LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Recovery Assessment Scale (RAS) for people with chronic mental illness: scale development.

BACKGROUND
Recovery is defined as a complex process of developing new meaning and purpose in life as one grows beyond the catastrophic effects of mental illness. To promote this process, the necessity of recovery assessment using psychometric measures has been emphasized; however, no measure to assess the individual recovery process is available in Japan.


OBJECTIVE
To develop a Japanese version of the Recovery Assessment Scale (RAS) and to examine its reliability and validity.


DESIGN
The study was a cross-sectional questionnaire survey.


SETTINGS
Participants came from 1 daycare, 1 outpatient clinic of a psychiatric hospital, 5 sheltered workshops used for social rehabilitation, 3 peer support groups, and 6 inpatient wards of 2 psychiatric hospitals.


PARTICIPANTS
The survey included 237 participants who had chronic mental illness and were aged 20 or older. For analysis, we used data from 209 participants who had no missing values on the RAS, with 58.9% male and a mean age of 48.3 years.


METHODS
The questionnaire consisted of the Japanese version of the 24-item RAS, developed by the authors with focus group cognitive interviews and the translation-back-translation procedure. Also included were the Herth Hope Index, Empowerment scale, Resilience scale, SF-8, and BASIS-32. Internal consistency reliability was assessed by Cronbach's alpha coefficients, and test-retest reliability was assessed by the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and weighted kappa in a randomly selected subsample (n=24). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses and correlations with other scales were used to examine the factor-based validity, concurrent and construct validity of the RAS.


RESULTS
Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.89 for the overall RAS. ICC and weighted kappa generally indicated good test-retest reliability. Factor analysis of the RAS items yielded five factors: (a) goal/success orientation and hope, (b) reliance on others, (c) personal confidence, (d) no domination by symptoms, and (e) willingness to ask for help. The item "Coping with mental illness is no longer the main focus of my life" showed an inverse factor loading. The overall RAS score significantly and positively correlated with the Herth Hope Index, Empowerment scale, Resilience scale, and SF-8 mental component summary; there was a significant negative correlation with BASIS-32 psychiatric symptoms and functional impairment (p<0.01).


CONCLUSION
This study confirmed the reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the 24-item RAS among people with chronic mental illness currently living in communities and inpatient ward settings in Japan.
Next Generation Cloud Computing: New Trends and Research Directions

The landscape of cloud computing has significantly changed over the last decade. Not only have more providers and service offerings crowded the space, but also cloud infrastructure that was traditionally limited to single provider data centers is now evolving. In this paper, we firstly discuss the changing cloud infrastructure and consider the use of infrastructure from multiple providers and the benefit of decentralising computing away from data centers. These trends have resulted in the need for a variety of new computing architectures that will be offered by future cloud infrastructure. These architectures are anticipated to impact areas, such as connecting people and devices, data-intensive computing, the service space and self-learning systems. Finally, we lay out a roadmap of challenges thatwill need to be addressed for realising the potential of next generation cloud systems. © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Chronic mechanical circulatory support for inotrope-dependent heart failure patients who are not transplant candidates: results of the INTrEPID Trial.

OBJECTIVES
This study evaluated the impact of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) support on survival and quality of life in inotrope-dependent heart failure patients ineligible for cardiac transplantation.


BACKGROUND
The role for LVADs as a bridge to cardiac transplantation has been established, but data supporting their role as permanent therapy in nontransplant candidates are limited.


METHODS
The INTrEPID (Investigation of Nontransplant-Eligible Patients Who Are Inotrope Dependent) trial was a prospective, nonrandomized clinical trial comparing LVAD with optimal medical therapy (OMT). Fifty-five patients with New York Heart Association functional class IV symptoms who failed weaning from inotropic support were offered a Novacor LVAD. Eighteen of these patients did not receive an LVAD owing to patient preference (n = 14) or unavailability of the device (n = 4) but consented to follow-up and constitute a contemporaneous control group.


