LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
The cost effectiveness of bevacizumab when added to capecitabine, with or without mitomycin-C, in first line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer: results from the Australasian phase III MAX study.

BACKGROUND
Based on the clinical data, bevacizumab has been approved in Australia and globally for the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer. However, limited evidence exists for its cost-effectiveness. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cost effectiveness of adding bevacizumab to capecitabine monotherapy in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, using data from the prospective economic evaluation conducted alongside the MAX trial.


METHODS
Individual patient level data on resource use and progression free survival were prospectively collected in the phase III MAX trial. Resource use data were collected for the period between randomisation and disease progression, and unit costs were assigned from the perspective of the Australian health care funder. Effectiveness was measured in quality adjusted progression free survival years, with utility scores obtained from both the community valued EQ-5D questionnaire and the patient valued UBQ-C questionnaire. Progression free survival was used as a secondary effectiveness measure.


RESULTS
The addition of bevacizumab to capecitabine monotherapy cost approximately $192,156 (95% confidence interval [CI], $135,619 to $326,894) per quality adjusted progression free survival year gained when using publicly listed pharmaceutical prices and utility values from the EQ-5D questionnaire. This decreased to $149,455 (95% CI, $100,356 to $245,910) when values from the UBQ-C questionnaire were applied. The incremental cost per progression free survival year was $145,059 (95% CI, $106,703 to $233,225).


CONCLUSIONS
Bevacizumab was not found to be cost effective at its listed price, based on results from the MAX trial.
42.7-Gb/s cost-effective duobinary optical transmitter using a commercial 10-Gb/s Mach-Zehnder modulator with optical filtering

Optical duobinary transmission at 42.7 Gb/s is demonstrated using a commercially available 10-Gb/s LiNbO/sub 3/ modulator. The intrinsic response of the 10-Gb/s electrooptic Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM) is used to create a low-pass-filtered (LPF) duobinary signal, which shows a minimum optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) requirement penalty of /spl sim/4 to /spl sim/6 dB as compared to nonreturn-to-zero (NRZ) signals. However, when the MZM-LPF duobinary is filtered with a 50-GHz 3-dB bandwidth first-order Gaussian filter, a significant improvement in required OSNR is seen. In contrast, similar optical filtering of NRZ data creates a significant OSNR penalty such that the NRZ and MZM-LPF duobinary data have nearly identical OSNR requirements. Therefore, the MZM-LPF duobinary technique may be a cost-effective approach to high-spectral-efficiency transmission at 42.7 Gb/s.
Statistical Classification Methods in Consumer Credit Scoring: A Review

Credit scoring is the term used to describe formal statistical methods used for classifying applicants for credit into `good' and `bad' risk classes. Such methods have become increasingly important with the dramatic growth in consumer credit in recent years. A wide range of statistical methods has been applied, though the literature available to the public is limited for reasons of commercial con®dentiality. Particular problems arising in the credit scoring context are examined and the statistical methods which have been applied are reviewed.
Is eccentric exercise an effective treatment for lateral epicondylitis? A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE
To establish the effectiveness of eccentric exercise as a treatment intervention for lateral epicondylitis.


DATA SOURCES
ProQuest, Medline via EBSCO, AMED, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL.


REVIEW METHODS
A systematic review was undertaken to identify randomized and controlled clinical trials incorporating eccentric exercise as a treatment for patients diagnosed with lateral epicondylitis. Studies were included if: they incorporated eccentric exercise, either in isolation or as part of a multimodal treatment protocol; they assessed at least one functional or disability outcome measure; and the patients had undergone diagnostic testing. The methodological quality of each study was assessed using the Modified Cochrane Musculoskeletal Injuries Group score sheet.


