LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
A phase III study of the safety and efficacy of viramidine versus ribavirin in treatment-naïve patients with chronic hepatitis C: ViSER1 results.

UNLABELLED
Pegylated interferon (peg-IFN) and ribavirin (RBV) are effective in eradicating the hepatitis C virus in more than half of patients. However, anemia arising from RBV-induced hemolysis can prompt dose reductions and lower sustained virologic response (SVR) rates. In early clinical trials, Viramidine (VRD, renamed taribavirin), an RBV prodrug, was associated with less anemia and VRD given at 600 mg twice daily (BID) appeared to provide the best safety with comparable efficacy to RBV. The phase III Viramidine's Safety and Efficacy versus Ribavirin 1 (ViSER1) study randomized 972 treatment-naïve patients with chronic hepatitis C to fixed-dose VRD (600 mg BID) or weight-based RBV (1000 or 1200 mg/day), each given with peg-IFN alfa-2b at 1.5 microg/kg/week. The primary efficacy endpoint was SVR rate, and the primary safety endpoint was hemoglobin (Hb) event rate (percent of patients with Hb < 10 g/dL or at least a 2.5-g/dL decrease from baseline). SVR rates were 37.7% with VRD (244/647) and 52.3% with RBV (170/325). Thus, the ViSER1 study failed to demonstrate the primary noninferiority efficacy endpoint. Significantly fewer patients had Hb events with VRD (353/647; 54.6%) compared to those with RBV (272/325; 83.7%) (P < 0.001), and significantly fewer developed anemia (Hb < 10 g/dL) with VRD (34/647; 5.3%) compared to those with RBV (76/325; 23.5%) (P < 0.001).


CONCLUSION
Fixed doses of VRD failed to demonstrate noninferiority to RBV in producing SVR rates. The incidence of anemia was approximately four-fold significantly lower with VRD than with RBV. These results suggest fixed-dose VRD given 600 mg BID is insufficient to treat patients with chronic hepatitis C; a weight-based dosing trial of viramidine is currently under way.
Hydraulics and life history of tropical dry forest tree species: coordination of species' drought and shade tolerance.

Plant hydraulic architecture has been studied extensively, yet we know little about how hydraulic properties relate to species' life history strategies, such as drought and shade tolerance. The prevailing theories seem contradictory. We measured the sapwood (K(s) ) and leaf (K(l) ) hydraulic conductivities of 40 coexisting tree species in a Bolivian dry forest, and examined associations with functional stem and leaf traits and indices of species' drought (dry-season leaf water potential) and shade (juvenile crown exposure) tolerance. Hydraulic properties varied across species and between life-history groups (pioneers vs shade-tolerant, and deciduous vs evergreen species). In addition to the expected negative correlation of K(l) with drought tolerance, we found a strong, negative correlation between K(l) and species' shade tolerance. Across species, K(s) and K(l) were negatively correlated with wood density and positively with maximum vessel length. Consequently, drought and shade tolerance scaled similarly with hydraulic properties, wood density and leaf dry matter content. We found that deciduous species also had traits conferring efficient water transport relative to evergreen species. Hydraulic properties varied across species, corresponding to the classical trade-off between hydraulic efficiency and safety, which for these dry forest trees resulted in coordinated drought and shade tolerance across species rather than the frequently hypothesized trade-off.
Another glimpse over the salting-out assisted liquid-liquid extraction in acetonitrile/water mixtures.

