LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Attenuation of microvascular function in those with cardiovascular disease is similar in patients of Indian Asian and European descent

BACKGROUND
Indian Asians are at increased risk of cardiovascular death which does not appear to be explained by conventional risk factors. As microvascular disease is also more prevalent in Indian Asians, and as it is thought to play a role in the development of macrovascular disease, we decided to determine whether impaired microcirculation could contribute to this increased cardiovascular risk in Indian Asians.


METHODS
Forearm skin laser Doppler fluximetry in response to heating and ischaemia was assessed in 83 Europeans (41 with angiographically confirmed atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (CAD) and 42 from the general population) and 84 Indian Asians (41 with CAD). Explanations for differences in microvascular function were sought using multivariate analysis including conventional cardiovascular risk factors.


RESULTS
Compared to ethnically matched control populations both Europeans and Indian Asians with CAD had poorer microvascular responses to heating than those without (117(95% CI 105-131) vs. 142(130-162) arbitrary units, (au) for Europeans and 111(101-122) vs. 141(131-153)au for Indian Asians) and to ischaemia (44(38-50) vs. 57(49-67)au & 39(34-45) vs. 49(43-56)au respectively). These differences were not accounted for by conventional cardiovascular risk factors. There was no ethnic difference in the attenuation of microvascular function associated with CAD.


CONCLUSION
Patients of European and Indian Asian descent with symptomatic CAD have poorer microvascular maximal tissue perfusion and reactive hyperaemia in the skin compared to ethnically matched asymptomatic control populations. Despite the increased cardiovascular risk in Indian Asians, the attenuation of microvascular function associated with CAD was equivalent in the ethic groups. This suggests that in Indian Asians microcirculation does not explain the increased susceptibility to CAD.
Correlation between immediate in-brace correction and biomechanical effectiveness of brace treatment in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

STUDY DESIGN
Multiple brace designs were simulated using a finite element model and their biomechanical effect was evaluated.


OBJECTIVE
To study correlations between immediate in-brace correction of coronal curves and bending moments acting on the apical vertebrae.


SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA
Immediate in-brace correction has often been deemed as fundamental to long-term brace effect but the biomechanical explanation is unclear.


METHODS
Three-dimensional geometry of 3 patients was acquired using multiview radiographs and surface topography techniques. A finite element model of the patients' trunk including gravitational forces and a parametric brace model were created. Two sets of mechanical properties of the spine (stiff and flexible) were tested. Installation of the brace on the patients was simulated. Using an experimental design framework including fourteen design factors, 1024 different virtual braces were tested for each patient. For each brace, immediate in-brace correction of the coronal Cobb angles and the bending moment acting on the apical vertebrae were computed and their correlation was studied.


RESULTS
Immediate correction of coronal curves and corresponding impact on the apical vertebrae bending moments were linearly correlated (mean R = 0.88). The amount of immediate correction necessary to nullify the bending moment ranged between 19% and 61% with average 48% (flexible spine model) and 27% (stiff spine model). The braces corrected the apical vertebrae bending moment more in the flexible spine model. In the framework of the Hueter-Volkmann principle, the correlation between coronal immediate in-brace correction and corresponding apical bending moment can be interpreted as a correlation between immediate in-brace correction and long-term treatment outcome. The amount of immediate correction necessary to invert the bending moments, and in theory counteract the progression of the scoliotic deformity, depends on spine stiffness and spine segment.


CONCLUSION
This study confirms the importance of immediate in-brace correction to predict long-term outcome of the treatment and provides insights in the understanding of brace biomechanics.
Health-Seeking Influence Reflected by Online Health-Related Messages Received on Social Media: Cross-Sectional Survey

BACKGROUND
Major social networking platforms, such as Facebook, WhatsApp, and Twitter, have become popular means through which people share health-related information, irrespective of whether messages disseminated through these channels are authentic.


OBJECTIVE
This study aims to describe the demographic characteristics of patients that may demonstrate their attitudes toward medical information shared on social media networks. Second, we address how information found through social media affects the way people deal with their health. Third, we examine whether patients initiate or alter/discontinue their medications based on information derived from social media.


METHODS
We conducted a cross-sectional survey between April and June 2015 on patients attending outpatient clinics at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Patients who used social media (Facebook, WhatsApp, and Twitter) were included. We designed a questionnaire with closed-ended and multiple-choice questions to assess the type of social media platforms patients used and whether information received on these platforms influenced their health care decisions. We used chi-square test to establish the relationship between categorical variables.