RESULTS
Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria. Three were deemed 'high' quality, seven were 'medium' quality, and two were 'low' quality. Eight of the studies were randomized trials investigating a total of 334 subjects. Following treatment, all groups inclusive of eccentric exercise reported decreased pain and improved function and grip strength from baseline. Seven studies reported improvements in pain, function, and/or grip strength for therapy treatments inclusive of eccentric exercise when compared with those excluding eccentric exercise. Only one low-quality study investigated the isolated effects of eccentric exercise for treating lateral epicondylitis and found no significant improvements in pain when compared with other treatments.


CONCLUSION
The majority of consistent findings support the inclusion of eccentric exercise as part of a multimodal therapy programme for improved outcomes in patients with lateral epicondylitis.
Supply chain management in the US and Taiwan: An empirical study

This study uses an empirical survey of middle-line managers in the US and Taiwan to study the association of supply chain management components and organizational performance. Through structural equation modeling, critical components of supply chain management are found to have considerable effects on organizational performance. The findings of the study are summarized as follows: • Supply chain competencies have positive effects on organizational performance in both the US and Taiwan. Supply chain competencies are developed around quality and service, operations and distribution, and design effectiveness. The goal of supply chain competencies is to satisfy customer requirements. • Supply chain practices, which are made up of supply chain features, integration, and customer services, have direct impact on organizational performance in Taiwan, but they have only indirect impact in the US. • Supply chain practices and competencies are significantly associated in both the US and Taiwan. However, supply chain concerns and practices are associated in the case of the USA only. These results help middle-line managers in both the US and Taiwan to know which components and practices of supply chain management to focus on to improve organizational performance. They also show some of the similarities between the two regions and note differences that may be situation-dependent. However, what is measured here is the perception of middle-line managers. The actual practices may be different from these perceptions. 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Region-specific disruption of the blood-brain barrier following repeated inflammatory dural stimulation in a rat model of chronic trigeminal allodynia.

Background The blood-brain barrier (BBB) has been hypothesized to play a role in migraine since the late 1970s. Despite this, limited investigation of the BBB in migraine has been conducted. We used the inflammatory soup rat model of trigeminal allodynia, which closely mimics chronic migraine, to determine the impact of repeated dural inflammatory stimulation on BBB permeability. Methods The sodium fluorescein BBB permeability assay was used in multiple brain regions (trigeminal nucleus caudalis (TNC), periaqueductal grey, frontal cortex, sub-cortex, and cortex directly below the area of dural activation) during the episodic and chronic stages of repeated inflammatory dural stimulation. Glial activation was assessed in the TNC via GFAP and OX42 immunoreactivity. Minocycline was tested for its ability to prevent BBB disruption and trigeminal sensitivity. Results No astrocyte or microglial activation was found during the episodic stage, but BBB permeability and trigeminal sensitivity were increased. Astrocyte and microglial activation, BBB permeability, and trigeminal sensitivity were increased during the chronic stage. These changes were only found in the TNC. Minocycline treatment prevented BBB permeability modulation and trigeminal sensitivity during the episodic and chronic stages. Discussion Modulation of BBB permeability occurs centrally within the TNC following repeated dural inflammatory stimulation and may play a role in migraine.
Validity of administrative database coding for kidney disease: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND
Information in health administrative databases increasingly guides renal care and policy.


STUDY DESIGN
Systematic review of observational studies.


SETTING & POPULATION
Studies describing the validity of codes for acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) in administrative databases operating in any jurisdiction.


SELECTION CRITERIA
After searching 13 medical databases, we included observational studies published from database inception though June 2009 that validated renal diagnostic and procedural codes for AKI or CKD against a reference standard.


INDEX TESTS
Renal diagnostic or procedural administrative data codes.


REFERENCE TESTS
Patient chart review, laboratory values, or data from a high-quality patient registry.


