LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of myopia in schoolchildren in Ejina: the Gobi Desert Children Eye Study.

PURPOSE
To determine the prevalence and associations of myopia in schoolchildren in provincial Western China.


METHODS
In the school-based observational cross-sectional Gobi Desert Children Eye Study, cylcoplegic refractometry as part of a comprehensive ophthalmic examination was performed in all schools in the oasis region of Ejina. Out of 1911 eligible children, 1565 (81.9%) children with a mean age of 11.9 ± 3.5 years (range, 6-21 years) participated.


RESULTS
The mean refractive error in the worse eye was -1.38 ± 2.04 diopters (D) (median, -0.88 D; range, -13.00 to +6.50 D). In multivariate analysis, more myopic refractive errors were associated with older age (P < 0.001; regression coefficient B: -0.26; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.28, -0.23), female sex (P = 0.005; B: -0.26; 95%CI: -0.43, -0.08), more myopic paternal refractive errors (P < 0.001; B: 0.20; 95%CI: 0.14, 0.27), more myopic maternal refractive errors (P < 0.001; B: 0.18; 95%CI: 0.12, 0.24), and fewer hours spent outdoors (P = 0.038; B: 0.18; 95%CI: 0.01, 0.35). The prevalence of myopia, defined as refractive errors (spherical equivalent) of ≤-0.50, ≤-1.00, and ≤-6.00 D in the worse eye, was 60.0 ± 1.2%, 48.0 ± 1.3%, and 2.9 ± 0.4%, respectively. The prevalence of high myopia (≤-6.00 D) was 2.9 ± 0.4% in the whole study population, and it was 9.9 ± 3.0% in 17-year-olds. It was not associated with time spent outdoors (P = 0.66).


CONCLUSIONS
Even in Western China, prevalence of myopia in schoolchildren is high. As in East China, low and medium myopia was associated with less time spent outdoors. High myopia was not significantly associated with outdoors time. Compared with the myopia prevalence in elderly Chinese populations, the relatively high myopia prevalence in schoolchildren in China predicts a marked increase in vision-threatening high myopia in future elderly populations in China.
A SMUGGLING APPROACH TO THE PASSIVE IN ENGLISH

I propose a theory of the passive that combines aspects of the principles and parameters analysis (no specific rules, no downward movement) and Chomsky’s (1957) Syntactic Structures analysis (the arguments in the passive are generated in the same positions as they are in the active).
Follow-up in children with progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis after partial external biliary diversion.

OBJECTIVES
The aim of this study was to examine whether reversion of histological fibrosis followed partial external biliary diversion (PEBD) in patients with progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis (PFIC); whether the duration of cholestatic episodes after PEBD influenced the evolution of fibrosis; and whether genotyping was helpful in predicting outcome of PEBD.


PATIENTS AND METHODS
Children with PFIC who underwent PEBD were investigated with genetic, biochemical, and anthropometric standard methods. Serial liver specimens were assessed histologically without knowledge of genotype and outcome. Findings were evaluated in the contexts of the total duration of cholestasis and the clinical outcome after PEBD.


RESULTS
From a total of 18 children with PFIC, 13 underwent PEBD, and 12 of these (among them 10 with identified ABCB11 mutations) were amenable for clinical and histological follow-up. When compared with baseline at PEBD, statistically significant reductions were found in histological cholestasis 1 and 3 years after PEBD, and in fibrosis 5 and >10 years after PEBD. The relative duration of cholestatic episodes after PEBD was positively correlated with the severity of fibrosis. Children homozygous for the missense mutation c.890A>G in ABCB11 responded well to PEBD.


CONCLUSIONS
Biliary diversion should be regarded as the first choice of surgical treatment in noncirrhotic patients with severe ABCB11 disease and may also be efficacious in other forms of PFIC.
N-Acetyl Cysteine for Depressive Symptoms in Bipolar Disorder—A Double-Blind Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND
Treatment-resistant subthreshold depression is a major problem in bipolar disorder. Both depression and bipolar disorder are complicated by glutathione depletion. We hypothesized that treatment with N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), a safe, orally bioavailable precursor of glutathione, may improve the depressive component of bipolar disorder.


