LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Indications for endoscopic ultrasound and diagnosis on fine-needle aspiration and cytology.

OBJECTIVE
To determine common indications for requesting Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) and to describe the diagnosis made after endoscopic ultrasound/Fine-Needle Aspiration and Cytology (FNAC) during two years at a tertiary gastrointestinal unit.


STUDY DESIGN
Cross-sectional descriptive study.


PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY
The study was carried out in Gastrointestinal Department of Military Hospital, Rawalpindi, from March 2006 to February 2008.


METHODOLOGY
One hundred and eighty nine patients who underwent EUS during study period at Military Hospital were included in the study. Patients too ill (hypoxemic/hypotensive) to undergo procedure safely and those with complete esophageal blockage at upper end by tumour not allowing scope/EUS probe to advance beyond were excluded. EUS was done with Olympus Exera EUS 160, linear or radial scope, as required. EUS findings were recorded against indications as enlarged lymph nodes, tumour, staging, normal or incomplete. Fine-Needle Aspiration (FNA) was done as per findings on EUS using 21-22 G needle. An on-site cytopathologist made the provisional cytopathological diagnosis. Final cytology/histopathology report was given after review of slides by consultant histopathologists at Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP), Rawalpindi, and were documented as tuberculosis, malignancy, chronic pancreatitis or reactive hyperplasia. Data was analyzed for documentation of patients' age, gender, common indications, findings on EUS/FNAC, using SPSS version 10. Percentages and frequencies were calculated for the presence of these above-mentioned variables.


RESULTS
Of the 189 patients, 145 (77%) were male and 44 (23%) female. Age was 18-80 years (mean 49 years). Major indications for referral were lymphadenopathy in 92 (49%), suspected growth pancreas in 57 (28%), growth of stomach in 20 (11%) and a heterogeneous group included esophageal, liver, retroperitoneal masses, rectal and other pathologies. Findings on EUS included lymphadenopathy in 76, mostly in sub-carina and AP window. Mass in pancreas was seen in 36, followed by stomach tumour in 17 and esophagus in 9. FNAC was done in 142 out of 189 patients. Final diagnosis out of 67 FNAC/histopathology of lymph nodes were tuberculosis in 26 and malignant lesions in 23. These included metastatic adenocarcinoma in 8, lymphoproliferative disorder in 7, metastatic squamous cell carcinoma in 5, small cell carcinoma in 2 and anaplastic in 1. Pancreatic tumours were adenocarcinoma in 16, poorly differentiated in 3 and neuroendocrine in 2. Stomach tumours were found in 11, and included lymphomas 5, GIST 3, carcinoids 2, metastatic choriocarcinoma 1 and adenocarcinoma in 1. Therapeutically, 3 celiac blocks and one pancreatic pseudocyst drainage was done.


CONCLUSION
The main indication of EUS and pathology of mediastinal and celiac nodes were metastatic malignancy and tuberculosis. Pancreatic adenocarcinoma was another common cause for asking EUS.
Effect of peer support on prevention of postnatal depression among high risk women: multisite randomised controlled trial

OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effectiveness of telephone based peer support in the prevention of postnatal depression.


DESIGN
Multisite randomised controlled trial.


SETTING
Seven health regions across Ontario, Canada.


PARTICIPANTS
701 women in the first two weeks postpartum identified as high risk for postnatal depression with the Edinburgh postnatal depression scale and randomised with an internet based randomisation service.


INTERVENTION
Proactive individualised telephone based peer (mother to mother) support, initiated within 48-72 hours of randomisation, provided by a volunteer recruited from the community who had previously experienced and recovered from self reported postnatal depression and attended a four hour training session.


MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Edinburgh postnatal depression scale, structured clinical interview-depression, state-trait anxiety inventory, UCLA loneliness scale, and use of health services.