RESULTS
25 studies of 13 databases in 4 countries were included. Validation of diagnostic and procedural codes for AKI was present in 9 studies, and validation for CKD was present in 19 studies. Sensitivity varied across studies and generally was poor (AKI median, 29%; range, 15%-81%; CKD median, 41%; range, 3%-88%). Positive predictive values often were reasonable, but results also were variable (AKI median, 67%; range, 15%-96%; CKD median, 78%; range, 29%-100%). Defining AKI and CKD by only the use of dialysis generally resulted in better code validity. The study characteristic associated with sensitivity in multivariable meta-regression was whether the reference standard used laboratory values (P < 0.001); sensitivity was 39% lower when laboratory values were used (95% CI, 23%-56%).


LIMITATIONS
Missing data in primary studies limited some of the analyses that could be done.


CONCLUSIONS
Administrative database analyses have utility, but must be conducted and interpreted judiciously to avoid bias arising from poor code validity.
On the Energy of Stringy Black Holes

It is well-known that one of the most interesting and challenging problems of General Relativity is the energy and momentum localization. There are many attempts to evaluate the energy distribution in a general relativistic system. One of the methods used for the energy and momentum localization is the one which used the energymomentum complexes. After the Einstein work, a large number of definitions for the energy distribution was given. We mention the expressions proposed by Landau and Lifshitz, Papapetrou, Bergmann, Weinberg and Moller. The Einstein, Landau and Lifshitz, Papapetrou, Bergmann and Weinberg energy-momentum complexes are restricted to calculate the energy distribution in quasi-Cartesian coordinates. The energy-momentum complex of Moller gives the possibility to make the calculations in any coordinate system. In this paper we calculate the energy distribution of three stringy black hole solutions in the Moller prescription. The Moller energymomentum complex gives us a consistent result for these three situations.
Phenolic content and antioxidant and antiacetylcholinesterase properties of honeys from different floral origins.

Twenty-three honey samples of Apis mellifera L. forged on plants from northeastern Brazil were analyzed to determine total phenolic content, flavonoid content, antioxidant activity, and antiacetylcholinesterase activity. The total phenol content was determined by using the Folin-Ciocalteu method, and the flavonoid content was analyzed using by the aluminum chloride method. The antioxidant activity was evaluated using the diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl-scavenging test. Honey samples from Lippia sidoides Cham. (mean [±standard deviation] 50% inhibitory concentration [IC(50)], 4.20±1.07 mg/mL) and Myracrodruon urundeuva Fr. All. (IC(50), 28.27±1.41 mg/mL) showed better antioxidant activity and presented higher total phenol values (108.50±3.52 mg gallic acid equivalents/100 g for L. sidoides and 68.55±1.01 mg gallic acid equivalents/100 g for M. urundeuva). Several honey samples had relevant results on antiacetylcholinesterase assay. The biological activity of honeys is related to their floral origin, and medicinal plants constitute a useful resource for the generation of functional foods.
PathCutter: Severing the Self-Propagation Path of XSS JavaScript Worms in Social Web Networks

Worms exploiting JavaScript XSS vulnerabilities rampantly infect millions of web pages, while drawing the ire of helpless users. To date, users across all the popular social networks, including Facebook, MySpace, Orkut and Twitter, have been vulnerable to XSS worms. We propose PathCutter as a new approach to severing the self-propagation path of JavaScript worms. PathCutter works by blocking two critical steps in the propagation path of an XSS worm: (i) DOM access to different views at the client side and (ii) unauthorized HTTP request to the server. As a result, although an XSS vulnerability is successfully exercised at the client, the XSS worm is prevented from successfully propagating to the would-be victim’s own social network page. PathCutter is effective against all the current forms of XSS worms, including those that exploit traditional XSS, DOM-based XSS, and content sniffing XSS vulnerabilities. We present and evaluate both a server-side and proxyside deployment of PathCutter. We implement PathCutter on WordPress and Elgg and demonstrate its resilience against two proof-of-concept attacks. We also evaluate the PathCutter implementation on five real-world worms: Boonana, MySpace Samy, Renren, SpaceFlash, and the Yamanner worm. We show that although the worms themselves exploit different vulnerabilities, at either the client side or server side, they are successfully thwarted by PathCutter as it is vulnerability agnostic and blocks the propagation path of the infection. Our performance evaluation shows that rendering overhead of PathCutter is less than 4%, and memory overhead for one additional view is less than 1%.
Creating an Ontology for the User Profile: Method and Applications

