LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Floral patterning defects induced by Arabidopsis APETALA2 and microRNA172 expression in Nicotiana benthamiana

Floral patterning and morphogenesis are controlled by many transcription factors including floral homeotic proteins, by which floral organ identity is determined. Recent studies have uncovered widespread regulation of transcription factors by microRNAs (miRNAs), ~21-nucleotide non-coding RNAs that regulate protein-coding RNAs through transcript cleavage and/or translational inhibition. The regulation of the floral homeotic gene APETALA2 (AP2) by miR172 is crucial for normal Arabidopsis flower development and is likely to be conserved across plant species. Here we probe the activity of the AP2/miR172 regulatory circuit in a heterologous Solanaceae species, Nicotiana benthamiana. We generated transgenic N. benthamiana lines expressing Arabidopsis wild type AP2 (35S::AP2), miR172-resistant AP2 mutant (35S::AP2m3) and MIR172a-1 (35S::MIR172) under the control of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter. 35S::AP2m3 plants accumulated high levels of AP2 mRNA and protein and exhibited floral patterning defects that included proliferation of numerous petals, stamens and carpels indicating loss of floral determinacy. On the other hand, nearly all 35S::AP2 plants accumulated barely detectable levels of AP2 mRNA or protein and were essentially non-phenotypic. Overall, the data indicated that expression of the wild type Arabidopsis AP2 transgene was repressed at the mRNA level by an endogenous N. benthamiana miR172 homologue that could be detected using Arabidopsis miR172 probe. Interestingly, 35S::MIR172 plants had sepal-to-petal transformations and/or more sepals and petals, suggesting interference with N. benthamiana normal floral homeotic gene function in perianth organs. Our studies uncover the potential utility of the Arabidopsis AP2/miR172 system as a tool for manipulation of floral architecture and flowering time in non-model plants.
Using sequential observations to model and predict player behavior

In this paper, we present a data-driven technique for designing models of user behavior. Previously, player models were designed using user surveys, small-scale observation experiments, or knowledge engineering. These methods generally produced semantically meaningful models that were limited in their applicability. To address this, we have developed a purely data-driven methodology for generating player models based on past observations of other players. Our underlying assumption is that we can accurately predict what a player will do in a given situation if we examine enough data from former players that were in similar situations. We have chosen to test our method on achievement data from the MMORPG World of Warcraft. Experiments show that our method greatly outperforms a baseline algorithm in both precision and recall, proving that this method can create accurate player models based solely on observation data.
Development of a short form of Stroke-Specific Quality of Life Scale for patients after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage

BACKGROUND
The identification of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) patients with a decrease in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is challenging. Stroke-Specific Quality of Life (SS-QOL) Scale is one of the commonest disease-specific quality of life measures initially developed and validated for ischemic stroke patients. A disadvantage is subject burden and a short form is more practical to use in clinical and research setting.


AIM
This study aimed to develop a short form (12-item) of a Chinese version of Stroke-Specific Quality of Life Scale for aSAH (SSQOL-a) for clinical and research applications.


METHODS
We carried out a prospective observational assessor-blinded multi-center study in Hong Kong. The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NCT01038193), and was approved by hospital ethics committees.


RESULTS
One hundred and eighty-six aSAH patients were recruited over a 30 month period during admission. One hundred (54%) aSAH patients completed the 12-month assessment battery and were included into the current study. The total score, physical component score, and psychosocial score of the 12-item Chinese version showed satisfactory internal consistency and explained high percentages of variance of the full Chinese version (92% to 96%). The 12-item Chinese version showed significant correlations with neurological, functional, generic quality of life, psychiatric, and cognitive outcome measures at 12 months. Chinese version calculated physical subscore had better discrimination in detecting complete recovery than the Dutch version calculated physical subscore in our Chinese population.


CONCLUSIONS
The 12-item Chinese version of SSQOL-a has a satisfactory internal consistency and criterion validity for SAH patients at 12 month assessments.
Anthropometry, silhouette trajectory, and risk of breast cancer in Mexican women.