The use of the salting-out effect in analytical chemistry is very diverse and can be applied to increase the volatility of the analytes in headspace extractions, to cause the precipitation of proteins in biological samples or to improve the recoveries in liquid-liquid extractions. In the latter, the salting-out process can be used to create a phase separation between water-miscible organic solvents and water. Salting-out assisted liquid-liquid extraction (SALLE) is an advantageous sample preparation technique aiming HPLC-UV analysis when developing analytical methodologies. In fact, some new extraction methodologies like QuEChERS include the SALLE concept. This manuscript discusses another point of view over SALLE with particular emphasis over acetonitrile-water mixtures for HPLC-UV analysis; the influence of the salting-out agents, their concentration and the water-acetonitrile volume ratios were the studied parameters. α-dicarbonyl compounds and beer were used as test analytes and test samples, respectively. The influence of the studied parameters was characterized by the obtained phase separation volume ratio and the fraction of α-dicarbonyls extracted to the acetonitrile phase. Results allowed the distribution of salts within three groups according to the phase separation and their extractability: (1) chlorides and acetates, (2) carbonates and sulfates and (3) magnesium sulfate; of all tested salts, sodium chloride had the highest influence on the α-dicarbonyls fraction extracted.
Fast matting using large kernel matting Laplacian matrices

Image matting is of great importance in both computer vision and graphics applications. Most existing state-of-the-art techniques rely on large sparse matrices such as the matting Laplacian [12]. However, solving these linear systems is often time-consuming, which is unfavored for the user interaction. In this paper, we propose a fast method for high quality matting. We first derive an efficient algorithm to solve a large kernel matting Laplacian. A large kernel propagates information more quickly and may improve the matte quality. To further reduce running time, we also use adaptive kernel sizes by a KD-tree trimap segmentation technique. A variety of experiments show that our algorithm provides high quality results and is 5 to 20 times faster than previous methods.
of lexical appRoach and machine leaRning methods foR sentiment analysis

The machine learning approach is represented with two methods: the maximum entropy method and support vector machine. Text representation for the maximum entropy method includes the information about the proportion of positive and negative words and collocations, the quantity of interrogation and exclamation marks, emoticons, obscene language. For the support vector machine binary vectors with cosine normalization are built on texts.
Detecting Controversies in Online News Media

This paper sets out to detect controversial news reports using online discussions as a source of information. We define controversy as a public discussion that divides society and demonstrate that a content and stylometric analysis of these debates yields useful signals for extracting disputed news items. Moreover, we argue that a debate-based approach could produce more generic models, since the discussion architectures we exploit to measure controversy occur on many different platforms.
A CMOS beta multiplier voltage reference with improved temperature performance and silicon tunability

A new implementation has been proposed for the beta multiplier voltage reference to improve its performance with regard to process variations. The scope for silicon tunability on the proposed circuit is also discussed. The circuit was implemented in a 0.18 /spl mu/ process and was found to have a temperature sensitivity of less than 500 ppm/C in the virgin die without trimming.
Adsorption of methylene blue from industrial effluent using poly (vinyl alcohol)

The application of poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) in an unmodified form as an adsorbent for methylene blue (MB) dye removal in waste water at 303–333K was investigated. Effects of operational parameters such as adsorbent dosage, initial dye concentration and pH were determined for optimum conditions for maximum dye removal. Results obtained showed that dye removal efficiency increases as the amount of adsorbent increased. Lowest initial dye concentration and at pH of 4.0 gave maximum adsorption of MB onto PVA. Adsorption parameters were found to fit well into Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin adsorption isotherm models with correlation coefficient (R > 0.95) in the concentration range of MB studied. Adsorption kinetics studies revealed that pseudo-second order provided the best fit to experimental data compared with pseudo-first-order model. Thermodynamic parameters revealed that the adsorption process was non-spontaneous and exothermic with an orderly mixing adherence of the dye molecules on the adsorbent surface.
Are Autonomous Mobile Robots Able to Take Over Construction ? A Review

Received: May 17, 2015. Received in revised form: October 15, 2015. Accepted: October 25, 2015. Although construction has been known as a highly complex application field for autonomous robotic systems, recent advances in this field offer great hope for using robotic capabilities to develop automated construction. Today, space research agencies seek to build infrastructures without human intervention, and construction companies look to robots with the potential to improve construction quality, efficiency, and safety, not to mention flexibility in architectural design. However, unlike production robots used, for instance, in automotive industries, autonomous robots should be designed with special consideration for challenges such as the complexity of the cluttered and dynamic working space, human-robot interactions and inaccuracy in positioning due to the nature of mobile systems and the lack of affordable and precise self-positioning solutions. This paper briefly reviews state-ofthe-art research into automated construction by autonomous mobile robots. We address and classify the relevant studies in terms of applications, materials, and robotic systems. We also identify ongoing challenges and discuss about future robotic requirements for automated construction.
Forecasting Residential Real Estate Price Changes from Online Search Activity

