LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Effect of rate-adaptive pacing on performance and physiological parameters during activities of daily living in the elderly: results from the CLEAR (Cylos Responds with Physiologic Rate Changes during Daily Activities) study

AIMS
For most elderly pacemaker patients, evaluation of rate-adaptive pacing using treadmill and bicycle tests is impractical and not representative of typical daily activities. This study was designed to compare the performance and physiological response of the closed-loop stimulation (CLS) rate-adaptive sensor to accelerometer (XL) and no rate sensor (DDD) during typical daily activity testing.


METHODS AND RESULTS
Subjects recently implanted with a Cylos pacemaker completed timed activities of daily life testing, which included walking, sweeping, and standing from a seated position. Activity performance and physiological response from each sensor mode was evaluated for subjects requiring ≥80% pacing. Overall, 74 subjects needed ≥80% pacing during at least one test. An increase in the area swept (CLS vs. XL, 1.67 m(2) difference, P = 0.009; CLS vs. DDD, 1.59 m(2) difference, P = 0.025) and a decrease in the prevalence of orthostatic hypotension (OH) after standing 1 min (CLS vs. XL, odds ratio = 0.16, P = 0.006; CLS vs. DDD, odds ratio = 0.18, P = 0.012) was observed in the CLS mode as compared with XL and DDD. No statistical difference in walk distance was observed between CLS and XL or CLS and DDD.


CONCLUSION
In acute testing, as compared with XL and DDD, CLS provides a more physiological response during the performance of activities of daily living for subjects with ≥80% pacing. This is clinically reflected in better performance during the sweep test as well as a decrease in the prevalence of OH in our elderly population. Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT00355797.
QA on the Web: a preliminary study for Spanish language

Finding accurate information on the Web has become a challenge due to the increment in the number of documents available online. Current search engines retrieve relevant documents to general - often short - user queries, but fail extracting answers to simple factual questions in natural language. This work presents the basis of a statistical question answering system capable to find answers to factual questions in Spanish language from the Web. This approach is supported on data redundancy rather than on sophisticated linguistic analyses of either questions and candidate answers. Preliminary results show that it is feasible to find concise and accurate answers from the Web to factual questions made in Spanish language. The study also concludes that the available Spanish documents in the Web are redundant enough in order to apply statistical methods like those described in this document in order to provide better mechanisms for information access.
Modeling Human Education Data: From Equation-Based Modeling to Agent-Based Modeling

Agent-based simulation is increasingly used to analyze the performance of complex systems. In this paper we describe results of our work on one specific agent-based model, showing how it can be validated against the equation-based model from which it was derived, and demonstrating the extent to which it can be used to derive additional results over and above those that the equation-based model can provide.
A Three-Level Dodecagonal Space Vector-Based Harmonic Suppression Scheme for Open-End Winding IM Drives With Single-DC Supply

This paper presents a harmonic elimination technique based on a three-level dodecagonal space vector structure for open-end winding induction motor (IM) drives with a single-dc supply. Advantages of dodecagonal space vector switching and multilevel inverters are achieved with a single-dc supply. A dc supply-fed three-level flying capacitor (FC) inverter feeds active power to one end of the IM winding terminals and H-bridge connected capacitors eliminate fifth- and seventh-order harmonics from the other end. A pulsewidth modulation (PWM) technique is developed to switch the three-level dodecagonal space vectors and simultaneously control the H-bridge capacitors at 0.1445Vdc. The fifthand seventh-order harmonics are eliminated for the full modulation range of the three-level FC inverter, including the extreme 6-step operation. An increase in the linear modulation range has been achieved, resulting in improved dc bus utilization. Harmonic elimination is achieved by increasing switching frequency of the low-voltage capacitor connected H-bridge inverter; thus, switching frequency for the high-voltage dc supply-fed FC inverter is not increased. Using the proposed scheme, the instantaneous phase voltage never exceeds 2/3Vdc (maximum phase voltage applied for hexagonal space vector structure) for which the machine windings are rated. Additionally, the proposed inverter has also been shown to operate for field oriented control of the open-end winding IM drive.
Making Models Match: Replicating an Agent-Based Model