BACKGROUND
Obesity has been associated with breast cancer risk in the Caucasian population but the association remains unclear in the Hispanics. Previous studies conducted among Hispanics in the U.S. have shown inconsistent results.


PURPOSE
The association between anthropometry, body shape evolution across lifetime, and the risk of breast cancer was assessed using a multi-center population-based case-control study conducted in Mexico.


METHODS
One thousand incident cases and 1074 matched control women aged 35-69 years were recruited between 2004 and 2007, and analyzed in 2011-2012. Conditional logistic regression models were used.


RESULTS
Height was related to an increased risk of breast cancer in both premenopausal (p trend=0.03) and postmenopausal women (p trend=0.002). In premenopausal women, increase in BMI; waist circumference (WC); hip circumference (HC); and waist-hip ratio (WHR) were inversely associated with breast cancer risk (p trends<0.001 for BMI and WC, 0.003 for HC, and 0.016 for WHR). In postmenopausal women, decreased risks were observed for increased WC (p trend=0.004) and HC (p trend=0.009) among women with time since menopause <10 years. Further analysis of body shape evolution throughout life showed strong and significant increase in risk of breast cancer among women with increasing silhouettes size over time compared to women with no or limited increase.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that anthropometric factors may have different associations with breast cancer risk in Hispanic women than in Caucasian women. This study also shows the importance of considering the evolution of body shape throughout life.
Phonological processing and reading in children with speech sound disorders.

PURPOSE
To examine the relationship between phonological processing skills prior to kindergarten entry and reading skills at the end of 1st grade, in children with speech sound disorders (SSD).


METHOD
The participants were 17 children with SSD and poor phonological processing skills (SSD-low PP), 16 children with SSD and good phonological processing skills (SSD-high PP), and 35 children with typical speech who were first assessed during their prekindergarten year using measures of phonological processing (i.e., speech perception, rime awareness, and onset awareness tests), speech production, receptive and expressive language, and phonological awareness skills. This assessment was repeated when the children were completing 1st grade. The Test of Word Reading Efficiency was also conducted at that time. First-grade sight word and nonword reading performance was compared across these groups.


RESULTS
At the end of 1st grade, the SSD-low PP group achieved significantly lower nonword decoding scores than the SSD-high PP and typical speech groups. The 2 SSD groups demonstrated similarly good receptive language skills and similarly poor articulation skills at that time, however. No between-group differences in sight word reading were observed. All but 1 child (in the SSD-low PP group) obtained reading scores that were within normal limits.


CONCLUSION
Weaknesses in phonological processing were stable for the SSD-low PP subgroup over a 2-year period.
Penile girth augmentation using flaps "Shaeer's augmentation phalloplasty": a case report.

INTRODUCTION
Current girth augmentation techniques rely either on liposuction/injection or on the use of dermal fat grafts. These procedures have serious disadvantages, including regression in gained size, deformities, irregular contour, and asymmetry. Ideally, the augmentation technique should ensure durability and symmetry. This case report describes the first application of a flap (superficial circumflex iliac artery island flap) in penile girth augmentation.


MATERIALS AND METHODS
The superficial circumflex iliac vessels were identified and the groin flap was elevated from lateral to medial, rotated toward the penis, and tunneled into a penopubic incision. It was wrapped around the penis short of the corpus spongiosum and insinuated under the glans.


RESULTS
Six months after surgery, the patient had an erect girth of 19.5 cm and a flaccid girth of 16.5 cm, compared with 11 cm and 7 cm, respectively, before surgery, thus maintaining the intraoperative girth gain. The outer surface felt smooth with no lobulation. The size of the glans was proportionate to the shaft's girth.


