to assess the relationship between a student’s cooperation and the design process, learning experiences and the pedagogy employed by the teacher. The researchers based their research around the following questions: 1. How could collaborative idea generation be incorporated within the VRE? 2. How does this relate to teaching and learning within the lesson? 3. How do communications during the lesson support students’ work?
Sonography should be the first imaging examination done to evaluate patients with suspected endometriosis.

ndometriosis is defined as the presence of normal endometrial tissue occurring outside the endometrial cavity. This ectopic endometrial tissue responds to normal cyclic hormonal changes, resulting in localized bleeding, inflammation, and subsequent adhesion formation. As a result, endometriosis is a well-known cause of chronic pelvic pain in premenopausal women. The most common site and most recognized sonographic appearance of endometriosis is the ovarian cyst known as an endometrioma or chocolate cyst. Sonographically, an endometrioma is an ovarian cyst that has homogeneous low-level echoes with some areas of increased echogenicity (clot) but with no evidence of blood flow inside.1 Many years ago, the sonographic diagnosis of endometriosis was reserved for patients with obvious endometriomas, thus missing the cause of pelvic pain in a large number of patients. We now know that endometriosis is also commonly found in other dependent areas of the pelvis, including the anterior and posterior cul-de-sac, the uterosacral ligaments, the bladder and bowel wall (rectosigmoid particularly), and the rectovaginal septum. Endometriosis can occur in the form of superficial and deep implants. The pain associated with these implants may be intense, but these lesions are often small and not easily detected by standard pelvic sonography. Some patients with extensive disease and large endometriomas may have relatively few symptoms, whereas others with small deep endometriotic implants may have severe dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, and chronic pelvic pain. Diagnostic laparoscopy remains the reference standard for diagnosing pelvic endometriosis. More recently, however, detailed transvaginal sonography specifically looking for endometriotic lesions in correlation with the sites of pain has been quite effective in detecting the disease.2–6 In addition, as previously described, patients with endometriosis often have severe pelvic adhesions that further contribute to their pain and can also be detected sonographically. Examples of common sonographic findings consistent with adhesions are tethering of the uterus to the uterosacral ligaments so that the uterus is in a fixed, immobile position and obliteration of the posterior cul-de-sac. In 2004, Bazot et al7 described a group of 83 women with surgically proven deep pelvic endometriosis and found that the sensitivity and specificity for detecting the disease sonographically were Beryl R. Benacerraf, MD, Yvette Groszmann, MD
Chaotic Autonomous Mobile Robot for Military Missions

This work presents an autonomous mobile robot in order to cover an unknown terrain “randomly”, namely entirely, unpredictably and evenly. This aim is very important, especially in military missions, such as the surveillance of terrains, the terrain exploration for explosives and the patrolling for intrusion in military facilities. The “heart” of the proposed robot is a chaotic motion controller, which is based on a chaotic true random bit generator. This generator has been implemented with a microcontroller, which converts the produced chaotic bit sequence, to the robot's motion. Experimental results confirm that this approach, with an appropriate sensor for obstacle avoidance, can obtain very satisfactory results in regard to the fast scanning of the robot’s workspace with unpredictable way. Key-Words: Autonomous mobile robot, terrain coverage, microcontroller, random bit generator, nonlinear system, chaos, Logistic map.
Weka: Practical machine learning tools and techniques with Java implementations

The Waikato Environment for Knowledge Analysis (Weka) is a comprehensive suite of Java class libraries that implement many state-of-the-art machine learning and data mining algorithms. Weka is freely available on the World-Wide Web and accompanies a new text on data mining [1] which documents and fully explains all the algorithms it contains. Applications written using the Weka class libraries can be run on any computer with a Web browsing capability; this allows users to apply machine learning techniques to their own data regardless of computer platform.
Cyclical scheduling and multi-shift scheduling: Complexity and approximation algorithms

We consider the multiple shift scheduling problem modelled as a covering problem. Such problems are characterized by a constraint matrix that has in every column blocks of consecutive ones, each corresponding to a shift. We focus on three type of shift scheduling problems classified according to the column structure in the constraint matrix: consecutive ones columns, cyclical ones columns and k consecutive blocks columns. In particular the complexity of the cyclical scheduling problem, where the matrix satisfies the cyclical 1’s property in each column was noted recently by Hochbaum and Tucker to be open. They further showed that the unit demand case is polynomially solvable. Here we extend this result to the uniform requirements case, and provide a 2-approximation algorithm for the non-uniform case. We also establish that the cyclical scheduling problem’s complexity is equivalent to that of the exact matching problem – a problem the complexity status of which is known to be randomized polynomial, RP. We then investigate the three types of shift scheduling problems and show that while the consecutive ones version is polynomial and the k-block columns is NP-hard (for k ≥ 2), For thek-blocks problem we give a simple k-approximation algorithm, which is the first approximation algorithm determined for the problem.
Improving parental adherence with asthma treatment guidelines: a randomized controlled trial of an interactive website.