RESULTS
The LVAD and OMT patients were well matched for demographic and disease severity measures, except OMT patients had a lower mean serum sodium (128 mg/dl vs. 134 mg/dl; p = 0.001) and a higher mean blood urea nitrogen concentration (59 vs. 40; p = 0.02). The LVAD-treated patients had superior survival rates at 6 months (46% vs. 22%; p = 0.03) and 12 months (27% vs. 11%; p = 0.02). Adverse event rates were higher in the OMT group. Eighty-five percent of the LVAD-treated patients had minimal or no heart failure symptoms. Five LVAD patients and 1 OMT patient improved sufficiently while on therapy to qualify for cardiac transplantation.


CONCLUSIONS
Inotrope-dependent heart failure patients who are ineligible for transplantation have a high short-term mortality rate and derive a significant survival advantage from "destination" mechanical circulatory support.
Advances of Scene Text Datasets

This article introduces publicly available datasets in scene text detection and recognition. The information is as of 2017.
Combination of Structural and Factual Descriptors for Document Stream Segmentation

This paper extends a previous work being done by [4]. Having no information about the document separation in the flow, the system operates progressively by examining successive pairs of pages looking for continuity or rupture descriptors. Four document levels have been introduced to better extract those descriptors and reduce the ambiguity in their extraction: records, technical documents, fundamental documents and cases. At each level, structural and factual descriptors are first extracted and then compared between pairs of pages or documents. To reinforce the descriptor interest and focus the system on equivalent descriptors in the pairs, the descriptors are accompanied by their context. The extraction of the context is facilitated by the determination of the physical and logical structure in the pages. Contextual rules based on these descriptors are employed for the determination of either a continuity, a rupture or an uncertainty between the pairs. To overcome the problem of information emptiness in the current page, a logbook is used to gather the descriptors in all the previous pages of the record and a buffer allows to delay the comparison. These latter points were added to the previous work that widely reinforce the current system increasing its precision of more than 6%.
Automated person recognition by walking and running via model-based approaches

Gait enjoys advantages over other biometrics in that it can be perceived from a distance and is di/cult to disguise. Current approaches are mostly statistical and concentrate on walking only. By analysing leg motion we show how we can recognise people not only by the walking gait, but also by the running gait. This is achieved by either of two new modelling approaches which employ coupled oscillators and the biomechanics of human locomotion as the underlying concepts. These models give a plausible method for data reduction by providing estimates of the inclination of the thigh and of the leg, from the image data. Both approaches derive a phase-weighted Fourier description gait signature by automated non-invasive means. One approach is completely automated whereas the other requires speci5cation of a single parameter to distinguish between walking and running. Results show that both gaits are potential biometrics, with running being more potent. By its basis in evidence gathering, this new technique can tolerate noise and low resolution. ? 2003 Pattern Recognition Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Short-term changes in neck pain, widespread pressure pain sensitivity, and cervical range of motion after the application of trigger point dry needling in patients with acute mechanical neck pain: a randomized clinical trial.

STUDY DESIGN
Randomized clinical trial.


OBJECTIVES
To determine the effects of trigger point dry needling (TrPDN) on neck pain, widespread pressure pain sensitivity, and cervical range of motion in patients with acute mechanical neck pain and active trigger points in the upper trapezius muscle.


BACKGROUND
TrPDN seems to be effective for decreasing pain in individuals with upper-quadrant pain syndromes. Potential effects of TrPDN for decreasing pain and sensitization in individuals with acute mechanical neck pain are needed. Methods Seventeen patients (53% female) were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups: a single session of TrPDN or no intervention (waiting list). Pressure pain thresholds over the C5-6 zygapophyseal joint, second metacarpal, and tibialis anterior muscle; neck pain intensity; and cervical spine range-of-motion data were collected at baseline (pretreatment) and 10 minutes and 1 week after the intervention by an assessor blinded to the treatment allocation of the patient. Mixed-model analyses of variance were used to examine the effects of treatment on each outcome variable.