CONCLUSION
This case report shows that the application of flaps in penile girth augmentation may provide a reliable alternative to the currently applied techniques. Glans flaring promotes the aesthetic results and is applicable with other techniques of penile girth augmentation.
Indonesian News Classification using Support Vector Machine

Digital news with a variety topics is abundant on the internet. The problem is to classify news based on its appropriate category to facilitate user to find relevant news rapidly. Classifier engine is used to split any news automatically into the respective category. This research employs Support Vector Machine (SVM) to classify Indonesian news. SVM is a robust method to classify binary classes. The core processing of SVM is in the formation of an optimum separating plane to separate the different classes. For multiclass problem, a mechanism called one against one is used to combine the binary classification result. Documents were taken from the Indonesian digital news site, www.kompas.com. The experiment showed a promising result with the accuracy rate of 85%. This system is feasible to be implemented on Indonesian news classification. Keywords—classification, Indonesian news, text processing, support vector machine
Comparison of embedded and added motor imagery training in patients after stroke: study protocol of a randomised controlled pilot trial using a mixed methods approach

BACKGROUND
Two different approaches have been adopted when applying motor imagery (MI) to stroke patients. MI can be conducted either added to conventional physiotherapy or integrated within therapy sessions. The proposed study aims to compare the efficacy of embedded MI to an added MI intervention. Evidence from pilot studies reported in the literature suggests that both approaches can improve performance of a complex motor skill involving whole body movements, however, it remains to be demonstrated, which is the more effective one.


METHODS/DESIGN
A single blinded, randomised controlled trial (RCT) with a pre-post intervention design will be carried out. The study design includes two experimental groups and a control group (CG). Both experimental groups (EG1, EG2) will receive physical practice of a clinical relevant motor task ('Going down, laying on the floor, and getting up again') over a two week intervention period: EG1 with embedded MI training, EG2 with MI training added after physiotherapy. The CG will receive standard physiotherapy intervention and an additional control intervention not related to MI. The primary study outcome is the time difference to perform the task from pre to post-intervention. Secondary outcomes include level of help needed, stages of motor task completion, degree of motor impairment, balance ability, fear of falling measure, motivation score, and motor imagery ability score. Four data collection points are proposed: twice during baseline phase, once following the intervention period, and once after a two week follow up. A nested qualitative part should add an important insight into patients' experience and attitudes towards MI. Semi-structured interviews of six to ten patients, who participate in the RCT, will be conducted to investigate patients' previous experience with MI and their expectations towards the MI intervention in the study. Patients will be interviewed prior and after the intervention period.


DISCUSSION
Results will determine whether embedded MI is superior to added MI. Findings of the semi-structured interviews will help to integrate patient's expectations of MI interventions in the design of research studies to improve practical applicability using MI as an adjunct therapy technique.
FIXED POINTS AND STABILITY IN NONLINEAR NEUTRAL VOLTERRA INTEGRO-DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS WITH VARIABLE DELAYS

Abstract. In this paper we use the contraction mapping theorem to obtain asymptotic stability results of the zero solution of a nonlinear neutral Volterra integro-differential equation with variable delays. Some conditions which allow the coefficient functions to change sign and do not ask the boundedness of delays are given. An asymptotic stability theorem with a necessary and sufficient condition is proved, which improve and extend the results in the literature. Two examples are also given to illustrate this work.
Effect of deworming on disease progression markers in HIV-1-infected pregnant women on antiretroviral therapy: a longitudinal observational study from Rwanda.

BACKGROUND
Deworming human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals on antiretroviral therapy (ART) may be beneficial, particularly during pregnancy. We determined the efficacy of targeted and nontargeted antihelminth therapy and its effects on Plasmodium falciparum infection status, hemoglobin levels, CD4 counts, and viral load in pregnant, HIV-positive women receiving ART.


METHODS
Nine hundred eighty HIV-infected pregnant women receiving ART were examined at 2 visits during pregnancy and 2 postpartum visits within 12 weeks. Women were given antimalarials when malaria-positive whereas albendazole was given in a targeted (n = 467; treatment when helminth stool screening was positive) or nontargeted (n = 513; treatment at all time points, with stool screening) fashion.