Director, Center for Complexity in Business, 2011-present Assistant Professor of Marketing, 2008-present Assistant Professor, University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computational Studies, 2011-present Affiliate Assistant Professor of Decision, Operations, and Information Technology, 2008-present Affiliate Assistant Professor of Computer Science, 2008-present Affiliate Faculty of Applied Mathematics, Statistics, and Scientific Computation, 2010-present
Constructing and Utilizing a Model of User Preferences in Collaborative Consultation Dialogues

A natural language collaborative consultation system must take user preferences into account. A model of user preferences allows a system to appropriately evaluate alternatives using criteria of importance to the user. Additionally, decision research suggests both that an accurate model of user preferences could enable the system to improve a user’s decision-making by ensuring that all important alternatives are considered, and that such a model of user preferences must be built dynamically by observing the user’s actions during the decision-making process. This paper presents two strategies: one for dynamically recognizing user preferences during the course of a collaborative planning dialogue and the other for exploiting the model of user preferences to detect suboptimal solutions and suggest better alternatives. Our recognition strategy utilizes not only the utterances themselves but also characteristics of the dialogue in developing a model of user preferences. Our generation strategy takes into account both the strength of a preference and the closeness of a potential match in evaluating actions in the user’s plan and suggesting better alternatives. By modeling and utilizing user preferences, our system is able to fulfill its role as a collaborative agent.
Recombinant glycoprotein vaccine for the prevention of genital HSV-2 infection: two randomized controlled trials. Chiron HSV Vaccine Study Group.

CONTEXT
In the last 3 decades, herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection seroprevalence and neonatal herpes have increased substantially. An effective vaccine for the prevention of genital herpes could help control this epidemic.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the efficacy of a vaccine for prevention of HSV-2 infection.


DESIGN
Two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter trials of a recombinant subunit vaccine containing 30 microg each of 2 major HSV-2 surface glycoproteins (gB2 and gD2) against which neutralizing antibodies are directed, administered at months 0, 1, and 6. Control subjects were given a citrate buffer vehicle. Participants were followed up for 1 year after the third immunization.


SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS
We enrolled 2393 persons from December 10, 1993, to April 4, 1995, who were HSV-2 and human immunodeficiency virus seronegative. One trial with 18 centers enrolled 531 HSV-2-seronegative partners of HSV-2-infected persons; the other, with 22 centers, enrolled 1862 persons attending sexually transmitted disease clinics. A total of 2268 (94.8%) met inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis with 1135 randomized to placebo and 2012 to vaccine.


MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE
Time to acquisition of HSV-2 infection, defined by seroconversion or isolation of HSV-2 in culture during the study period by randomization group.


RESULTS
Time-to-event curves indicated a 50% lower acquisition rate among vaccine vs placebo recipients during the initial 5 months of the trial; however, overall vaccine efficacy was 9% (95% confidence interval, -29% to 36%). Acquisition rates of HSV-2 were 4.6 and 4.2 per 100 patient-years in the placebo and vaccine recipients, respectively (P =.58). Follow-up of vaccine recipients acquiring HSV-2 infection showed vaccination had no significant influence on duration of clinical first genital HSV-2 episodes (vaccine, median of 7.1 days; placebo, 6.5 days; P>.10) or subsequent frequency of reactivation (median monthly recurrence rate with vaccine, 0.2; with placebo, 0.3; P>.10). The vaccine induced high levels of HSV-2-specific neutralizing antibodies in vaccinated persons who did and did not develop genital herpes.