BACKGROUND
Controllers are underprescribed for children with asthma, and when they are, adherence is suboptimal. We sought to test whether an interactive website grounded in social cognitive theory can improve the dispensing of controller medications and adherence with them where indicated.


METHODS
Randomized controlled trial. Parents of eligible patients were randomized to be prompted to assess their child's asthma each month for 6 months and receive tailored feedback on controller use and adherence strategies. For the next 6 months, participation in the site was optional. Outcomes were assessed at 6 and 12 months.


RESULTS
A total of 603 families were enrolled. At baseline, 176 (29%) children had mild-to-severe persistent asthma, whereas 71% of children met criteria for mild intermittent asthma. Among patients who should have been on controllers at baseline but were not, there was no statistically significant increase in controller prescriptions at 6 months (odds ratio [OR] 2.85; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.63-14.04], P = .17). There was a trend to improved adherence with controllers among users at 6 months (OR 1.54, 95% CI 0.90-2.63, P = .10). Among patients who used controller medicine at both baseline and at 6 months, users in the intervention arm had significantly greater adherence than those in control arm at 6 months (OR 1.92; 95% CI 1.05-3.55; P = .02). For patients with persistent asthma at baseline and who were on controller medicine at both time points, patients in the intervention arm had significantly better adherence than those in the control arm at 6 months (OR 3.33; 95% CI 1.20-10.07, P = .01). However, there were no discernible differences at the 12-month assessment.


CONCLUSION
A tailored interactive website shows some benefit in improving controller medication adherence during a period of active intervention.
Ontology Modeling and MDA

The paper presents Ontology Definition Metamodel (ODM) that enables using Model Driven Architecture (MDA) standards in ontological engineering. Other similar metamodels are based on ontology representation languages, such as RDF(S), DAML+OIL, etc. However, none of these other solutions uses the recent W3C effort – The Web Ontology Language (OWL). In our approach, we firstly define the ODM place in the context of the MDA four-layer architecture and identify the main OWL concepts. Then, we define ODM using Meta-Object Facility (MOF). The relations between similar MOF and OWL concepts are discussed in order to show their differences (e.g. MOF or UML Class and OWL Class). The proposed ODM is a good starting point for defining an OWL-based UML profile that will enable using the well-known UML notation in ontological engineering more extensively.
Bacteria as a source of phosphorus for zooplankton

The utilization of bacterial phosphorus in zooplankton metabolism was investigated using radio-phosphorus labelled natural bacteria as food source for zooplankton in feeding experiments. Incorporation of labelled bacteria was clearly related to the species' ability to graze on bacteria, with the cladoceran Daphnia reaching the highest biomass-specific activity and the copepod Acanthodiaptomus the lowest. Within Daphnia, juveniles had a higher biomass-specific uptake of phosphorus than adults. This was presumably caused by higher growth rates of the juveniles rather than age-specific differences in the ability to feed on bacteria, supported by the observation that the juveniles had the highest specific P-content. Retention of ingested 32P from labelled particles exceeded 80%, indicating higher assimilation efficiencies on phosphorus compared with carbon. In the investigated humic lake, approximately 75% of the phosphorus in grazable particles was bound in bacterial cells, making bacteria the most important source of P to the bacterivore zooplankton species.
From Template to Image: Reconstructing Fingerprints from Minutiae Points

Most fingerprint-based biometric systems store the minutiae template of a user in the database. It has been traditionally assumed that the minutiae template of a user does not reveal any information about the original fingerprint. In this paper, we challenge this notion and show that three levels of information about the parent fingerprint can be elicited from the minutiae template alone, viz., 1) the orientation field information, 2) the class or type information, and 3) the friction ridge structure. The orientation estimation algorithm determines the direction of local ridges using the evidence of minutiae triplets. The estimated orientation field, along with the given minutiae distribution, is then used to predict the class of the fingerprint. Finally, the ridge structure of the parent fingerprint is generated using streamlines that are based on the estimated orientation field. Line integral convolution is used to impart texture to the ensuing ridges, resulting in a ridge map resembling the parent fingerprint. The salient feature of this noniterative method to generate ridges is its ability to preserve the minutiae at specified locations in the reconstructed ridge map. Experiments using a commercial fingerprint matcher suggest that the reconstructed ridge structure bears close resemblance to the parent fingerprint
A multivariable approach to supplier segmentation