RESULTS
No significant differences were noted between targeted and nontargeted albendazole treatments for the variables measured at each study visit except for CD4 counts, which were lower (P < .05) in the latter group at the final visit. Albendazole therapy was associated with favorable changes in subjects' hemoglobin levels, CD4 counts, and viral loads, particularly with helminth infections.


CONCLUSIONS
Antihelminthic therapy reduces detectable viral load, and increases CD4 counts and hemoglobin levels in pregnant HIV-infected women with helminth coinfections receiving ART.
Social Dominance An Intergroup Theory of Social Hierarchy and Oppression

Social dominance : an intergroup theory of social hierarchy and oppression / Jim Sidanius, Felicia Pratto. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index.
Haemoglobin level and vascular access survival in haemodialysis patients.

BACKGROUND
A full correction of anaemia in haemodialysis (HD) patients may lead to an increased risk of vascular access (VA) failure. We studied the relationship between haemoglobin (Hb) level and VA survival.


METHODS
Incident patients between January 2000 and December 2002 with <1 month on HD were considered. The relative risk (RR) of access failure was evaluated in four different groups of patients divided according to their Hb level (<10, 10-12, 12-13 and >13 g/dl). Other factors possibly influencing VA survival were also considered: age, gender, diabetes, vascular disease, intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) and treatment with an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) or recombinant human erythropoeitin therapy.


RESULTS
We studied 1254 patients (1057 with autologous fistulae, 75 grafts and 122 permanent catheters at admission). Based on Cox analysis, we found the next statistically significant RR of VA failure to be 2.3 times higher with grafts than with arterio-venous fistulae (AVFs) and 1.8 times higher in AVFs with Hb <10 g/dl than in AVFs of the next Hb group. There was no statistically significant difference in the RR of VA failure between patients with Hb 10-12 g/dl and those with Hb 12-13 g/dl or >13 g/dl. Diabetes (RR: 1.41, P = 0.06), age >65 years (RR: 1.32; P = 0.11) and iPTH (RR: 1.56; P = 0.01) were identified as predictive factors for VA failure; ACE inhibitors or ARB (RR: 0.69; P = 0.03) were found to be protective factors.


CONCLUSIONS
In the studied population, the correction of Hb level to >12 g/dl was not associated with a higher incidence of VA thrombosis than in patients with Hb between 10 and 12 g/dl. ACE inhibitors or ARBs were found to be protective factors, and diabetes, age >65 years and iPTH >400 pg/ml were negative predictive factors for VA survival.
A literature review on the state-ofthe-art in patent analysis

The rapid growth of patent documents has called for the development of sophisticated patent analysis tools. Currently, there are various tools that are being utilized by organizations for analyzing patents. These tools are capable of performing wide range of tasks, such as analyzing and forecasting future technological trends, conducting strategic technology planning, detecting patent infringement, determining patents quality and the most promising patents, and identifying technological hotspots and patent vacuums. This literature review presents the state-of-the-art in patent analysis and also presents taxonomy of patent analysis techniques. Moreover, the key features and weaknesses of the discussed tools and techniques are presented and several directions for future research are highlighted. The literature review will be helpful for the researchers in finding the latest research efforts pertaining to the patent analysis in a unified form. 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Measuring Attitudes Towards Telepresence Robots

Studies using Nomura et al.’s “Negative Attitude toward Robots Scale” (NARS) [1] as an attitudinal measure have featured robots that were perceived to be autonomous, independent agents. State of the art telepresence robots require an explicit human-in-the-loop to drive the robot around. In this paper, we investigate if NARS can be used with telepresence robots. To this end, we conducted three studies in which people watched videos of telepresence robots (n=70), operated telepresence robots (n=38), and interacted with telepresence robots (n=12). Overall, the results from our three studies indicated that NARS may be applied to telepresence robots, and culture, gender, and prior robot experience can be influential factors on the NARS score.
Health-related quality of life of patients with advanced breast cancer treated with everolimus plus exemestane versus placebo plus exemestane in the phase 3, randomized, controlled, BOLERO-2 trial.