Abstract: The intention of buying a home is revealed by many potential home buyers when they turn to the internet to search for their future residence. Therefore, the aggregated amount of today’s real estate related searches is likely to provide information about the future demand for housing and possibly predict future housing price trends. This paper examines the extent to which future cross sectional differences in home price changes are predicted by online search intensity in prior periods. Our findings are economically meaningful and suggest that abnormal search intensity for real estate in a particular city can help predict the city’s future abnormal housing price change. These findings hold even after we control for momentum in house prices. On average, cities associated with abnormally high real estate search intensity consistently outperform cities with abnormally low real estate search volume by as much as 8.5% over a twoyear period. This outperformance appears to exhibit eventual reversal and is particularly noticeable for cities with lower supply land elasticity. Moreover, the results show that home prices are more sensitive to an “uptick” rather than a “downtick” in search intensity – consistent with the upward “stickiness” characteristic of home prices.
String cosmology versus standard and inflationary cosmology

This paper presents a review of the basic, model-independent differences between the pre-big-bang scenario, arising naturally in a string cosmology context, and the standard inflationary scenario. We use an unconventional approach in which the introduction of technical details is avoided as much as possible, trying to focus the reader's attention on the main conceptual aspects of both scenarios. The aim of the paper is not to conclude either in favour of one or other of the scenarios, but to raise questions that are left to the reader's meditation. Warning: the paper does not contain equations, and is not intended as a complete review of all aspects of string cosmology.
Domain Theory in Logical Form

The mathematical framework of Stone duality is used to synthesise a number of hitherto separate developments in theoretical computer science. Domain theory, the mathematical theory of computation introduced by Scott as a foundation for denotational semantics. The theory of concurrency and systems behavior developed by Milner, Hennesy et al. based on operational semantics. Logics of programs
Building Successful Knowledge Management Projects

It is widely acknowledged that developed economies have gradually been transformed over the past fifty years. Scholars and observers from disciplines as disparate as sociology, economics, and management science generally agree that knowledge has been at the center of this change. 1 Knowledge could be defined as information that has been combined with experience, context, interpretation, and reflection. Given the value of this asset to organizations, it is not surprising that greater attention is being paid to the subject of knowledge: what it is, how it differs from the related concepts of information and data, and how to begin to create, transfer, and use it more effectively. The subject of knowledge management, in particular, has had a recent flowering. 2
Psychosocial health among young victims and offenders of direct and indirect bullying.

OBJECTIVE
To assess the association between bullying (both directly and indirectly) and indicators of psychosocial health for boys and girls separately.


STUDY DESIGN
A school-based questionnaire survey of bullying, depression, suicidal ideation, and delinquent behavior.


SETTING
Primary schools in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.


PARTICIPANTS
A total of 4811 children aged 9 to 13.


RESULTS
Depression and suicidal ideation are common outcomes of being bullied in both boys and girls. These associations are stronger for indirect than direct bullying. After correction, direct bullying had a significant effect on depression and suicidal ideation in girls, but not in boys. Boy and girl offenders of bullying far more often reported delinquent behavior. Bullying others directly is a much greater risk factor for delinquent behavior than bullying others indirectly. This was true for both boys and girls. Boy and girl offenders of bullying also more often reported depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation. However, after correction for both sexes only a significant association still existed between bullying others directly and suicidal ideation.