This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae, and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand, or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material. The aim of this paper is to develop a new approach to supplier segmentation that considers the various variables used in existing literature to segment suppliers. A literature review reveals a serious problem from a management perspective. The problem is that many different supplier segmentation methods have been proposed in the last three decades, each of which uses different segmentation variables and hence results in different segments. An overarching supplier segmentation method, considering various segmentation variables, is lacking. Based on an extensive literature review, we have analysed the current methods and we conclude that the literature on supplier segmentation can be divided into three different schools of thoughts. By clearly identifying the deficiencies of the existing theory on supplier segmentation, we developed a new approach. As the basis for this new approach, we developed three requirements to make an overarching approach to supplier segmentation. Firstly, supplier segmentation should be based on their long-term potential, which we propose to assess in terms of supplier capabilities and willingness to cooperate. Secondly, other functional areas beyond purchasing have to be considered when segmenting suppliers. Thirdly, supplier segmentation should be viewed as a step in a longitudinal process that includes selecting suppliers, segmenting them, managing the relationship with them and actively developing their role over time. We illustrate the proposed approach by segmenting the suppliers of a company in the food industry. 1. Introduction Faced with a competitive global market, firms have downsized, focused on core competencies and attempted to achieve competitive advantage by managing their relationships with suppliers more effectively (Tan et al. 1999). The relationships between buyers and suppliers in a supply chain management (SCM) context are investigated in various recent studies. In most cases, the main objective is to …
Reducing the environmental impact of trials: a comparison of the carbon footprint of the CRASH-1 and CRASH-2 clinical trials

BACKGROUND
All sectors of the economy, including the health research sector, must reduce their carbon emissions. The UK National Institute for Health Research has recently prepared guidelines on how to minimize the carbon footprint of research. We compare the carbon emissions from two international clinical trials in order to identify where emissions reductions can be made.


METHODS
We conducted a carbon audit of two clinical trials (the CRASH-1 and CRASH-2 trials), quantifying the carbon dioxide emissions produced over a one-year audit period. Carbon emissions arising from the coordination centre, freight delivery, trial-related travel and commuting were calculated and compared.


RESULTS
The total emissions in carbon dioxide equivalents during the one-year audit period were 181.3 tonnes for CRASH-1 and 108.2 tonnes for CRASH-2. In total, CRASH-1 emitted 924.6 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents compared with 508.5 tonnes for CRASH-2. The CRASH-1 trial recruited 10,008 patients over 5.1 years, corresponding to 92 kg of carbon dioxide per randomized patient. The CRASH-2 trial recruited 20,211 patients over 4.7 years, corresponding to 25 kg of carbon dioxide per randomized patient. The largest contributor to emissions in CRASH-1 was freight delivery of trial materials (86.0 tonnes, 48% of total emissions), whereas the largest contributor in CRASH-2 was energy use by the trial coordination centre (54.6 tonnes, 30% of total emissions).


CONCLUSIONS
Faster patient recruitment in the CRASH-2 trial largely accounted for its greatly increased carbon efficiency in terms of emissions per randomized patient. Lighter trial materials and web-based data entry also contributed to the overall lower carbon emissions in CRASH-2 as compared to CRASH-1.


TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBERS
CRASH-1: ISRCTN74459797CRASH-2: ISRCTN86750102.
Estimation of ¹²³I-IMP arterial blood activity using ¹²³I-IMP acquisition data from the lungs and brain without any blood sampling: validation of its usefulness for quantification of regional cerebral blood flow.

OBJECTIVE
The conventional methods for the estimation of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) using ¹²³I-labeled N-isopropyl-p-iodoamphetamine (¹²³I IMP) autoradiography (ARG) require continuous or 1-point arterial blood sampling. Patients who need rCBF quantification benefit from the avoidance of arterial puncture. In this study, we attempted to develop a method without any blood sampling to estimate ¹²³I IMP activity in the arterial blood sample at 10 minutes after injection of ¹²³I IMP (Ca10) for the purpose of rCBF quantification. For the evaluation of validity of this method, the mean of rCBFs in various regions of the brain (mean CBF) calculated by ¹²³I IMP ARG method using the estimated Ca10 was compared with that calculated using the Ca10 directly measured with the actual arterial blood sample. Both groups of the mean CBF values were also compared with those measured by O-15 H₂O PET ARG method.


METHODS
I-123 IMP ARG study was applied to 23 patients, and O-15 H₂O PET ARG was applied to 20 patients of them. Dynamic images of the lungs, time series of static images of the brain, and brain SPECT images were acquired after injection of ¹²³I IMP. Arterial blood sampling was done 10 minutes after injection of ¹²³I IMP. Multiple regression analysis was used to estimate Ca10 using 5 parameters from the lung washout counts, time series of brain static counts, and brain SPECT average counts as the explanatory variables and the Ca10 directly measured with the actual arterial blood sample as the objective variable, and the regression equation was calculated.