RESULTS
After web based screening of 21 470 women, 701 (72%) eligible mothers were recruited. A blinded research nurse followed up more than 85% by telephone, including 613 at 12 weeks and 600 at 24 weeks postpartum. At 12 weeks, 14% (40/297) of women in the intervention group and 25% (78/315) in the control group had an Edinburgh postnatal depression scale score >12 (chi(2)=12.5, P<0.001; number need to treat 8.8, 95% confidence interval 5.9 to 19.6; relative risk reduction 0.46, 95% confidence interval 0.24 to 0.62). There was a positive trend in favour of the intervention group for maternal anxiety but not loneliness or use of health services. For ethical reasons, participants identified with clinical depression at 12 weeks were referred for treatment, resulting in no differences between groups at 24 weeks. Of the 221 women in the intervention group who received and evaluated their experience of peer support, over 80% were satisfied and would recommend this support to a friend.


CONCLUSION
Telephone based peer support can be effective in preventing postnatal depression among women at high risk.


TRIAL REGISTRATION
ISRCTN 68337727.
AN OFFLINE SIGNATURE RECOGNITION AND VERIFICATION SYSTEM BASED ON NEURAL NETWORK

Various techniques are already introduced for personal identification and verification based on different types of biometrics which can be physiological or behavioral. Signatures lies in the category of behavioral biometric which can distort or changed with course of time. Signatures are considered to be most promising authentication method in all legal and financial documents. It is necessary to verify signers and their respective signatures. This paper presents an Offline Signature recognition and verification system(SRVS). In this system signature database of signature images is created, followed by image preprocessing, feature extraction, neural network design and training, and classification of signature as genuine or counterfeit.
Diagnostic accuracy of segmental enhancement inversion for diagnosis of renal oncocytoma at biphasic contrast enhanced CT: systematic review

To use systematic review to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of segmental enhancement inversion (SEI) at contrast-enhanced biphasic multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) for the diagnosis of renal oncocytoma. Several electronic databases were searched through October 2013. Two reviewers independently selected studies that met the inclusion criteria and extracted data. Study quality was assessed with the QUADAS-2 tool. The primary 2 × 2 data were investigated with forest plot and ROC plot of sensitivity and specificity. Four studies met the inclusion criteria (307 patients). Considerable heterogeneity between studies precluded meta-analysis. Two studies from the same group of investigators demonstrated reasonable diagnostic accuracy (sensitivity 59-80 % and specificity 87-99 %), while two others did not (sensitivity 0-6 %, specificity 93-100 %). Possible reasons for this include timing of biphasic MDCT and methods of interpretation but not size of lesion. SEI is a specific imaging finding of renal oncocytoma with highly variable sensitivity. This substantial heterogeneity across studies and between institutions suggests that further validation of this imaging finding is necessary prior to application in clinical practice. • SEI on CT in small renal masses is specific for oncocytoma. • Sensitivity of SEI varies substantially between studies and across institutions. • Variability could relate to CT timing or methods of interpretation. • High accuracy of SEI has only been reported by one group. • Validation of SEI is needed prior to clinical implementation.
Specific exercises reduce brace prescription in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: a prospective controlled cohort study with worst-case analysis.

OBJECTIVE
To compare the effect of Scientific Exercises Approach to Scoliosis (SEAS) exercises with "usual care" rehabilitation programmes in terms of the avoidance of brace prescription and prevention of curve progression in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.


DESIGN
Prospective controlled cohort observational study.


PATIENTS
Seventy-four consecutive outpatients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, mean 15 degrees (standard deviation 6) Cobb angle, 12.4 (standard deviation 2.2) years old, at risk of bracing who had not been treated previously.


METHODS
Thirty-five patients were included in the SEAS exercises group and 39 in the usual physiotherapy group. The primary outcome included the number of braced patients, Cobb angle and the angle of trunk rotation.


RESULTS
There were 6.1% braced patients in the SEAS exercises group vs 25.0% in the usual physiotherapy group. Failures of treatment in the worst-case analysis were 11.5% and 30.8%, respectively. In both cases the differences were statistically significant. Cobb angle improved in the SEAS exercises group, but worsened in the usual physiotherapy group. In the SEAS exercises group, 23.5% of patients improved and 11.8% worsened, while in the usual physiotherapy group 11.1% improved and 13.9% worsened.