RESULTS
Of the 442 patients who filled in the questionnaires, 401 used Facebook, WhatsApp, or Twitter. The majority of respondents (89.8%, 397/442) used WhatsApp, followed by Facebook (58.6%, 259/442) and Twitter (42.3%, 187/442). In most cases, respondents received health-related messages from WhatsApp and approximately 42.6% (171/401) reported ever stopping treatment as advised on a social media platform. A significantly higher proportion of patients without heart disease (P=.001) and obese persons (P=.01) checked the authenticity of information received on social media. Social media messages influenced decision making among patients without heart disease (P=.04). Respondents without heart disease (P=.001) and obese persons (P=.01) were more likely to discuss health-related information received on social media channels with a health care professional. A significant proportion of WhatsApp users reported that health-related information received on this platform influenced decisions regarding their family's health care (P=.001). Respondents' decisions regarding family health care were more likely to be influenced when they used two or all three types of platforms (P=.003).


CONCLUSIONS
Health education in the digital era needs to be accurate, evidence-based, and regulated. As technologies continue to evolve, we must be equipped to face the challenges it brings with it.
Time course for strength and muscle thickness changes following upper and lower body resistance training in men and women

 The purpose of this study was to investigate the time course of skeletal muscle adaptations resulting from high-intensity, upper and lower body dynamic resistance training (WT). A group of 17 men and 20 women were recruited for WT, and 6 men and 7 women served as a control group. The WT group performed six dynamic resistance exercises to fatigue using 8–12 repetition maximum (RM). The subjects trained 3 days a week for 12 weeks. One-RM knee extension (KE) and chest press (CP) exercises were measured at baseline and at weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, and 12 for the WT group. Muscle thickness (MTH) was measured by ultrasound at eight anatomical sites. One-RM CP and KE strength had increased significantly at week 4 for the female WT group. For the men in the WT group, 1 RM had increased significantly at week 2 for KE and at week 6 for CP. The mean relative increases in KE and CP strength were 19% and 19% for the men and 19% and 27% for the women, respectively, after 12 weeks of WT. Resistance training elicited a significant increase in MTH of the chest and triceps muscles at week 6 in both sexes. There were non-significant trends for increases in quadriceps MTH for the WT groups. The relative increases in upper and lower body MTH were 12%–21% and 7%–9% in the men and 10%–31% and 7%–8% in the women respectively, after 12 weeks of WT. These results would suggest that increases in MTH in the upper body are greater and occur earlier compared to the lower extremity, during the first 12 weeks of a total body WT programme. The time-course and proportions of the increase in strength and MTH were similar for both the men and the women.
Reconstruction of floor of mouth defects by the facial artery musculo-mucosal flap following cancer ablation.

BACKGROUND
The purpose of this study is to review our experience with the use of the facial artery musculo-mucosal (FAMM) flap for floor of mouth (FOM) reconstruction following cancer ablation to assess its reliability, associated complications, and functional results.


METHODS
This was a retrospective analysis of 61 FAMM flaps performed for FOM reconstruction from 1997 to 2006.


RESULTS
No total flap loss was observed. Fifteen cases of partial flap necrosis occurred, with 2 of them requiring revision surgery. We encountered 8 other complications, with 4 of them requiring revision surgery for an overall rate of revision surgery of 10% (6/61). The majority of patients resumed to a regular diet (85%), and speech was considered as functional and/or understandable by the surgeon in 93% of the patients. Dental restoration was successful for 83% (24/29) of the patients.


CONCLUSION
The FAMM flap is well suited for FOM reconstruction because it is reliable, has few significant complications, and allows preservation of oral function.
Mixed feature selection based on granulation and approximation

Feature subset selection presents a common challenge for the applications where data with tens or hundreds of features are available. Existing feature selection algorithms are mainly designed for dealing with numerical or categorical attributes. However, data usually comes with a mixed format in real-world applications. In this paper, we generalize Pawlak’s rough set model into d neighborhood rough set model and k-nearest-neighbor rough set model, where the objects with numerical attributes are granulated with d neighborhood relations or k-nearest-neighbor relations, while objects with categorical features are granulated with equivalence relations. Then the induced information granules are used to approximate the decision with lower and upper approximations. We compute the lower approximations of decision to measure the significance of attributes. Based on the proposed models, we give the definition of significance of mixed features and construct a greedy attribute reduction algorithm. We compare the proposed algorithm with others in terms of the number of selected features and classification performance. Experiments show the proposed technique is effective. 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
On the performance of artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm

Artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm is an optimization algorithm based on a particular intelligent behaviour of honeybee swarms. This work compares the performance of ABC algorithm with that of differential evolution (DE), particle swarm optimization (PSO) and evolutionary algorithm (EA) for multi-dimensional numeric problems. The simulation results show that the performance of ABC algorithm is comparable to those of the mentioned algorithms and can be efficiently employed to solve engineering problems with high dimensionality. # 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Path-based depth-first search for strong and biconnected components