RESULTS
The regression equation was calculated by multiple regression analysis as follows: Estimated Ca10 = (2.09 × 10⁻² · LW3) - (2.29 × 10⁻⁴ · Cb5) - (9.87 × 10⁻³ · Cbpre-SPECT) + (1.06 · CbSPECTav) + (1.03 × 10⁻² · Cbpost-SPECT) + 165 (counts/s/g), where LW3: lung washout count at 3 minutes after injection, Cb5: brain count at 5 minutes, Cb pre-SPECT: brain count before SPECT, Cb SPECT av: average brain count during SPECT, and Cb post-SPECT: brain count after SPECT. The estimated Ca10 values closely correlated with the directly measured Ca10 values (r = 0.907, P < 0.01). The mean CBF values (mL/min/100 g) calculated by ¹²³I IMP ARG method using the estimated Ca10 also closely correlated with those calculated using the directly measured Ca10 (r = 0.818, P < 0.01). The mean CBF values calculated by the ¹²³I IMP ARG method using either the directly measured or the estimated Ca10 significantly correlated (r = 0.698 and 0.590, respectively; P < 0.01) with those measured by O-15 H₂O PET ARG method.


CONCLUSIONS
The ¹²³I IMP arterial blood activity can be estimated reliably without any blood sampling using the ¹²³I IMP acquisition data from the lungs and brain. This method can serve for a convenient and noninvasive rCBF quantification technique instead of the conventional methods requiring arterial blood sampling.
Validation of post-operative atrial fibrillation in the Western Denmark Heart Registry.

INTRODUCTION
Post-operative new-onset atrial fibrillation and flutter (POAF) is associated with increased morbidity and mortality following cardiac surgery. Registers and databases are important data sources for observational studies in this research area; hence, the aim was to assess the data validity of the POAF diagnosis in the Western Denmark Heart Registry (WDHR).


METHODS
We studied a 25% random sample (n = 1,381) from a cohort of 5,532 patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting, valve surgery or combinations between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2013. Registrations of POAF diagnoses in the WDHR were compared with the actual clinical course as documented in the medical records. The positive predictive value for new-onset POAF in the WDHR was calculated.


RESULTS
A positive predictive value of 82.5% (95% confidence interval: 78.8-85.7) was found with a sensitivity and specificity of 75.2% and 90.9%, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
A diagnosis of new-onset POAF in the WDHR is relatively valid and may be used for contemporary epidemiological studies. Improvements may optimise the registry's validity even further, emphasising the importance of continuous validation and maintenance of the registry.


FUNDING
none.


TRIAL REGISTRATION
not relevant.
A randomized controlled trial of soap opera videos streamed to smartphones to reduce risk of sexually transmitted human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in young urban African American women.

BACKGROUND
Love, Sex, and Choices (LSC) is a soap opera video series created to reduce HIV sex risk in women.


METHODS
LSC was compared to text messages in a randomized trial in 238 high-risk mostly Black young urban women. 117 received 12-weekly LSC videos, 121 received 12-weekly HIV prevention messages on smartphones. Changes in unprotected sex with high risk partners were compared by mixed models.


RESULTS
Unprotected sex with high risk men significantly declined over 6 months post-intervention for both arms, from 21-22 acts to 5-6 (p < 0.001). This reduction was 18 % greater in the video over the text arm, though this difference was not statistically significant. However, the LSC was highly popular and viewers wanted the series to continue.


CONCLUSION
This is the first study to report streaming soap opera video episodes to reduce HIV risk on smartphones. LSC holds promise as an Internet intervention that could be scaled-up and combined with HIV testing.
Towards autonomous collision avoidance in surgical robots using image segmentation and genetic algorithms

Surgical robots provide various advantages, like improved precision and dexterity, over conventional surgical procedures and have been extensively studied in the last decade. However, safety is still a major concern mainly due to the unreliable or no haptic feedback to the surgeon and the shaky movements (tremors) in the surgeons hands. These issues may result in unwanted collisions between the robotic arm tips and the soft tissues of the human body or between the robotic arm tips inside the human body causing non-repairable damage. In this paper, we propose to overcome this problem by using image segmentation techniques, on the real-time video of the robotic surgery, along with genetic algorithms to avoid possible collisions. The main idea is to introduce an automatic collision avoidance mechanism upon detecting a threat for a possible collision. For illustration, some preliminary results on using image segmentation on a video of the cholecystectomy surgical procedure are presented.