LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Cannabis use amongst patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

BACKGROUND
Experimental evidence suggests the endogenous cannabinoid system may protect against colonic inflammation, leading to the possibility that activation of this system may have a therapeutic role in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Medicinal use of cannabis for chronic pain and other symptoms has been reported in a number of medical conditions. We aimed to evaluate cannabis use in patients with IBD.


METHODS
One hundred patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and 191 patients with Crohn's disease (CD) attending a tertiary-care outpatient clinic completed a questionnaire regarding current and previous cannabis use, socioeconomic factors, disease history and medication use, including complimentary alternative medicines. Quality of life was assessed using the short-inflammatory bowel disease questionnaire.


RESULTS
A comparable proportion of UC and CD patients reported lifetime [48/95 (51%) UC vs. 91/189 (48%) CD] or current [11/95 (12%) UC vs. 30/189 (16%) CD] cannabis use. Of lifetime users, 14/43 (33%) UC and 40/80 (50%) CD patients have used it to relieve IBD-related symptoms, including abdominal pain, diarrhoea and reduced appetite. Patients were more likely to use cannabis for symptom relief if they had a history of abdominal surgery [29/48 (60%) vs. 24/74 (32%); P=0.002], chronic analgesic use [29/41 (71%) vs. 25/81 (31%); P<0.001], complimentary alternative medicine use [36/66 (55%) vs. 18/56 (32%); P=0.01] and a lower short inflammatory bowel disease questionnaire score (45.1±2.1 vs. 50.3±1.5; P=0.03). Patients who had used cannabis [60/139 (43%)] were more likely than nonusers [13/133 (10%); P<0.001 vs. users] to express an interest in participating in a hypothetical therapeutic trial of cannabis for IBD.


CONCLUSION
Cannabis use is common amongst patients with IBD for symptom relief, particularly amongst those with a history of abdominal surgery, chronic abdominal pain and/or a low quality of life index. The therapeutic benefits of cannabinoid derivatives in IBD may warrant further exploration.
"To standardize or not to standardize?" - understanding the effect of business process complexity on business process standardization

Today, practitioners often have to face a number of challenges during the standardization of business processes, and some processes can be standardized easier (with less effort) than others. Our previous research has shown that major drivers of successful business process standardization are the characteristics respectively the complexity of a particular business process. In order to minimize standardization effort, we need an instrument that allows identifying processes which are appropriate for standardization by assessing each process’ individual degree of complexity. On the way towards such an instrument, the first step is to develop an understanding of how the complexity of a business process affects its standardization. Therefore, the main aim of this paper is twofold: First, we provide a research model representing the fundamental relationships between our main constructs standardization effort, process complexity, and process standardization. Second, we report on the development of valid measurement scales designed to measure these constructs.
Metabolic responses to salt stress of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) cultivars, Sahara and Clipper, which differ in salinity tolerance

Plants show varied cellular responses to salinity that are partly associated with maintaining low cytosolic Na(+) levels and a high K(+)/Na(+) ratio. Plant metabolites change with elevated Na(+), some changes are likely to help restore osmotic balance while others protect Na(+)-sensitive proteins. Metabolic responses to salt stress are described for two barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) cultivars, Sahara and Clipper, which differed in salinity tolerance under the experimental conditions used. After 3 weeks of salt treatment, Clipper ceased growing whereas Sahara resumed growth similar to the control plants. Compared with Clipper, Sahara had significantly higher leaf Na(+) levels and less leaf necrosis, suggesting they are more tolerant to accumulated Na(+). Metabolite changes in response to the salt treatment also differed between the two cultivars. Clipper plants had elevated levels of amino acids, including proline and GABA, and the polyamine putrescine, consistent with earlier suggestions that such accumulation may be correlated with slower growth and/or leaf necrosis rather than being an adaptive response to salinity. It is suggested that these metabolites may be an indicator of general cellular damage in plants. By contrast, in the more tolerant Sahara plants, the levels of the hexose phosphates, TCA cycle intermediates, and metabolites involved in cellular protection increased in response to salt. These solutes remain unchanged in the more sensitive Clipper plants. It is proposed that these responses in the more tolerant Sahara are involved in cellular protection in the leaves and are involved in the tolerance of Sahara leaves to high Na(+).
Pathology , pseudopathology , and the Dark Triad of personality