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A randomised controlled trial of a patient based Diabetes recall and Management system: the DREAM trial: A study protocol [ISRCTN32042030]

BACKGROUND
Whilst there is broad agreement on what constitutes high quality health care for people with diabetes, there is little consensus on the most efficient way of delivering it. Structured recall systems can improve the quality of care but the systems evaluated to date have been of limited sophistication and the evaluations have been carried out in small numbers of relatively unrepresentative settings. Hartlepool, Easington and Stockton currently operate a computerised diabetes register which has to date produced improvements in the quality of care but performance has now plateaued leaving substantial scope for further improvement. This study will evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of an area wide 'extended' system incorporating a full structured recall and management system, actively involving patients and including clinical management prompts to primary care clinicians based on locally-adapted evidence based guidelines.


METHODS
The study design is a two-armed cluster randomised controlled trial of 61 practices incorporating evaluations of the effectiveness of the system, its economic impact and its impact on patient wellbeing and functioning.
Reliability of a Sleep Quality Questionnaire for Use in Epidemiologic Studies

BACKGROUND
The longer-term health impacts of poor sleep quality are of increasing interest, as evidence suggests that there are rising levels of sleep disturbance in the community. Studies have reported links between sleep quality and increased morbidity and mortality. However, the results of these studies are constrained by limitations in the measurement of sleep quality in epidemiologic studies. The Breast Cancer Environment and Employment Study (BCEES) has developed a sleep questionnaire that attempts to address some of the limitations of previous sleep questionnaires. The present study assessed the test-retest reliability of the sleep questionnaire used in the Breast Cancer Environment and Employment Study (BCEES).


METHODS
Subjects for this reliability study were women who were participating as controls in the BCEES study. Test-retest reliability was evaluated for individual items, using weighted kappa for categorical variables and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and limits of agreement for continuous variables.


RESULTS
Most sleep questions showed good agreement, ranging from 0.78 to 0.45. The ICC was 0.45 (95% CI 0.32-0.59) for lifetime sleep loss per year and 0.60 (95% CI 0.49-0.71) for symptom severity.


CONCLUSIONS
The test-retest reliability of the general sleep questions was good, and future epidemiologic studies of sleep could reliably expand the number of assessed domains of sleep quality. However, reliability decreased as increasing detail was required from participants about specific periods of sleep disturbance, and changes to the questionnaire are warranted.
Hopelessness in a community population in Japan.

The Japanese version of the Beck Hopelessness Scale was administered to a total of 154 community residents. The internal consistency (KR-20) was .86. The mean BHS score was 8.6 (SD = 3.9), approximately one standard deviation higher than the reported mean for an Irish general population. The BHS scores were found to be significantly correlated with the age and the number of people living together. Significant negative correlations were found with subjective physical fitness, self-confidence, satisfaction with accommodation and marital state, and adjustment in the work place. The mean BHS score was significantly higher among those individuals who had experienced early maternal or paternal death than those who had not.
Plant identification system using its leaf features

Plant identification based on leaf is becoming one of the most interesting and a popular trend. Each leaf carries unique information that can be used in the identification of plants. In the identification of plants based on leaf, the leaf images needs to be pre-processed accordingly to extract the various critical features. In this paper, we present the identification of plants based on leaf features using Multiclass SVM (MSVM) as a classifier.
Clinical inertia in poorly controlled elderly hypertensive patients: a cross-sectional study in Spanish physicians to ascertain reasons for not intensifying treatment.

BACKGROUND
Clinical inertia, the failure of physicians to initiate or intensify therapy when indicated, is a major problem in the management of hypertension and may be more prevalent in elderly patients. Overcoming clinical inertia requires understanding its causes and evaluating certain factors, particularly those related to physicians.