BACKGROUND
The randomized, controlled BOLERO-2 (Breast Cancer Trials of Oral Everolimus) trial demonstrated significantly improved progression-free survival with the use of everolimus plus exemestane (EVE + EXE) versus placebo plus exemestane (PBO + EXE) in patients with advanced breast cancer who developed disease progression after treatment with nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitors. This analysis investigated the treatment effects on health-related quality of life (HRQOL).


METHODS
Using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) questionnaire, HRQOL was assessed at baseline and every 6 weeks thereafter until disease progression and/or treatment discontinuation. The 30 items in 15 subscales of the QLQ-C30 include global health status wherein higher scores (range, 0-100) indicate better HRQOL. This analysis included a protocol-specified time to definitive deterioration (TDD) analysis at a 5% decrease in HRQOL versus baseline, with no subsequent increase above this threshold. The authors report additional sensitivity analyses using 10-point minimal important difference decreases in the global health status score versus baseline. Treatment arms were compared using the stratified log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards model adjusted for trial stratum (visceral metastases, previous hormone sensitivity), age, sex, race, baseline global health status score and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, prognostic risk factors, and treatment history.


RESULTS
Baseline global health status scores were found to be similar between treatment groups (64.7 vs 65.3). The median TDD in HRQOL was 8.3 months with EVE + EXE versus 5.8 months with PBO + EXE (hazard ratio, 0.74; P = .0084). At the 10-point minimal important difference, the median TDD with EVE + EXE was 11.7 months versus 8.4 months with PBO + EXE (hazard ratio, 0.80; P = .1017).


CONCLUSIONS
In patients with advanced breast cancer who develop disease progression after treatment with nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitors, EVE + EXE was associated with a longer TDD in global HRQOL versus PBO + EXE.
Implementation of a central line maintenance care bundle in hospitalized pediatric oncology patients.

OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether a multidisciplinary, best-practice central line maintenance care bundle reduces central line-associated blood stream infection (CLABSI) rates in hospitalized pediatric oncology patients and to further delineate the epidemiology of CLABSIs in this population.


METHODS
We performed a prospective, interrupted time series study of a best-practice bundle addressing all areas of central line care: reduction of entries, aseptic entries, and aseptic procedures when changing components. Based on a continuous quality improvement model, targeted interventions were instituted to improve compliance with each of the bundle elements. CLABSI rates and epidemiological data were collected for 10 months before and 24 months after implementation of the bundle and compared in a Poisson regression model.


RESULTS
CLABSI rates decreased from 2.25 CLABSIs per 1000 central line days at baseline to 1.79 CLABSIs per 1000 central line days during the intervention period (incidence rate ratio [IRR]: 0.80, P = .58). Secondary analyses indicated CLABSI rates were reduced to 0.81 CLABSIs per 1000 central line days in the second 12 months of the intervention (IRR: 0.36, P = .091). Fifty-nine percent of infections resulted from Gram-positive pathogens, 37% of patients with a CLABSI required central line removal, and patients with Hickman catheters were more likely to have a CLABSI than patients with Infusaports (IRR: 4.62, P = .02).


CONCLUSIONS
A best-practice central line maintenance care bundle can be implemented in hospitalized pediatric oncology patients, although long ramp-up times may be necessary to reap maximal benefits. Further research is needed to determine if this CLABSI rate reduction can be sustained and spread.
Bag picture of the excited QCD vacuum with static Q source

Abstract The gluon excitations of the QCD vacuum are investigated in the presence of a static quark-antiquark source. It is shown that the ground state potential and the excitation spectrum of dynamical gluon degrees of freedom, as determined in our lattice simulations, agree remarkably well with model predictions based on the diaelectric properties of the confining vacuum described as a dual superconductor. The strong chromoelectric field of the static Q Q source creates a bubble (bag) in the condensed phase where weakly interacting gluon modes can be excited. Some features and predictions of the bag model are presented and the chromoelectric vortex limit at large quark-antiquark separation (string formation) is briefly discussed.