The Dark Triad traits (i.e., psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and narcissism) have traditionally been viewed as undesirable and pathological. In contrast, an evolutionary perspective suggests that traits like these might be pseudopathologies; traits that society actively dislikes in that they pose a threat to the collective good. We examined (N = 290) how the Dark Triad traits related to intrapersonal (i.e., behavioral dysfunction), quasibehavioral (i.e., reactive and proactive aggression), and interpersonal (i.e., communal and exchange orientation) factors. Psychopathy predicted high rates of behavioral dysregulation and both forms of aggression. Psychopathy and Machiavellianism showed an aversion towards communalism but an exchange orientation to social relationships. Lastly, individual differences in the Dark Triad traits accounted for part (5–22%) of the sex differences in social strategies and aggression. The theoretical implications of these findings are discussed in, and in support of, an evolutionary paradigm. 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Health economic evaluation of acupuncture along meridians for treating migraine in China: results from a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND
To evaluate different types of acupuncture treatment for migraine in China from the perspective of health economics, particularly the comparison between treatment of specific acupoints in Shaoyang meridians and penetrating sham acupoints treatment.


METHODS
Data were obtained from a multicenter, randomized controlled trial of acupuncture treatment in patients with migraine. Four-hundred eighty migraineurs were randomly assigned to 3 arms of treatment with genuine acupoints and 1 arm of penetrating sham acupoints. The primary outcome measurement was the cost-effectiveness ratio (C/E), expressed as cost per 1 day reduction of headache days from baseline to week 16. Cost-comparison analyses, differences in the migraine-specific quality of life questionnaire (MSQ), and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio were taken as secondary outcome measurements. In addition, a sensitivity analysis was conducted.


RESULTS
The total cost per patient was ¥1273.2 (95% CI 1171.3-1375.1) in the Shaoyang specific group, ¥1427.7 (95% CI 1311.8-1543.6) in the Shaoyang non-specific group, ¥1490.8 (95% CI 1327.1-1654.6) in the Yangming specific group, and ¥1470.1 (95% CI 1358.8-1581.3) in the sham acupuncture group. The reduced days with migraine were 3.972 ± 2.7, 3.555 ± 2.8, 3.793 ± 3.6, and 2.155 ± 3.7 in these 4 groups (P < 0.05 for each genuine acupoints group vs the sham group), respectively, at week 16. The C/Es of the 4 groups were 320.5, 401.6, 393.1, and 682.2, respectively. Results of the sensitivity analysis were consistent with that of the cost-effectiveness analysis. The Shaoyang specific group significantly improved in all 3 MSQ domains compared with the sham acupuncture group.


CONCLUSIONS
Treatment of specific acupoints in Shaoyang meridians is more cost-effective than that of non-acupoints, representing a dramatic improvement in the quality of life of people with migraine and a significant reduction in cost. Compared with the other 3 groups, Shaoyang-specific acupuncture is a relatively cost-effective treatment for migraine prophylaxis in China.


TRIAL REGISTRATION
Clinical Trials.gov NCT00599586.
Role of FDG-PET in the implementation of involved-node radiation therapy for Hodgkin lymphoma patients.

PURPOSE
This study examines the role of (18)F-labeled fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) in the implementation of involved-node radiation therapy (INRT) in patients treated for clinical stages (CS) I/II supradiaphragmatic Hodgkin lymphoma (HL).


METHODS AND MATERIAL
Patients with untreated CS I/II HL enrolled in the randomized EORTC/LYSA/FIL Intergroup H10 trial and participating in a real-time prospective quality assurance program were prospectively included in this study. Data were electronically obtained from 18 French cancer centers. All patients underwent APET-computed tomography (PET-CT) and a post-chemotherapy planning CT scanning. The pre-chemotherapy gross tumor volume (GTV) and the postchemotherapy clinical target volume (CTV) were first delineated on CT only by the radiation oncologist. The planning PET was then co-registered, and the delineated volumes were jointly analyzed by the radiation oncologist and the nuclear medicine physician. Lymph nodes undetected on CT but FDG-avid were recorded, and the previously determined GTV and CTV were modified according to FDG-PET results.