Depth-first search, as developed by Tarjan and coauthors, is a fundamental technique of efficient algorithm design for graphs [23]. This note presents depth-first search algorithms for two basic problems, strong and biconnected components. Previous algorithms either compute auxiliary quantities based on the depth-first search tree (e.g., LOWPOINT values) or require two passes. We present one-pass algorithms that only maintain a representation of the depth-first search path. This gives a simplified view of depth-first search without sacrificing efficiency. In greater detail, most depth-first search algorithms (e.g., [23,10,11]) compute so-called LOWPOINT values that are defined in terms of the depth-first search tree. Because of the success of this method LOWPOINT values have become almost synonymous with depth-first search. LOWPOINT values are regarded as crucial in the strong and biconnected component algorithms, e.g., [14, pp. 94, 514]. Tarjan’s LOWPOINT method for strong components is presented in texts [1, 7,14,16,17,21]. The strong component algorithm of Kosaraju and Sharir [22] is often viewed as conceptu-
Pediatric Intestinal Failure: The Key Outcomes for the First 100 Patients Treated in a National Tertiary Referral Center During 1984-2017.

BACKGROUND
Pediatric-onset intestinal failure (IF) remains a severe illness with life-threatening consequences. In this study, we analyzed a single center's outcomes of IF over 3 decades.


METHODS
All children with IF who required parenteral nutrition (PN) >2 months or small-intestinal resection ≥50% managed since 1984 were included for retrospective outcome analyses.


RESULTS
In total, 100 patients with median PN duration of 1.2 (interquartile range, 0.4-3.5) years were identified. Causes of IF were short bowel syndrome (SBS; n = 78), primary intestinal motility disorders (n = 14), and congenital intestinopathies (n = 8). Patients with SBS had median 40 (25-60) cm of small bowel remaining. Overall, Kaplan-Meier 5- and 10-year weaning-off estimates were 67% (95% CI, 57-77) and 73% (95% CI, 63-84), respectively. Weaning off PN was predicted by remaining bowel anatomy, multidisciplinary treatment era, and absence of immune deficiency. Catheter-related bloodstream infections decreased from 1.4 to 0.6/1000 PN days (P = .0003) with systematic use of taurolidine locks. None had progressive liver disease. Thirty-one percent of patients with SBS underwent autologous intestinal reconstructive surgery. Five patients received and 2 were listed for isolated intestinal transplantation. Eight patients died, and overall 15-year survival rate estimate was 91% (95% CI, 85-98).


CONCLUSIONS
Despite reassuring rates of survival and weaning off PN, long-term PN failed in 14% of patients solely because of catheter complications in the recent era. Achievement of enteral autonomy in those with the shortest remaining small bowel and functional cause of IF remains challenging.
A bed of thorns: Female leaders and the self-reinforcing cycle of illegitimacy

Editors: Madeline Heilman and Alice Eagly In an attempt to explain why the gender gap in leadership positions persists, we propose a model centered on legitimacy. When women hold powerful positions, they have a harder time than men eliciting respect and admiration (i.e., status) from subordinates. As a result, female power-holders are seen as less legitimate than male power-holders. Unless they are able to legitimize their role, relative illegitimacy will prompt a variety of consequences such as more negative subordinate behavior and reduced cooperation when the leader is a woman. Subordinate rejection will likely put female leaders in a precarious mindset, and trigger negative responses toward subordinates; such behavior can confirm negative expectations of female leaders and further undermine female authority in a self-reinforcing cycle of illegitimacy. Leader or organizational features that enhance status attributions and/or lower subordinates' perceptions of power differentials may increase legitimacy for women in leadership roles. © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Social media research: Theories, constructs, and conceptual frameworks

In just one decade, social media have revolutionized the life of many people and thus attracted much attention, not only from industry, but also academia. To understand how researchers have adopted theories, used research constructs, and developed conceptual frameworks in their studies, a systematic and structured literature review based on five leading online academic databases was conducted. A total of 46 articles on social media research were consolidated and analyzed, including empirical studies spanning from 2002 to 2011. A collection of theories/models and constructs/attributes adopted in these articles is summarized and tabulated for easy reference and comprehension of extant research results. A causalchain framework was developed based on the input-moderator–mediator-output model to illustrate the causality between the research constructs used and the conceptualization of theoretical models/theories proposed by previous researchers. Because social media cover a wide range of research topics, the literature review may not be exhaustive. However, the proposed causal-chain framework and suggested research directions may be regarded as representative references for future research in the subject area. This is believed to be the first comprehensive literature review of social media research, and it contributes to a better understanding of the causes and effects of the adoption and usage of social media. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Semi-Supervised Sequence Modeling with Cross-View Training