RESULTS
Patients treated with 1 session of TrPDN experienced greater decreases in neck pain, greater increases in pressure pain threshold, and higher increases in cervical range of motion than those who did not receive an intervention at both 10 minutes and 1 week after the intervention (P<.01 for all comparisons). Between-group effect sizes were medium to large immediately after the TrPDN session (standardized mean score differences greater than 0.56) and large at the 1-week follow-up (standardized mean score differences greater than 1.34).


CONCLUSION
The results of the current randomized clinical trial suggest that a single session of TrPDN may decrease neck pain intensity and widespread pressure pain sensitivity, and also increase active cervical range of motion, in patients with acute mechanical neck pain. Changes in pain, pressure pain threshold, and cervical range of motion surpassed their respective minimal detectable change values, supporting clinically relevant treatment effects. Level of Evidence Therapy, level 1b-.
[A new geographical approach to migration data: fields, relationships, and relational spaces].


 The impact of migration on groups with strong ethnic or regional identities is assessed. The development of group-related activities in areas such as individual or family businesses, leisure, and retirement is explored. Consideration is given to relationships between migrant groups and the towns to which they have moved, as well as the impact of emigration on the places they have left. The primary geographical emphasis of the article is on Europe. (summary in ENG)
High-performance computer graphics technologies in engineering applications

Purpose 
 
 
 
 
The purpose of this paper is to investigate possibilities to adopt state-of-the-art computer graphics technologies for big data visualization in engineering applications. Toward this purpose, a conceptual heterogeneous system is proposed for graphical rendering, which is established with multiple central processing unit cores and multiple graphics processing unit GPUs. 
 
 
 
 
Design/methodology/approach 
 
 
 
 
The design of the system supports both general-purpose computation and graphics-related computation. Three processing components are discussed to fulfill the execution requirements in load balancing, data streaming and display. This design fully uses computational and memory resources and enhances the performance with the support of GPU-based parallelization. 
 
 
 
 
Findings 
 
 
 
 
The advantages and disadvantages of particular technical methods for each processing component are discussed. The possible ways to integrate them are analyzed. 
 
 
 
 
Originality/value 
 
 
 
 
This work has contributions of using computer graphics technologies in engineering applications.
Symmetries of non-rigid shapes

Symmetry and self-similarity is the cornerstone of Nature, exhibiting itself through the shapes of natural creations and ubiquitous laws of physics. Since many natural objects are symmetric, the absence of symmetry can often be an indication of some anomaly or abnormal behavior. Therefore, detection of asymmetries is important in numerous practical applications, including crystallography, medical imaging, and face recognition, to mention a few. Conversely, the assumption of underlying shape symmetry can facilitate solutions to many problems in shape reconstruction and analysis. Traditionally, symmetries are described as extrinsic geometric properties of the shape. While being adequate for rigid shapes, such a description is inappropriate for non-rigid ones. Extrinsic symmetry can be broken as a result of shape deformations, while its intrinsic symmetry is preserved. In this paper, we pose the problem of finding intrinsic symmetries of non-rigid shapes and propose an efficient method for their computation.
Dermatoscopy of facial actinic keratosis, intraepidermal carcinoma, and invasive squamous cell carcinoma: a progression model.

BACKGROUND
Little is known about the dermoscopic features of keratinocyte skin cancer.


OBJECTIVE
We sought to determine the dermoscopic features of facial actinic keratosis (AK), intraepidermal carcinoma (IEC), moderately to poorly differentiated invasive squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and well-differentiated SCC of the keratoacanthoma type.


METHODS
This was a retrospective analysis of dermoscopic images of histopathologically diagnosed keratinocyte skin cancer.