CONCLUSION
These data confirm the effectiveness of exercises in patients with scoliosis who are at high risk of progression. Compared with non-adapted exercises, a specific and personalized treatment (SEAS) appears to be more effective.
English Language Proficiency as a Predictor of Academic Achievement among EFL Students in Nigeria

English language plays the vital roles of being the medium of instruction in Nigerian schools from primary to tertiary level. The knowledge of the contents of school subjects is transferred to the students at all levels of education via English language medium. It therefore follows that how well students would fare in academic attainment depends largely on their level of proficiency in English language which is the medium of instruction. This paper therefore examined the extent to which Nigerian secondary school students’ proficiency in English predicted their overall academic achievement in Oyo and Osun States of Nigeria. From the population of students in the two states, 400 students were proportionately sampled from eight randomly sampled secondary schools. Two Research questions guided the study in which two Research Instruments namely, English Language Proficiency Test (ELPT) was used. The performance of the respondents in the ELPT was correlated with the students’ annual scores in cores school subjects – Mathematics, Biology and English using Pearson Product Moment Correlation and Linear Regression Analysis at .05 level. The results showed that English language proficiency of the students has a significant positive relationship with their overall academic achievement and that there is a significant impact of English language proficiency on students overall academic achievement. Based on these findings, it is recommended that efforts should be geared towards making the Nigerian students proficient in English as a way of improving their academic performance.
Model-based security engineering for cyber-physical systems: A systematic mapping study

Context: Cyber-physical systems (CPSs) have emerged to be the next generation of engineered systems driving the so-called fourth industrial revolution. CPSs are becoming more complex, open and more prone to security threats, which urges security to be engineered systematically into CPSs. Model-Based Security Engineering (MBSE) could be a key means to tackle this challenge via security by design, abstraction, and
Post-quantum key exchange - a new hope

Earlier in 2015, Bos, Costello, Naehrig, and Stebila (IEEE Security & Privacy 2015) proposed an instantiation of Peikert’s ringlearning-with-errors (Ring-LWE) based key-exchange protocol (PQCrypto 2014), together with an implementation integrated into OpenSSL, with the affirmed goal of providing post-quantum security for TLS. In this work we revisit their instantiation and stand-alone implementation. Specifically, we propose new parameters and a better suited error distribution, analyze the scheme’s hardness against attacks by quantum computers in a conservative way, introduce a new and more efficient errorreconciliation mechanism, and propose a defense against backdoors and all-for-the-price-of-one attacks. By these measures and for the same lattice dimension, we more than double the security parameter, halve the communication overhead, and speed up computation by more than a factor of 8 in a portable C implementation and by more than a factor of 20 in an optimized implementation targeting current Intel CPUs. These speedups are achieved with comprehensive protection against timing attacks.
Non-invasive ventilation for cystic fibrosis.

BACKGROUND
Non-invasive ventilation may be a means to temporarily reverse or slow the progression of respiratory failure in cystic fibrosis.


OBJECTIVES
To compare the effect of non-invasive ventilation versus no non-invasive ventilation in people with cystic fibrosis.


SEARCH METHODS
We searched the Cochrane Cystic Fibrosis and Genetic Disorders Group Trials Register comprising references identified from comprehensive electronic database searches, handsearching relevant journals and abstract books of conference proceedings. We searched the reference lists of each trial for additional publications possibly containing other trials.Most recent search: 22 February 2013.


SELECTION CRITERIA
Randomised controlled trials comparing a form of pressure preset or volume preset non-invasive ventilation to no non-invasive ventilation in people with acute or chronic respiratory failure in cystic fibrosis.


DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Three reviewers independently assessed trials for inclusion criteria and methodological quality, and extracted data.