CONCLUSIONS
Efficient and sustained protection from sexual acquisition of HSV-2 infection will require more than high titers of specific neutralizing antibodies. Protection against sexually transmitted viruses involving exposure over a prolonged period will require a higher degree of vaccine efficacy than that achieved in this study.
Two-Phase Electronic Cooling Using Mini-Channel and Micro-Channel Heat Sinks: Part 2—Flow Rate and Pressure Drop Constraints

Increased rate of heat dissipation from electronic chips was explored by the application of flow boiling in mini-channel (D = 2.54 mm) and micro-channel (D — 510 \x,m) heat sinks with special emphasis on reducing pressure drop and coolant flow rate. A pressure drop model was developed that accounts for the single-phase inlet region, the singleand two-phase heated region, and the two-phase unheated outlet region. Inlet and outlet losses associated with the abrupt contraction and expansion, respectively, were also accounted for, and so were the effects of compressibility and flashing within the two-phase region. Overall, the major contributor to pressure drop was the acceleration caused by evaporation in the channels; however, compressibility effects proved significant for the micro-channel geometiy. Based upon practical considerations such as pressure drop, erosion, choking, clogging, and manufacturing ease, the mini-channel geometiy was determined to offer inherent advantages over the microchannel geometiy. The latter is preferred only in situations calling for dissipation of high heat fluxes where minimizing weight and liquid inventory is a must.
Multistage Wind-Electric Power Forecast by Using a Combination of Advanced Statistical Methods

A multistage advanced statistical method has been proposed for the real-time wind-electric power generation forecast of wind power plants (WPPs) based on a combination of artificial neural network (ANN) and support vector machine (SVM) models. In the first stage, output data of wind speed and wind direction from different numerical weather prediction (NWP) models are chosen among a set of grid points in the neighborhood of each WPP to train the ANN and SVM models. The best grids are then selected from those NWP grid data giving the minimum training error, and used for training and testing the developed wind-electric power forecast models. In the second stage, for each NWP data, ANN and SVM models are applied separately. The forecast errors are corrected by applying model output statistics (MOS) at the third stage. Different 48-h ahead forecasts of wind-electric power are then combined at the fourth stage by appropriate weighting factors to obtain an intermediate 48-h ahead forecast of the electrical power generated from wind. In the final stage, these forecast data are recombined to give an ultimate forecast. The proposed model is tested on 25 WPPs satisfactorily. The performance of the proposed multistage cascaded statistical model is compared with the available benchmark models and actual wind-electric power generation data. It has been shown that the proposed model performs better than the reference models in terms of short-term forecast accuracy, especially for WPPs in complex terrains with a scattered wind regime.
Modified Weibull distribution.

The exponential, Rayleigh, linear failure rate and Weibull distributions are the most commonly used distributions for analyzing lifetime data. These distributions have several desirable properties and nice physical interpretations. This paper introduces a new distribution named modified Weibull distribution. This distribution generalizes the following distributions: (1) exponential, (2) Rayleigh, (3) linear failure rate, and (4) Weibull. The properties of the modified Weibull distribution are discussed. The maximum likelihood estimates of its unknown parameters are obtained. A real data set is analyzed and it observed that the present distribution can provide a better fit than some other known distributions. M.S.C. 2000: 46N30, 47N30, 65C60.
Mercury Emissions Control in Coal Combustion Systems Using Potassium Iodide: Bench-Scale and Pilot-Scale Studies