RESULTS
A total of 243 (70 AK, 71 IEC, 78 SCC, and 24 keratoacanthomas) tumors of the face from 243 patients (mean age: 71.1 years; range: 44-94 years) were analyzed. The majority of patients had a fair skin type, history of melanoma or nonmelanoma skin cancer, and multiple AK. A red pseudonetwork was significantly associated with AK (P < .001), whereas dotted/glomerular vessels, diffuse yellow opaque scales, and microerosions were significantly more prevalent among IEC (P < .001). Hairpin vessels, linear-irregular vessels, targetoid hair follicles, white structureless areas, a central mass of keratin, and ulceration were significantly associated with invasive SCC (P < .001 for all criteria). Similar patterns as in SCC were observed among keratoacanthomas.


LIMITATIONS
The retrospective design of our study and the lack of assessment of sensitivity and specificity of the dermoscopic criteria are limitations.


CONCLUSIONS
Based on our findings we propose a progression model of facial AK developing into IEC and invasive SCC.
EFNS guidelines on the diagnosis and management of European Lyme neuroborreliosis.

BACKGROUND
Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB) is a nervous system infection caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (Bb).


OBJECTIVES
To present evidence-based recommendations for diagnosis and treatment.


METHODS
Data were analysed according to levels of evidence as suggested by EFNS.


RECOMMENDATIONS
The following three criteria should be fulfilled for definite LNB, and two of them for possible LNB: (i) neurological symptoms; (ii) cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pleocytosis; (iii) Bb-specific antibodies produced intrathecally. PCR and CSF culture may be corroborative if symptom duration is <6 weeks, when Bb antibodies may be absent. PCR is otherwise not recommended. There is also not enough evidence to recommend the following tests for diagnostic purposes: microscope-based assays, chemokine CXCL13, antigen detection, immune complexes, lymphocyte transformation test, cyst formation, lymphocyte markers. Adult patients with definite or possible acute LNB (symptom duration <6 months) should be offered a single 14-day course of antibiotic treatment. Oral doxycycline (200 mg daily) and intravenous (IV) ceftriaxone (2 g daily) are equally effective in patients with symptoms confined to the peripheral nervous system, including meningitis (level A). Patients with CNS manifestations should be treated with IV ceftriaxone (2 g daily) for 14 days and late LNB (symptom duration >6 months) for 3 weeks (good practice points). Children should be treated as adults, except that doxycycline is contraindicated under 8 years of age (nine in some countries). If symptoms persist for more than 6 months after standard treatment, the condition is often termed post-Lyme disease syndrome (PLDS). Antibiotic therapy has no impact on PLDS (level A).
Nominal String Diagrams

Abstract We introduce nominal string diagrams as, string diagrams internal in the category of nominal sets. This requires us to take nominal sets as a monoidal category, not with the cartesian product, but with the separated product. To this end, we develop the beginnings of a theory of monoidal categories internal in a symmetric monoidal category. As an instance, we obtain a notion of a nominal PROP as a PROP internal in nominal sets. A 2-dimensional calculus of simultaneous substitutions is an application.
Are the studies on cancer risk from CT scans biased by indication? Elements of answer from a large-scale cohort study in France

Background:Recent epidemiological results suggested an increase of cancer risk after receiving computed tomography (CT) scans in childhood or adolescence. Their interpretation is questioned due to the lack of information about the reasons for examination. Our objective was to estimate the cancer risk related to childhood CT scans, and examine how cancer-predisposing factors (PFs) affect assessment of the radiation-related risk.Methods:The cohort included 67 274 children who had a first scan before the age of 10 years from 2000 to 2010 in 23 French departments. Cumulative X-rays doses were estimated from radiology protocols. Cancer incidence was retrieved through the national registry of childhood cancers; PF from discharge diagnoses.Results:During a mean follow-up of 4 years, 27 cases of tumours of the central nervous system, 25 of leukaemia and 21 of lymphoma were diagnosed; 32% of them among children with PF. Specific patterns of CT exposures were observed according to PFs. Adjustment for PF reduced the excess risk estimates related to cumulative doses from CT scans. No significant excess risk was observed in relation to CT exposures.Conclusions:This study suggests that the indication for examinations, whether suspected cancer or PF management, should be considered to avoid overestimation of the cancer risks associated with CT scans.
In Search of the Transmission Mechanism of Fiscal Policy