METHODS
A randomized, double-blind, multicenter, placebo-controlled study of individuals (n = 75) with bipolar disorder in the maintenance phase treated with NAC (1 g twice daily) adjunctive to usual medication over 24 weeks, with a 4-week washout. The two primary outcomes were the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and time to a mood episode. Secondary outcomes included the Bipolar Depression Rating Scale and 11 other ratings of clinical status, quality of life, and functioning.


RESULTS
NAC treatment caused a significant improvement on the MADRS (least squares mean difference [95% confidence interval]: -8.05 [-13.16, -2.95], p = .002) and most secondary scales at end point. Benefit was evident by 8 weeks on the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale and Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale and at 20 weeks on the MADRS. Improvements were lost after washout. There was no effect of NAC on time to a mood episode (log-rank test: p = .968) and no significant between-group differences in adverse events. Effect sizes at end point were medium to high for improvements in MADRS and 9 of the 12 secondary readouts.


CONCLUSIONS
NAC appears a safe and effective augmentation strategy for depressive symptoms in bipolar disorder.
Neurologic disorders in pregnancy.

BACKGROUND
Neurologic dysfunction, coma, and seizures are common in obstetric patients in the intensive care unit.


OBJECTIVE
To review common neurologic disorders resulting in critical illness in pregnancy.


REVIEW
Obstetric disorders causing coma and seizures include eclampsia, acute fatty liver of pregnancy, and amniotic fluid embolism. Preexisting disorders such as epilepsy may worsen in one-third of pregnant patients, and seizures are common during labor. Changes in hemodynamics, blood volume, and hormonal effects on the vessel wall increase risk of bleeding from berry aneurysms and arteriovenous malformations during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Acute intermittent porphyria produces seizures and hypertension, closely mimicking eclampsia. Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis is common in postpartum patients, especially in developing countries. Brain tumors invariably enlarge during pregnancy because of fluid retention and the presence of estrogen and progesterone receptors on tumor cells. Infections such as cerebral malaria and acute viral hepatitis with fulminant hepatic failure are common causes of coma and seizures during pregnancy in tropical regions of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Patients may be admitted to the intensive care unit with type II respiratory failure due to myasthenic crisis, Guillain-Barre syndrome and spinal cord disease. Relapses of multiple sclerosis are infrequent during pregnancy but increase in the postpartum period.


CONCLUSIONS
In all instances, the effects of the disorders, diagnostic tests, and treatment on the fetus must be carefully weighed. Prompt delivery may be lifesaving for mother and fetus in conditions such as eclampsia and acute fatty liver of pregnancy; expectant treatment may be more appropriate in others.
Otiŭm: A web based planner for tourism and leisure

This paper introduces the Otiŭm planner system for scheduling of leisure tasks in tourism. This novel service allows users to create their own agenda of activities within specified dates. Activities are selected from a list of recommended events according to last selected events, user preferences and other parameters. The proposed restrictions on the recommendation procedure have been found to capture static and dynamic user context. The recommendation function is linear and shows low computational cost. The events are extracted from web sources with almost no human manipulation, so the recommender is always showing new and recent events. The Ajax-based web interface eases the creation of the final plan, offering an interactive experience to the user. We consider that the trade-off between interactivity and recommendation complexity exits, and that the second issue is preferable in this type of services. The details about the design and implementation of the system are described, along with the issues the system resolves and some guidelines for enhancement. 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Workplace empowerment and nurses' job satisfaction: a systematic literature review.

AIMS
This systematic review aimed to synthesize and analyse the studies that examined the relationship between nurse empowerment and job satisfaction in the nursing work environment.


BACKGROUND
Job dissatisfaction in the nursing work environment is the primary cause of nursing turnover. Job satisfaction has been linked to a high level of empowerment in nurses.


EVALUATION
We reviewed 596 articles, written in English, that examined the relationship between structural empowerment, psychological empowerment and nurses' job satisfaction. Twelve articles were included in the final analysis.