RESULTS
From March 2007 to February 2010, 135 patients were included in the study. PET-CT identified at least 1 additional FDG-avid lymph node in 95 of 135 patients (70.4%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 61.9%-77.9%) and 1 additional lymph node area in 55 of 135 patients (40.7%; 95% CI: 32.4%-49.5%). The mean increases in the GTV and CTV were 8.8% and 7.1%, respectively. The systematic addition of PET to CT led to a CTV increase in 60% of the patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Pre-chemotherapy FDG-PET leads to significantly better INRT delineation without necessarily increasing radiation volumes.
Relating constraint answer set programming languages and algorithms

Recently a logic programming language AC was proposed by Mellarkod et al. (2008) to integrate answer set programming and constraint logic programming. Soon after that, a clingcon language integrating answer set programming and finite domain constraints, as well as an ezcsp language integrating answer set programming and constraint logic programming were introduced. The development of these languages and systems constitutes the appearance of a new AI subarea called constraint answer set programming. All these languages have something in common. In particular, they aim at developing new efficient inference algorithms that combine traditional answer set programming procedures and other methods in constraint programming. Yet, the exact relation between the constraint answer set programming languages and the underlying systems is not well understood. In this paper we address this issue by formally stating the precise relation between several constraint answer set programming languages – AC , clingcon, ezcsp – as well as the underlying systems.
Multi-view Pictorial Structures for 3D Human Pose Estimation

Pictorial structure models are the de facto standard for 2D human pose estimation. Numerous refinements and improvements have been proposed such as discriminatively trained body part detectors, flexible body models and local and global mixtures. While these techniques allow to achieve the state-of-the-art performance for 2D pose estimation, they have not yet been extended to enable pose estimation in 3D, instead this problem is traditionally addressed using 3D body models and involves complex inference in a high-dimensional space of 3D body configurations. We formulate the articulated 3D human pose estimation problem as a joint inference over the set of 2D projections of the pose in each of the camera views. As a first contribution of this paper, we propose a 2D pose estimation approach that extends the state-of-the-art 2D pictorial structures model [6] with flexible parts, color features, multi-modal pairwise terms, and mixtures of pictorial structures. The second and main contribution is to extend this 2D pose estimation model to a multi-view model that performs joint reasoning over people poses seen from multiple viewpoints. The output of this novel model is then used to recover 3D pose. We evaluate our multi-view pictorial structures model on HumanEva-I [8] and MPII Cooking [7] dataset. In comparison to related work for 3D pose estimation our approach achieves similar or better results while operating on single-frames only and not relying on activity specific motion models or tracking. Notably, our approach outperforms state-of-the-art for activities with more complex motions. Single-view model: The pictorial structures model, originally introduced in [2, 3], represents the human body as a configuration L = {l1, . . . , lN} of N rigid parts and a set of pairwise part relationships E. The image position and absolute orientation of each part is given by li = (xi,yi,θi). We formulate the model as a conditional random field, and assume that the probability of the part configuration L given the image evidence I factorizes into a product of unary and pairwise terms:
An improved backpropagation algorithm to avoid the local minima problem

We propose an improved backpropagation algorithm intended to avoid the local minima problem caused by neuron saturation in the hidden layer. Each training pattern has its own activation functions of neurons in the hidden layer. When the network outputs have not got their desired signals, the activation functions are adapted so as to prevent neurons in the hidden layer from saturating. Simulations on some benchmark problems have been performed to demonstrate the validity of the proposed method. c © 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Induction of robust type-I CD8+ T-cell responses in WHO grade 2 low-grade glioma patients receiving peptide-based vaccines in combination with poly-ICLC.

PURPOSE
WHO grade 2 low-grade gliomas (LGG) with high risk factors for recurrence are mostly lethal despite current treatments. We conducted a phase I study to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of subcutaneous vaccinations with synthetic peptides for glioma-associated antigen (GAA) epitopes in HLA-A2(+) adults with high-risk LGGs in the following three cohorts: (i) patients without prior progression, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy (RT); (ii) patients without prior progression or chemotherapy but with prior RT; and (iii) recurrent patients.


EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN
GAAs were IL13Rα2, EphA2, WT1, and Survivin. Synthetic peptides were emulsified in Montanide-ISA-51 and given every 3 weeks for eight courses with intramuscular injections of poly-ICLC, followed by q12 week booster vaccines.


RESULTS
Cohorts 1, 2, and 3 enrolled 12, 1, and 10 patients, respectively. No regimen-limiting toxicity was encountered except for one case with grade 3 fever, fatigue, and mood disturbance (cohort 1). ELISPOT assays demonstrated robust IFNγ responses against at least three of the four GAA epitopes in 10 and 4 cases of cohorts 1 and 3, respectively. Cohort 1 patients demonstrated significantly higher IFNγ responses than cohort 3 patients. Median progression-free survival (PFS) periods since the first vaccine are 17 months in cohort 1 (range, 10-47+) and 12 months in cohort 3 (range, 3-41+). The only patient with large astrocytoma in cohort 2 has been progression-free for more than 67 months since diagnosis.


CONCLUSION
The current regimen is well tolerated and induces robust GAA-specific responses in WHO grade 2 glioma patients. These results warrant further evaluations of this approach. Clin Cancer Res; 21(2); 286-94. ©2014 AACR.
Modulation of cellular antioxidant defense activities by sodium arsenite in human fibroblasts

Many studies have shown that oxygen radicals can be produced during arsenic metabolism. We report here that in human fibroblasts (HFW cells) sodium arsenite exposure caused increased formation of fluorescent dichlorofluorescein (DCF) by oxidation of the nonfluorescent form. The enhanced DCF fluorescence was inhibited by a radical scavenger, butylated hydroxytoluene. The effects of sodium arsenite treatment on cellular antioxidant activities were then examined. Treatment of HFW cells with sodium arsenite resulted in a significant increase in heme oxygenase activity and ferritin level. Sodium arsenite-enhanced heme oxygenase synthesis was inhibited by co-treatment of cells with the antioxidants sodium azide and dimethyl sulfoxide. Furthermore, sodium arsenite treatment did not apparently affect glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity, but resulted in significantly increased glutathione levels and superoxide dismutase activity, slightly decreased glutathione peroxidase activity, and significantly decreased catalase activity. Sodium arsenite toxicity was partly reduced by addition of catalase to the culture medium. These results imply that arsenite can enhance oxidative stress in HFW cells.
Signaling in Equity Crowdfunding

This paper presents an empirical examination of which start-up signals will small investors to commit financial resources in an equity crowdfunding context. We examine the impact of firms’ financial roadmaps (e.g., preplanned exit strategies such as IPOs or acquisitions), external certification (awards, government grants and patents), internal governance (such as board structure), and risk factors (such as amount of equity offered and the presence of disclaimers) on fundraising success. Our data highlight the importance of financial roadmaps and risk factors, as well as internal governance, for successful equity crowdfunding. External certification, by contrast, has little or no impact on success. We also discuss the implications for successful policy design. JEL Classification: G21, G24, L26
USE OF INDIGENOUSLY DESIGNED NASAL BUBBLE CONTINUOUS POSITIVE AIRWAY PRESSURE (NB-CPAP) IN NEONATES WITH RESPIRATORY DISTRESS - EXPERIENCE FROM A MILITARY HOSPITAL -