Addition of halogens or halides has been reported to promote mercury removal in coal-fired power plants. In this study, benchand pilot-scale experiments were conducted using potassium iodide (KI) for capture and removal of Hg in air and coal combustion exhaust. Two bench-scale reactor systems were used: (1) a packedbed reactor (PBR) packed with granular or powder KI and (2) an aerosol flow reactor (AFR) with injection of KI particles. It was found that a higher temperature, a higher concentration of KI, and a longer gas residence time resulted in a higher Hg removal efficiency. A 100% Hg removal was achieved in the PBR above 300 °C using 0.5 g of powder KI and in the AFR above 500 °C with a KI/Hg molar ratio of 600 at a 5.8 s residence time. The low KI injection ratio relative to Hg indicated that KI is highly effective for Hg removal in air. Formation of I2 vapor by the oxidation of KI by O2 at high temperatures, which then reacts with Hg to produce HgI2, was identified as the pathway for removal. The pilot-scale experiments were conducted in a 160 kW pulverized coal combustor. KI was introduced in two ways: as a powder mixed with coal and by spraying KI solution droplets into the flue gas. In both cases the Hg removal efficiency increased with an increase in the feed rate of KI. Mixing KI powder with coal was found to be more effective than spraying KI into the flue gas, very likely due to the higher temperature, longer residence time of KI, and the formation of a secondary reactive sorbent. The Hg removal by KI was less efficient in the pilot-scale tests than in the bench-scale tests probably due to certain flue gas components reacting with KI or I2. Hg speciation measurements in both benchand pilot-scale experiments indicated no oxidized mercury in the gas phase upon introduction of KI, indicating that the oxidation product HgI2 was captured in the particulate phase. This is very beneficial in coal-fired power plants equipped with electrostatic precipitators where particulate-bound Hg can be efficiently removed.
Obstructive sleep apnea is associated with increased urinary albumin excretion.

BACKGROUND
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with cardiovascular disease through incompletely understood mechanisms. Urinary albumin excretion is a surrogate for endothelial dysfunction and a potent cardiovascular disease risk predictor. We sought to determine whether urinary albumin excretion is increased in subjects with OSA.


METHODS
Four hundred ninety-six adults, representing a spectrum of OSA severity, underwent overnight polysomnography and urine collection. OSA severity was assessed using the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI). The primary outcome measure was the adjusted albumin-to-creatinine ratio (aACR). Linear mixed models were used to assess the association between AHI category and aACR, adjusted for confounders and renal dysfunction.


RESULTS
Subjects had a mean age of 44 +/- 17 (SD) years and approximately half were men (44%) and African American (56%). The percentages of subjects with mild (AHI 5-14), moderate (AHI 15-29), and severe (AHI > or = 30) OSA were 23%, 15%, and 15%, respectively. The median aACR for the entire sample was 4.3 mg/g (interquartile range: 2.9, 7.5). Adjusted linear mixed-model analyses showed a significant association between AHI category and aACR, with the AHI > or = 30 group having the highest aACR levels (7.87 +/- 1.02 mg/g vs 5.08 +/- 0.41 mg/g for those with AHI < 5; P < 0.006). Similar findings were observed after excluding subjects with renal dysfunction.


CONCLUSION
OSA is significantly associated with increased urine albumin excretion, especially among those with more severe disease. These data provide further evidence supporting endothelial dysfunction as a mediating pathway between cardiovascular disease and OSA.
The effects of balance training on gait late after stroke: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effects of balance training, using force platform biofeedback, on quantitative gait characteristics of hemiparetic patients late after stroke.


DESIGN
Randomized, controlled, assessor-blinded trial.


SETTING
Rehabilitation ward and gait laboratory of a university hospital.


SUBJECTS
Forty-one patients (mean (standard deviation; SD) age of 60.9 (11.7) years) with hemiparesis late after stroke (median time since stroke six months) were randomly assigned to an experimental or a control group.


INTERVENTIONS
The control group (n = 19) participated in a conventional stroke inpatient rehabilitation programme, whereas the experimental group (n = 22) received 15 sessions of balance training (using force platform biofeedback) in addition to the conventional programme.


MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Selected paretic side time-distance, kinematic and kinetic gait parameters in sagittal, frontal and transverse planes were measured using a three-dimensional computerized gait analysis system, one week before and after the experimental treatment programme.


RESULTS
The control group did not show any statistically significant difference regarding gait characteristics. Pelvic excursion in frontal plane improved significantly (P = 0.021) in the experimental group. The difference between before-after change scores of the groups was significant for pelvic excursion in frontal plane (P = 0.039) and vertical ground reaction force (P = 0.030) in favour of experimental group.