CONCLUSIONS
The association between bullying and psychosocial health differs notably between girls and boys as well as between direct and indirect forms of bullying. Interventions to stop bullying must pay attention to these differences to enhance effectiveness.
From Retinex to Automatic Color Equalization: issues in developing a new algorithm for unsupervised color equalization

nce ch; n ple iray r. In hue 003 Abstract. We present a comparison between two color equalization algorithms: Retinex, the famous model due to Land and McCann, and Automatic Color Equalization (ACE), a new algorithm recently presented by the authors. These two algorithms share a common approach to color equalization, but different computational models. We introduce the two models focusing on differences and common points. An analysis of their computational characteristics illustrates the way the Retinex approach has influenced ACE structure, and which aspects of the first algorithm have been modified in the second one and how. Their interesting equalization properties, like lightness and color constancy, image dynamic stretching, global and local filtering, and data driven dequantization, are qualitatively and quantitatively presented and compared, together with their ability to mimic the human visual system. © 2004 SPIE and IS&T. [DOI: 10.1117/1.1635366]
How to avoid discontinuation of antihypertensive treatment. The experience in São Paulo, Brazil

OBJECTIVES
To evaluate the importance of providing guidelines to patients via active telephone calls for blood pressure control and for preventing the discontinuation of treatment among hypertensive patients.


INTRODUCTION
Many reasons exist for non-adherence to medical regimens, and one of the strategies employed to improve treatment compliance is the use of active telephone calls.


METHODS
Hypertensive patients (n=354) who could receive telephone calls to remind them of their medical appointments and receive instruction about hypertension were distributed into two groups: a) "uncomplicated" - hypertensive patients with no other concurrent diseases and b) "complicated" - severe hypertensive patients (mean diastolic ≥ 110 mmHg with or without medication) or patients with comorbidities. All patients, except those excluded (n=44), were open-block randomized to follow two treatment regimens ("traditional" or "current") and to receive or not receive telephone calls ("phone calls" and "no phone calls" groups, respectively).


RESULTS
Significantly fewer patients in the "phone calls" group discontinued treatment compared to those in the "no phone calls" group (4 vs. 30; p<0.0094). There was no difference in the percentage of patients with controlled blood pressure in the "phone calls" group and "no phone calls" group or in the "traditional" and "current" groups. The percentage of patients with controlled blood pressure (<140/90 mmHg) was increased at the end of the treatment (74%), reaching 80% in the "uncomplicated" group and 67% in the "complicated" group (p<0.000001).


CONCLUSION
Guidance to patients via active telephone calls is an efficient strategy for preventing the discontinuation of antihypertensive treatment.
Central retinal artery occlusion in Wegener's granulomatosis: a diagnostic dilemma

PURPOSE
To report a case of central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) in a patient with biopsy-verified Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) with positive C-ANCA.


METHODS
A 55-year-old woman presented with a 3-day history of acute painless bilateral loss of vision; she also complained of fever and weight loss. Examination showed a CRAO in the left eye and angiographically documented choroidal ischemia in both eyes.


RESULTS
The possibility of systemic vasculitis was not kept in mind until further studies were carried out; methylprednisolone pulse therapy was then started. Renal biopsy disclosed focal and segmental necrotizing vasculitis of the medium-sized arteries, supporting the diagnosis of WG, and cyclophosphamide pulse therapy was administered with gradual improvement, but there was no visual recovery.


CONCLUSION
CRAO as presenting manifestation of WG, in the context of retinal vasculitis, is very uncommon, but we should be aware of WG in the etiology of CRAO. This report shows the difficulty of diagnosing Wegener's granulomatosis; it requires a high index of suspicion, and we should obtain an accurate medical history and repeat serological and histopathological examinations. It emphasizes that inflammation of arteries leads to irreversible retinal infarction, and visual loss may occur.
Spiking Neural Networks: Principles and Challenges

Over the last decade, various spiking neural network models have been proposed, along with a similarly increasing interest in spiking models of computation in computational neuroscience. The aim of this tutorial paper is to outline some of the common ground in state-of-the-art spiking neural networks as well as open challenges.
Effects of 12-month, 2000IU/day vitamin D supplementation on treatment naïve and vitamin D deficient Saudi type 2 diabetic patients

OBJECTIVES
To determine whether 12-month, 2000IU/day vitamin D supplementation cardiometabolically improves treatment naïve type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) Saudi patients with vitamin D deficiency. 