MAIN RESULTS
Fifteen trials were identified; seven trials met the inclusion criteria with a total of 106 participants. Six trials evaluated single treatment sessions and one evaluated a six-week intervention.Four trials (79 participants) evaluated non-invasive ventilation for airway clearance compared with an alternative chest physiotherapy method and showed that airway clearance may be easier with non-invasive ventilation and people with cystic fibrosis may prefer it. We were unable to find any evidence that NIV increases sputum expectoration, but it did improve some lung function parameters.Three trials (27 participants) evaluated non-invasive ventilation for overnight ventilatory support, measuring lung function, validated quality of life scores and nocturnal transcutaneous carbon dioxide. Due to the small numbers of participants and statistical issues, there were discrepancies in the results between the RevMan and the original trial analyses. No clear differences were found between non-invasive ventilation compared with oxygen or room air except for exercise performance, which significantly improved with non-invasive ventilation compared to room air over six weeks.


AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
Non-invasive ventilation may be a useful adjunct to other airway clearance techniques, particularly in people with cystic fibrosis who have difficulty expectorating sputum. Non-invasive ventilation, used in addition to oxygen, may improve gas exchange during sleep to a greater extent than oxygen therapy alone in moderate to severe disease. These benefits of non-invasive ventilation have largely been demonstrated in single treatment sessions with small numbers of participants. The impact of this therapy on pulmonary exacerbations and disease progression remain unclear. There is a need for long-term randomised controlled trials which are adequately powered to determine the clinical effects of non-invasive ventilation in cystic fibrosis airway clearance and exercise.
Four year follow-up of a randomised controlled trial comparing open and laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication in children

OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the 4-year results following a randomised controlled trial (RCT) comparing open (ONF) and laparoscopic (LNF) Nissen fundoplication in children.


BACKGROUND
It is assumed that long-term results of ONF and LNF are comparable. No randomised studies have been performed in children.


METHODS
A follow-up study was performed in children randomised to ONF or LNF (clinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT00259961). Recurrent gastro-oesophageal reflux (GER) was documented by upper gastrointestinal contrast study and/or 24-h pH study. Nutritional status, retching and other symptoms were investigated. A questionnaire was used to assess the quality of life before and after surgery.


RESULTS
Thirty-nine children were randomised to ONF (n=20) or LNF (n=19). There were 15 ONF and 16 LNF neurologically impaired children. One patient (ONF group) was lost to follow-up. Follow-up was 4.1 years (3.1-5.3) for ONF group and 4.1 years (2.6-5.1) for LNF group (p=0.9). Seven neurologically impaired children had died by the time of follow-up (3 ONF, 4 LNF). Incidence of recurrent GER was 12.5% in the ONF and 20% in the LNF (p=ns). One patient in each group underwent redo-Nissen fundoplication. Nutritional status improved in both groups, as indicated by a significant increase in weight Z-score (p<0.01). Gas bloat and dumping syndrome were present in both groups (p=ns). Incidence of retching was lower in the laparoscopic group (p=0.01). Quality of life improved in both groups (p=ns).


CONCLUSIONS
Open and laparoscopic Nissen provide similar control of reflux and quality of life at follow-up. LNF is associated with reduced incidence of retching persisting at 4-year follow-up.


TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER
NCT00259961.
Wavelet Transform Techniques for Image Resolution Enhancement: A Study

Images are being used in many fields of research. One of the major issues of images is their resolution. In this paper we are studying different image resolution enhancement techniques that use Wavelet Transform (WT). Basis functions of the WT are small waves located in different times. They are obtained using scaling and translation of a scaling function and wavelet function Therefore, the WT is localized in both time and frequency. In this paper we are comparing different image resolution enhancement techniques those using Wavelet Transform. Keywords— Image Interpolation, Peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), Wavelet Zero Padding (WZP), Cycle Spanning (CS), Dual-Tree Complex Wavelet Transform (DT-CWT), Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT), Stationary Wavelet Transform (SWT).
Random Walks on Figure Eight:From Polymers Through Chaos to Gravity and Beyond