CONCLUSION
Balance training using force platform biofeedback in addition to a conventional inpatient stroke rehabilitation programme is beneficial in improving postural control and weight-bearing on the paretic side while walking late after stroke.
“A heart that has felt the love of god and longs for others to know it”: conventions of gender, tensions of self and constructions of difference in offering to be a lady missionary

Abstract The article is based on a detailed study of the applications of female candidates who applied to the London Missionary Society for consideration as missionaries to serve in the foreign field, from 1875 to 1900. Drawing on the candidates' own letters, formal applications and the selection process as revealed in the archives of the Ladies' Committee of the Society, the article describes the process of professionalisation of the female missionary's role during this period. A textual analysis reveals how this process of professionalisation negotiated the boundaries of gender and class in late nineteenth-century England, maintaining a conventionality through the religious rubric within which the offer to be a lady missionary was constructed. Critical to this religiosity and its ability to twin convention with iconoclasm was the discursive presence of the imperial and colonial other. The article also reflects on themethodological issues of interpreting and re-presenting the narratives of the past from ...
ABO Blood Group and the Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Case-Control Study in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B

BACKGROUND
Studies have observed an association between the ABO blood group and risk of certain malignancies. However, no studies of the association with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk are available. We conducted this hospital-based case-control study to examine the association with HCC in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB).


METHODS
From January 2004 to December 2008, a total of 6275 consecutive eligible patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection were recruited. 1105 of them were patients with HBV-related HCC and 5,170 patients were CHB without HCC. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to investigate the association between the ABO blood group and HCC risk.


RESULTS
Compared with subjects with blood type O, the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) for the association of those with blood type A and HCC risk was 1.39 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.05-1.83] after adjusting for age, sex, type 2 diabetes, cirrhosis, hepatitis B e antigen, and HBV DNA. The associations were only statistically significant [AOR (95%CI) = 1.56(1.14-2.13)] for men, for being hepatitis B e antigen positive [AOR (95%CI) = 4.92(2.83-8.57)], for those with cirrhosis [AOR (95%CI), 1.57(1.12-2.20)], and for those with HBV DNA≤10(5)copies/mL [AOR (95%CI), 1.58(1.04-2.42)]. Stratified analysis by sex indicated that compared with those with blood type O, those with blood type B also had a significantly high risk of HCC among men, whereas, those with blood type AB or B had a low risk of HCC among women.


CONCLUSIONS
The ABO blood type was associated with the risk of HCC in Chinese patients with CHB. The association was gender-related.
Asthma at 8 years of age in children born by caesarean section.

BACKGROUND
Caesarean section might be a risk factor for asthma because of delayed microbial colonisation, but the association remains controversial. A study was undertaken to investigate prospectively whether children born by caesarean section are more at risk of having asthma in childhood and sensitisation at the age of 8 years, taking into account the allergic status of the parents.


METHODS
2917 children who participated in a birth cohort study were followed for 8 years. The definition of asthma included wheeze, dyspnoea and prescription of inhaled steroids. In a subgroup (n = 1454), serum IgE antibodies for inhalant and food allergens were measured at 8 years.


RESULTS
In the total study population, 12.4% (n = 362) of the children had asthma at the age of 8 years. Caesarean section, with a total prevalence of 8.5%, was associated with an increased risk of asthma (OR 1.79; 95% CI 1.27 to 2.51). This association was stronger among predisposed children (with two allergic parents: OR 2.91; 95% CI 1.20 to 7.05; with only one: OR 1.86; 95% CI 1.12 to 3.09) than in children with non-allergic parents (OR 1.36; 95% CI 0.77 to 2.42). The association between caesarean section and sensitisation at the age of 8 years was significant only in children of non-allergic parents (OR 2.14; 95% CI 1.16 to 3.98).


CONCLUSIONS
Children born by caesarean section have a higher risk of asthma than those born by vaginal delivery, particularly children of allergic parents. Caesarean section increases the risk for sensitisation to common allergens in children with non-allergic parents only.
Encyclopedia of Knowledge Management, Second Edition

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