KEY ISSUE
A significant positive relation was found between empowerment and nurses' job satisfaction. Structural empowerment and psychological empowerment affect job satisfaction differently.


CONCLUSION
A satisfying work environment for nurses is related to structural and psychological empowerment in the workplace. Structural empowerment is an antecedent of psychological empowerment and this relationship culminates in positive retention outcomes such as job satisfaction.


IMPLICATION FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT
This review could be useful for guiding leaders' strategies to develop and maintain an empowering work environment that enhances job satisfaction. This could lead to nurse retention and positive organisational and patient outcomes.
Relation between breastfeeding and the prevalence of asthma : the Tokorozawa Childhood Asthma and Pollinosis Study.

Many risk factors for asthma have been proposed including age, gender (male), smoking, and family history of asthma. The importance of breastfeeding to childhood asthma is a controversial issue. The present study investigated the relation between breastfeeding and the prevalence of asthma among a childhood population. The subjects were 25,767 students, representing all public elementary and junior high schools in Tokorozawa, Japan (age range, 6--15 years). The study population included 2,315 students with asthma and 21,513 controls. Participants' parents completed the Japanese version of the American Thoracic Society and Division of Lung Diseases, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, questionnaire for children adopted by the Japanese Environmental Agency in 1998. The authors added supplementary questions on the parental history of asthma and feeding patterns from the age of 0--3 months. The risk of breastfeeding for asthma was compared with that of artificial feeding. After adjustment for age, gender, parental smoking status, and parental history of asthma, a significantly higher prevalence of asthma was noted among children who had been breastfed (adjusted odds ratio = 1.198; 95% confidence interval: 1.054, 1.363; p for trend < 0.01). The results indicated that breastfeeding in infancy might be related to the higher prevalence of asthma during preadolescence.
Human papillomavirus testing and liquid-based cytology: results at recruitment from the new technologies for cervical cancer randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND
Although testing for human papillomavirus (HPV) has higher sensitivity and lower specificity than cytology alone for detecting cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), studies comparing conventional and liquid-based cytology have had conflicting results.


METHODS
In the first phase of a two-phase multicenter randomized controlled trial, women aged 35-60 years in the conventional arm (n = 16,658) were screened using conventional cytology, and women in the experimental arm (n = 16,706) had liquid-based cytology and were tested for high-risk HPV types using the Hybrid Capture 2 assay. Women in the conventional arm were referred to colposcopy with atypical cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) or higher and those in the experimental arm were referred with ASCUS or higher cytology or with a positive (> or = 1 pg/mL) HPV test. Sensitivity and positive predictive value (PPV) for detection of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or higher (CIN2+) were calculated.


RESULTS
The screening methods and referral criterion applied in the experimental arm had higher sensitivity than that in the conventional arm (relative sensitivity = 1.47; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.03 to 2.09) but a lower PPV (relative PPV = 0.40; 95% CI = 0.23 to 0.66). With HPV testing alone at > or = 1 pg/mL and at > or = 2 pg/mL, the gain in sensitivity compared with the conventional arm remained similar (relative sensitivity = 1.43, 95% CI = 1.00 to 2.04 and relative sensitivity = 1.41, 95% CI = 0.98 to 2.01, respectively) but PPV progressively improved (relative PPV = 0.58, 95% CI = 0.33 to 0.98 and relative PPV = 0.75, 95% CI = 0.45 and 1.27, respectively). Referral based on liquid-based cytology alone did not increase sensitivity compared with conventional cytology (relative sensitivity = 1.06; 95% CI = 0.72 to 1.55) but reduced PPV (relative PPV = 0.57; 95% CI = 0.39 to 0.82).