Objective: To study the efficacy and safety of an indigenously designed low cost nasal bubble continuous positive airway pressure (NB-CPAP) in neonates admitted with respiratory distress. Study Design: A descriptive study. Place and Duration of Study: Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Peshawar from Jan 2014 to May 2014. Material and Methods: Fifty neonates who developed respiratory distress within 6 hours of life were placed on an indigenous NB-CPAP device (costing 220 PKR) and evaluated for gestational age, weight, indications, duration on NB-CPAP, pre-defined outcomes and complications. Results: A total of 50 consecutive patients with respiratory distress were placed on NB-CPAP. Male to Female ratio was 2.3:1. Mean weight was 2365.85 ± 704 grams and mean gestational age was 35.41 ± 2.9 weeks. Indications for applying NB-CPAP were transient tachypnea of the newborn (TTN, 52%) and respiratory distress syndrome (RDS, 44%). Most common complications were abdominal distension (15.6%) and pulmonary hemorrhage (6%). Out of 50 infants placed on NB-CPAP, 35 (70%) were managed on NB-CPAP alone while 15 (30%) needed mechanical ventilation following a trial of NB-CPAP. Conclusion: In 70% of babies invasive mechanical ventilation was avoided using NB-CPAP.
Patient Prognostic Score and Associations With Survival Improvement Offered by Radiotherapy After Breast-Conserving Surgery for Ductal Carcinoma In Situ: A Population-Based Longitudinal Cohort Study.

PURPOSE
Radiotherapy (RT) after breast-conserving surgery (BCS) is a standard treatment option for the management of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). We sought to determine the survival benefit of RT after BCS on the basis of risk factors for local recurrence.


PATIENTS AND METHODS
A retrospective longitudinal cohort study was performed to identify patients with DCIS diagnosed between 1988 and 2007 and treated with BCS by using SEER data. Patients were divided into the following two groups: BCS+RT (RT group) and BCS alone (non-RT group). We used a patient prognostic scoring model to stratify patients on the basis of risk of local recurrence. We performed a Cox proportional hazards model with propensity score weighting to evaluate breast cancer mortality between the two groups.


RESULTS
We identified 32,144 eligible patients with DCIS, 20,329 (63%) in the RT group and 11,815 (37%) in the non-RT group. Overall, 304 breast cancer-specific deaths occurred over a median follow-up of 96 months, with a cumulative incidence of breast cancer mortality at 10 years in the weighted cohorts of 1.8% (RT group) and 2.1% (non-RT group; hazard ratio, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.62 to 0.88). Significant improvements in survival in the RT group compared with the non-RT group were only observed in patients with higher nuclear grade, younger age, and larger tumor size. The magnitude of the survival difference with RT was significantly correlated with prognostic score (P < .001).


CONCLUSION
In this population-based study, the patient prognostic score for DCIS is associated with the magnitude of improvement in survival offered by RT after BCS, suggesting that decisions for RT could be tailored on the basis of patient factors, tumor biology, and the prognostic score.
The effects of Social Networking Site (SNS) use on college students' friendship and well-being

The present study was conducted with two goals in mind: (1) to examine the influence of using different types of SNS use on users’ well-being, and (2) to examine the mediating roles of online self-disclosure and friendship quality in the relationship between types of SNS use and well-being. Participants were from two large 4-year undergraduate universities in Southwestern China. The study was conducted during Spring semester, 2013, using advertisements that described the nature of the research and indicated that compensation for participation was U10 (about $1.5 U.S.). Of the 402 students approached, 337 completed the survey (i.e., response rate was 83.83%). Structural equation modeling showed that ‘‘social’’ type SNS use was positively related to users’ well-being, whereas ‘‘entertainment’’ type SNS use was not. In addition, online self-disclosure was a significant predictor of users’ friendship quality. However, there was an inverse relationship between ‘‘social’’ SNS use and online self-disclosure, and no relationship between friendship quality based on SNS use and well-being. It should be noted that generalizations of our findings should be made cautiously. The cross-section design and self-reported usage of SNS would also be limitations. Experimental and longitudinal studies should be conducted to provide stronger evidence of causal relations among variables examined in this study. 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
‘Institutional Thickness’: Local Governance and Economic Development in Birmingham, England

This article uses the concept of institutional thickness to describe key features of the local governance of economic development. For this purpose, a methodology for the empirical assessment of institutional thickness is developed and applied to the case of Birmingham, England. The results from this empirical analysis are threefold. First, they make it possible to draw some conclusions on the role that local governments can play to promote local economic development. Second, they suggest that institutional thickness is a useful organizing concept for analyses of the local governance of economic development. Finally, they demonstrate the value of a verifiable and replicable methodology for the detection and measurement of local institutional conditions and of governance arrangements. Copyright (c) 2007 The Authors. Journal Compilation (c) 2007 Joint Editors and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.