Unsupervised representation learning algorithms such as word2vec and ELMo improve the accuracy of many supervised NLP models, mainly because they can take advantage of large amounts of unlabeled text. However, the supervised models only learn from taskspecific labeled data during the main training phase. We therefore propose Cross-View Training (CVT), a semi-supervised learning algorithm that improves the representations of a Bi-LSTM sentence encoder using a mix of labeled and unlabeled data. On labeled examples, standard supervised learning is used. On unlabeled examples, CVT teaches auxiliary prediction modules that see restricted views of the input (e.g., only part of a sentence) to match the predictions of the full model seeing the whole input. Since the auxiliary modules and the full model share intermediate representations, this in turn improves the full model. Moreover, we show that CVT is particularly effective when combined with multitask learning. We evaluate CVT on five sequence tagging tasks, machine translation, and dependency parsing, achieving state-of-the-art results.1
Cancer Statistics, 2017.

Each year, the American Cancer Society estimates the numbers of new cancer cases and deaths that will occur in the United States in the current year and compiles the most recent data on cancer incidence, mortality, and survival. Incidence data were collected by the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program; the National Program of Cancer Registries; and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries. Mortality data were collected by the National Center for Health Statistics. In 2017, 1,688,780 new cancer cases and 600,920 cancer deaths are projected to occur in the United States. For all sites combined, the cancer incidence rate is 20% higher in men than in women, while the cancer death rate is 40% higher. However, sex disparities vary by cancer type. For example, thyroid cancer incidence rates are 3-fold higher in women than in men (21 vs 7 per 100,000 population), despite equivalent death rates (0.5 per 100,000 population), largely reflecting sex differences in the "epidemic of diagnosis." Over the past decade of available data, the overall cancer incidence rate (2004-2013) was stable in women and declined by approximately 2% annually in men, while the cancer death rate (2005-2014) declined by about 1.5% annually in both men and women. From 1991 to 2014, the overall cancer death rate dropped 25%, translating to approximately 2,143,200 fewer cancer deaths than would have been expected if death rates had remained at their peak. Although the cancer death rate was 15% higher in blacks than in whites in 2014, increasing access to care as a result of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act may expedite the narrowing racial gap; from 2010 to 2015, the proportion of blacks who were uninsured halved, from 21% to 11%, as it did for Hispanics (31% to 16%). Gains in coverage for traditionally underserved Americans will facilitate the broader application of existing cancer control knowledge across every segment of the population. CA Cancer J Clin 2017;67:7-30. © 2017 American Cancer Society.
Adaptation and validation of the Spanish self-report version of the Spinal Cord Independence Measure (SCIM III)

Study design:This is a cross-sectional validation study.Objective:The objective of this study was to adapt and validate a self-report version of the Spinal Cord Independence Measure (SCIM III) for the Spanish population.Methods:A cross-cultural adaptation of the self-report version of the SCIM III for the Spanish population was performed on the basis of international guidelines. A total of 100 patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) were recruited. A team of healthcare professionals administered the SCIM III by observation. In addition, the patients completed the Spanish self-report version (eSCIM-SR). Data from both questionnaires were analysed jointly.Results:A high correlation was observed between SCIM III and eSCIM-SR. Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient for the global score was 0.998 (95% confidence interval: 0.997, 0.998), and the subscale scores were 0.988 (0.982, 0.992) for self-care, 0.992 (0.988, 0.995) for respiration and sphincter management and 0.997 (0.995, 0.998) for Mobility. Bland–Altman plots showed a small bias of −0.32 (95% limits of agreement: −3.01, 2.37). The estimated bias was low in all three domains, with values of −0.22 (−2.12, 1.68), −0.1 (−2.02, 1.82) and −0.03 (−1.69, 1.63) for the self-care, respiration and sphincter management and mobility subscales, respectively.Conclusion:Our study validates the eSCIM-SR as a tool for the functional assessment of patients with SCI, principally in the outpatient setting.
Are Islamic Banks More Resilient During Financial Panics

Rapid growth of Islamic banking in developing countries is accompanied with claims about its relative resilience to financial crises as compared to conventional banking. However, little empirical evidence is available to support such claims. Using data from Pakistan, where Islamic and conventional banks co-exist, we compare these banks during a financial panic. Our results show that Islamic bank branches are less prone to deposit withdrawals during financial panics, both unconditionally and after controlling for bank characteristics. The Islamic branches of banks that have both Islamic and conventional operations tend to attract (rather than lose) deposits during panics, which suggests a role for religious branding. We also find that Islamic bank branches grant more loans during financial panics and that their lending decisions are less sensitive to changes in deposits. Our findings suggest that greater financial inclusion of faith-based groups may enhance the stability of the banking system. JEL Classification Numbers: D22, G01, G21, P43