This paper is extended and broadly generalized version of earlier published rapid communication, Phys.Rev.E, Vol.58, R 5213 (1998). It also elaborates on some problems which were left unsolved or just mentioned in Physics Reports Vol.298, 251 (1998). Applications of the obtained results include (but not limited to) polymer physics, classical and quantum chaos, fractional Hall effect, dynamics of textures in liquid crystals and 2+1 gravity. The paper presents some self contained excerpts from mathematics(not discussed so far in physics literature)to facilitate the uninterrupted reading of the manuscript.
Least Squares Support Vector Machine Classifiers

In this letter we discuss a least squares version for support vector machine (SVM) classifiers. Due to equality type constraints in the formulation, the solution follows from solving a set of linear equations, instead of quadratic programming for classical SVM's. The approach is illustrated on a two-spiral benchmark classification problem.
Comparative effectiveness of abatacept versus tocilizumab in rheumatoid arthritis patients with prior TNFi exposure in the US Corrona registry

BACKGROUND
We compared the effectiveness of abatacept (ABA) vs tocilizumab (TCA) in tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) experienced patients.


METHODS
We identified rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients from a large observational US cohort (1 January 2010-31 May 2014) who had discontinued at least one TNFi and initiated ABA or TCZ in moderate or high disease activity based on the Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI) and had no prior exposure to the comparator drug. Using propensity score matching (1:1) stratified by prior TNF use (1 TNFi vs ≥2 TNFis), effectiveness at 6 months after initiation was evaluated. Mean change in CDAI over 6 months following initiation was the primary outcome, with secondary outcomes of achievement of low disease activity/remission (CDAI ≤ 10) and mean change in modified Health Assessment Questionnaire (mHAQ) score.


RESULTS
The 264 pairs of propensity score-matched ABA and TCZ initiators were well matched with no substantial differences in the baseline characteristics, defined as standardized differences >0.1 in the stratification. Both treatment groups had similar mean change in CDAI at 6 months (-11.3 in ABA vs -9.9 in TCZ; mean difference -1.27, 95% CI -3.65, 1.11). Similar proportions of both treatment groups achieved low disease activity/remission (adjusted odds ratio for ABA vs TCZ 0.99, 95% CI 0.69, 1.43). Mean change in mHAQ was -0.12 in ABA initiators vs -0.11 in TCZ initiations (mean difference -0.01, 95% CI -0.09, 0.06).


CONCLUSIONS
Patients receiving either ABA or TCZ had substantial improvement in clinical disease activity. In this propensity score-matched sample, similar outcomes were observed for both treatment cohorts.
Age estimation in U-20 football players using 3.0 tesla MRI of the clavicle.

BACKGROUND
To guarantee equal chances for participants in U-20 football tournaments, it seems desirable to verify the ages given by players with questionable dates of birth.


OBJECTIVE
To study the potential use of 3.0 tesla MRI of the clavicle in estimating the ages of U-20 football players.


METHODS
The ossification stage of the medial clavicular epiphyses was evaluated prospectively in 152 male footballers in the age group from 18 to 22 years using 3.0 tesla MRI.


RESULTS
Average age increased with any higher degree of fusion. The only footballer with full ossification of the medial clavicular epiphyseal plate was 21.2 years old.


CONCLUSIONS
The presence of a fully ossified clavicular epiphyseal plate appears to provide evidence of completion of the 20th year of life. The results of the pilot study need to be verified in a larger number of cases.
Assessing online collaborative learning: process and product

The assessment of online collaborative study presents new opportunities and challenges, both in terms of separating the process and product of collaboration, and in the support of skills development. The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of assessment with respect to the processes and products of online collaborative study. It describes a qualitative case study of staff and students perspectives on two UK Open University courses which have used a variety of models of online collaborative assessment. The findings underline the importance of assessment in ensuring online participation, and in supporting the practice and development of online collaborative learning. They have led to a number of recommendations for the assessment of online collaborative learning. # 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.