Most economists would agree that a hike in the federal funds rate will cause some slowdown in growth and ination, and that the bulk of the empirical evidence is consistent with this statement. But perfectly reasonable economists can and do disagree even on the basic e¤ects of a shock to government spending on goods and services: neoclassical models predict that in general private consumption and the real wage will fall, while some neo-keyenesian models predict the opposite. This paper discusses alternative time series methodologies to identify government spending shocks and to estimate their e¤ects. Applying these methodologies to data from the US and three other OECD countries provides little evidence in favor of the neoclassical predictions. Using the US input-output tables, the paper then turns to industry-level evidence around two major military buildups to shed light on the e¤ects of government spending shocks.
A benchmark for the evaluation of RGB-D SLAM systems

In this paper, we present a novel benchmark for the evaluation of RGB-D SLAM systems. We recorded a large set of image sequences from a Microsoft Kinect with highly accurate and time-synchronized ground truth camera poses from a motion capture system. The sequences contain both the color and depth images in full sensor resolution (640 × 480) at video frame rate (30 Hz). The ground-truth trajectory was obtained from a motion-capture system with eight high-speed tracking cameras (100 Hz). The dataset consists of 39 sequences that were recorded in an office environment and an industrial hall. The dataset covers a large variety of scenes and camera motions. We provide sequences for debugging with slow motions as well as longer trajectories with and without loop closures. Most sequences were recorded from a handheld Kinect with unconstrained 6-DOF motions but we also provide sequences from a Kinect mounted on a Pioneer 3 robot that was manually navigated through a cluttered indoor environment. To stimulate the comparison of different approaches, we provide automatic evaluation tools both for the evaluation of drift of visual odometry systems and the global pose error of SLAM systems. The benchmark website [1] contains all data, detailed descriptions of the scenes, specifications of the data formats, sample code, and evaluation tools.
A nationwide study of decisions to forego life-prolonging treatment in Dutch medical practice.

BACKGROUND
Decisions to withhold or withdraw life-prolonging treatment in terminally ill patients are common in some areas of medical practice. Information about the frequency and background of these decisions is generally limited to specific clinical settings. This article describes the practice of withholding or withdrawing life-prolonging treatment in the Netherlands.


METHODS
Questionnaires were sent to the attending physicians of a stratified sample of 6060 of all 43002 cases of death in the Netherlands from August 1 through November 30, 1995. The questions concerned the treatments foregone, the patient characteristics, and the decision-making process. The response rate was 77%.


RESULTS
A nontreatment decision was made in 30% (95% confidence interval, 28%-31%) of all deaths in the Netherlands in 1995; this is an increase compared with 28% (95% confidence interval, 26%-29%) in 1990; in 20% of all deaths, this decision was the most important end-of-life decision. Artificial nutrition or hydration and antibiotics were the treatments most frequently foregone, each accounting for 25% of cases in which a nontreatment decision was made. Nursing-home physicians withheld or withdrew treatment more often than clinical specialists or general practitioners in 52%, 35%, and 17% of all deaths they were involved with, respectively. Of the patients in whom a nontreatment decision was the most important end-of-life decision, 26% were competent; of those, 93% were involved in the decision making. In 17% of patients, the nontreatment decision was made without being discussed with the patient or the patient's relatives and without knowledge of the patient's wishes. Life was shortened by an estimated 24 hours or less in 42% and 1 month or more in 8% of patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Decisions to forego life-prolonging treatment are frequently made end-of-life decisions in the Netherlands and may be increasing. Most of these decisions do not involve high-technology treatments, and the consequences, in terms of shortening of life, are relatively small.