CONCLUSIONS
HPV testing alone was more sensitive than conventional cytology among women 35-60 years old. Adding liquid-based cytology improved sensitivity only marginally but increased false-positives. HPV testing using Hybrid Capture 2 with a 2 pg/mL cutoff may be more appropriate than a 1 pg/mL cutoff for primary cervical cancer screening.
Object-object interaction affordance learning

This paper presents a novel object–object affordance learning approach that enables intelligent robots to learn the interactive functionalities of objects from human demonstrations in everyday environments. Instead of considering a single object, we model the interactive motions between paired objects in a human–object–objectway. The innate interaction-affordance knowledge of the paired objects are learned from a labeled training dataset that contains a set of relativemotions of the paired objects, human actions, and object labels. The learned knowledge is represented with a Bayesian Network, and the network can be used to improve the recognition reliability of both objects and human actions and to generate proper manipulation motion for a robot if a pair of objects is recognized. This paper also presents an imagebased visual servoing approach that uses the learned motion features of the affordance in interaction as the control goals to control a robot to perform manipulation tasks. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Emerging Digital Technologies : Implications for Extended Conceptions of Cognition and Knowledge

Introduction Digital technologies play an increasingly important role in shaping the profile of human thought and action. In the few short decades since its invention, for example, the World Wide Web has transformed the way we shop, date, socialize and undertake scientific endeavours. We are also witnessing an unprecedented rate of technological innovation and change, driven, at least in part, by exponential rates of growth in computing power and performance. The technological landscape is thus a highly dynamic one – new technologies are being introduced all the time, and the rate of change looks set to continue unabated. In view of all this, it is natural to wonder about the effects of new technology on both ourselves and the societies in which we live.
Tranexamic acid reduces blood loss and financial cost in primary total hip and knee replacement surgery

a Public Assistance Group—Marseille Hospitals, Adult Timone Hospital, Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care unit # 2, 264, rue Saint-Pierre, 13005 Marseille, France b Public Assistance Group—Marseille Hospitals, Sainte-Marguerite Hospital, Public Health Department, 270, boulevard Sainte—Marguerite, 13009 Marseille, France c Public Assistance Group—Marseille Hospitals, Sainte-Marguerite Hospital, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, 270, boulevard Sainte-Marguerite, 13009 Marseille, France d Aix-Marseille University, UMR MD2 P2COE, 58, boulevard Charles-Livon, 13007 Marseille, France
Multirate active steering control for autonomous vehicle lateral maneuvering

A multirate steering control scheme is developed for autonomous vehicle lateral maneuvering. The proposed scheme consists of a multirate extended Kalman filter and a state feedback control. The multirate extended Kalman filter is to estimate the vehicle states at a fast rate of the car ECU using multirate sensing - a slow vision-based lane detection by a camera and fast motion detection by inertia sensors. A method to design the multirate decentralized extended Kalman filter is presented. Through application results, the proposed multirate steering control scheme is shown to exhibit significantly improved control performance.
Assessing the evidence of Six Sigma and Lean in the health care industry.

BACKGROUND
Popular quality improvement tools such as Six Sigma and Lean Systems (SS/L) claim to provide health care managers the opportunity to improve health care quality on the basis of sound methodology and data. However, it is unclear whether these 2 quality improvement tools actually improve health care quality.


METHODS
The authors conducted a comprehensive literature review to assess the empirical evidence relating SS/L to improved clinical outcomes, processes of care, and financial performance of health care organizations.


RESULTS
The authors identified 177 articles on SS/L published in the last 10 years. However, only 34 of them reported any outcomes of the SS/L projects studied, and less than one-third of these articles included statistical analyses to test for significant changes in outcomes.


CONCLUSIONS
This review demonstrates that there are significant gaps in the SS/L health care quality improvement literature and very weak evidence that SS/L improve health care quality.
Guidelines for treatment-resistant mania in children with bipolar disorder.

OBJECTIVE
To implement a treatment algorithm to operationalize treatment-resistance and improve patient outcomes in youth with pediatric bipolar disorder (PBD). The term "treatment resistance" was operationally defined as significant persistent symptoms following the application of a treatment algorithm.