OBJECTIVE
The objective of our study was to determine the rate of clinical inertia and the physician-reported reasons for it.


METHODS
An observational, cross-sectional, multi-center study was carried out in a primary care setting. We included 512 physicians, with a consecutive sampling of 1,499 hypertensive patients with clinical inertia.


MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE
Clinical inertia was defined when physicians did not modify treatment despite knowing that the therapeutic target had not been reached. Clinical inertia was considered to be justified (JCI) when physicians provided an explanation for not intensifying treatment and as not justified (nJCI) when no reasons were given.


RESULTS
JCI was observed in 30.1 % (95 % CI 27.8-32.4) of patients (n = 451) and nJCI in 69.9 % (95 % CI 67.6-72.2) (n = 1,058). JCI was associated with higher blood pressure (BP) values (both systolic and diastolic) and diabetes (p = 0.012) than nJCI. nJCI was associated with patients having an isolated increase of systolic or diastolic or high borderline BP values or cardiovascular disease.


CONCLUSION
Physicians provided reasons for not intensifying treatment in poorly controlled patients in only 30 % of instances. Main reasons for not intensifying treatment were borderline BP values, co-morbidity, suspected white coat effect, or perceived difficulty achieving target. nJCI was associated with high borderline BP values and cardiovascular disease.
Efficacy of HPV-based screening for prevention of invasive cervical cancer: follow-up of four European randomised controlled trials

BACKGROUND
In four randomised trials, human papillomavirus (HPV)-based screening for cervical cancer was compared with cytology-based cervical screening, and precursors of cancer were the endpoint in every trial. However, direct estimates are missing of the relative efficacy of HPV-based versus cytology-based screening for prevention of invasive cancer in women who undergo regular screening, of modifiers (eg, age) of this relative efficacy, and of the duration of protection. We did a follow-up study of the four randomised trials to investigate these outcomes.


METHODS
176,464 women aged 20-64 years were randomly assigned to HPV-based (experimental arm) or cytology-based (control arm) screening in Sweden (Swedescreen), the Netherlands (POBASCAM), England (ARTISTIC), and Italy (NTCC). We followed up these women for a median of 6·5 years (1,214,415 person-years) and identified 107 invasive cervical carcinomas by linkage with screening, pathology, and cancer registries, by masked review of histological specimens, or from reports. Cumulative and study-adjusted rate ratios (experimental vs control) were calculated for incidence of invasive cervical carcinoma.


FINDINGS
The rate ratio for invasive cervical carcinoma among all women from recruitment to end of follow-up was 0·60 (95% CI 0·40-0·89), with no heterogeneity between studies (p=0·52). Detection of invasive cervical carcinoma was similar between screening methods during the first 2·5 years of follow-up (0·79, 0·46-1·36) but was significantly lower in the experimental arm thereafter (0·45, 0·25-0·81). In women with a negative screening test at entry, the rate ratio was 0·30 (0·15-0·60). The cumulative incidence of invasive cervical carcinoma in women with negative entry tests was 4·6 per 10(5) (1·1-12·1) and 8·7 per 10(5) (3·3-18·6) at 3·5 and 5·5 years, respectively, in the experimental arm, and 15·4 per 10(5) (7·9-27·0) and 36·0 per 10(5) (23·2-53·5), respectively, in the control arm. Rate ratios did not differ by cancer stage, but were lower for adenocarcinoma (0·31, 0·14-0·69) than for squamous-cell carcinoma (0·78, 0·49-1·25). The rate ratio was lowest in women aged 30-34 years (0·36, 0·14-0·94).


INTERPRETATION
HPV-based screening provides 60-70% greater protection against invasive cervical carcinomas compared with cytology. Data of large-scale randomised trials support initiation of HPV-based screening from age 30 years and extension of screening intervals to at least 5 years.


FUNDING
European Union, Belgian Foundation Against Cancer, KCE-Centre d'Expertise, IARC, The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development, the Italian Ministry of Health.