METHODS
This 12-month interventional study was conducted at primary health centers in 5 different residential areas in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between January 2013 and January 2014. Forty-five Saudi  T2DM  patients were enrolled. Baseline anthropometrics, glycemic, and lipid profiles were measured and repeated after 6 and 12 months. All subjects were provided with 2000IU vitamin D supplements for one year.  


RESULTS
Vitamin D deficiency at baseline was 46.7%, 31.8% after 6 months, and 35.6% after 12 months, indicating an overall improvement in the vitamin D status in the entire cohort. Insulin and homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) after 12 months were significantly lower than a 6 months (p less than 0.05), but comparable to baseline values. Mean levels of triglycerides increased overtime from baseline (1.9±0.01 mmol/l) to 12 months (2.1±0.2 mmol). This modest increase in serum triglycerides was parallel to the insignificant decrease in circulating high-density lipoprotein -cholesterol levels. 


CONCLUSION
Twelve-month vitamin D supplementation of 2000IU per day in a cohort of treatment naïve Saudi patients with T2DM resulted in improvement of several cardiometabolic parameters including systolic blood pressure, insulin, and HOMA-IR. Further studies that include a placebo group are suggested to reinforce findings.
Extrafine Beclomethasone/formoterol compared to Fluticasone/salmeterol Combination Therapy in COPD

BACKGROUND
The study evaluated the efficacy of beclomethasone dipropionate/formoterol fumarate (BDP/FF) extrafine combination versus fluticasone propionate/salmeterol (FP/S) combination in COPD patients.


METHODS
The trial was a 12-week multicentre, randomised, double-blind, double dummy study; 419 patients with moderate/severe COPD were randomised to BDP/FF 200/12 μg or FP/S 500/50 μg twice daily. The primary objective was to demonstrate the equivalence between treatments in terms of Transition Dyspnoea Index (TDI) score and the superiority of BDP/FF in terms of change from pre-dose in the first 30 minutes in forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1). Secondary endpoints included lung function, symptom scores, symptom-free days and use of rescue medication, St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire, six minute walking test and COPD exacerbations.


RESULTS
BDP/FF was equivalent to FP/S in terms of TDI score and superior in terms of FEV1 change from pre-dose (p < 0.001). There were no significant differences between treatments in secondary outcome measures, confirming overall comparability in terms of efficacy and tolerability. Moreover, a clinically relevant improvement (>4 units) in SGRQ was detected in the BDP/FF group only.


CONCLUSION
BDP/FF extrafine combination provides COPD patients with an equivalent improvement of dyspnoea and a faster bronchodilation in comparison to FP/S.


TRIAL REGISTRATION
ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01245569.
Barrier impact on organizational learning within complex organizations

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to examine the manner in which employees access, create and share information and knowledge within a complex supply chain with a view to better understanding how to identify and manage barriers which may inhibit such exchanges. Design/methodology/approach – An extensive literature review combined with an in-depth case study analysis identified a range of potential transfer barriers. These in turn were examined in terms of their consistency of impact by an end-to-end process survey conducted within an IBM facility. Findings – Barrier impact cannot be assumed to be uniform across the core processes of the organization. Process performance will be impacted upon in different ways and subject to varying degrees of influence by the transfer barriers. Barrier identification and management must take place at a process rather than at the organizational level. Research limitations/implications – The findings are based, in the main, on an extensive single company study. Although significant in terms of influencing both knowledge and information systems design and management the study/findings have still to be fully replicated across a range of public and private organizations. Originality/value – The deployment of generic information technology and business systems needs to be questioned if they have been designed and implemented to satisfy organizational rather than process needs.