METHOD
Youth (6-17 years of age, n=120) with treatment-refractory bipolar I or II disorder, currently in a manic or mixed episode, were treated in accordance with the following 3 step algorithm: (1) removal of destabilizing agents (antidepressants, gamma aminobutyric acid [GABA]-agonists, and stimulants), (2) optimization of antimanic agents, and (3) use of a limited number (E 2) of mood stabilizers. The primary efficacy measure was change in scores on the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) over the 6-month treatment course. Response was defined as repeated YMRS scores E 12.


RESULTS
The sample was dichotomized into responders and non-responders. Both responders and non-responders improved significantly, with responders improving by a greater margin (d=3.2). At the end of 6 months, 75.8% of subjects demonstrated a significant and stable decrease in manic symptoms consistent with symptomatic remission (YMRS E 12). None of the subjects withdrew from the clinical process due to adverse events.


CONCLUSION
The application of this proposed treatment algorithm allows for more accurate identification of true treatment resistance and can significantly reduce manic symptoms in patients previously described as having treatment-refractory bipolar disorder.
Fast Noise Suppression Algorithm with Kalman Filter Theory

We have proposed a robust noise suppression algorithm with Kalman filter theory. In this paper, we propose a Kalman filter based fast noise suppression algorithm for white and colored disturbance. The algorithm aims to achieve robust noise suppression with reduced computational complexity without sacrificing high quality of speech signal, by modifying the proposed canonical space model. We show the effectiveness of the proposed fast noise suppression algorithm using numerical and subjective evaluation results.
Australian nurses' smoking behaviour, knowledge and attitude towards providing smoking cessation care to their patients

This study examined smoking-related knowledge, attitudes and practices of hospital-based nurses. The specific aims were: to determine the prevalence of self-reported smoking and the characteristics of hospital nurses who smoke; to describe nurses’ knowledge of the health risks of smoking and strategies which aid quitting; and to describe their attitudes to smoking and quitting and providing smoking cessation care. The sample was formed from all direct-care nurses from six large hospitals in the Hunter region of New South Wales, Australia rostered on the randomly selected data collection days over 4 months in 1991 (n = 388, 98%). Participating nurses completed an interview measuring demographic and smoking history characteristics, and knowledge of smoking-related diseases, quitting strategies and referral options (open-ended questions). A self-completed questionnaire measured attitudes about smoking, quitting and nurse provision of smoking cessation care. Twenty-two percent of nurses reported being current smokers and 21.5% reported being ex-smokers, with higher smoking rates reported by enrolled nurses compared with registered nurses. Knowledge about the health effects of smoking was high, but knowledge of more effective strategies to aid quitting and referral options was poor. Nurses had positive attitudes towards assisting patients to stop smoking (60%), but restricted this to patients who wanted to quit. Only 21% felt competent to discuss cessation with patients and identified skills training as necessary. The findings suggest that smoking rates among nurses may be lower than those reported in past decades and lower than rates among women of the same age in the general population. The findings also suggest that nurses, while perceiving a role in smoking care, require training in the provision of smoking cessation care to hospital patients, and that hospital policies and nurse education providers need to strongly support the provision of smoking cessation by providing nurses with time, access and incentive to undertake such activities. Australian nurses’ smoking behaviour, knowledge and attitude towards providing smoking cessation care to their patients
Key factors influencing ADME properties of therapeutic proteins: A need for ADME characterization in drug discovery and development

Protein therapeutics represent a diverse array of biologics including antibodies, fusion proteins, and therapeutic replacement enzymes. Since their inception, they have revolutionized the treatment of a wide range of diseases including respiratory, vascular, autoimmune, inflammatory, infectious, and neurodegenerative diseases, as well as cancer. While in vivo pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, and efficacy studies are routinely carried out for protein therapeutics, studies that identify key factors governing their absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) properties have not been fully investigated. Thorough characterization and in-depth study of their ADME properties are critical in order to support drug discovery and development processes for the production of safer and more effective biotherapeutics. In this review, we discuss the main factors affecting the ADME characteristics of these large macromolecular therapies. We also give an overview of the current tools, technologies, and approaches available to investigate key factors that influence the ADME of recombinant biotherapeutic drugs, and demonstrate how ADME studies will facilitate their future development.