LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Clinical course of patients with insufficient viral suppression during entecavir therapy in genotype C chronic hepatitis B.

BACKGROUND/AIMS
The clinical course of patients with insufficient virologic suppression diagnosed with chronic hepatitis B undergoing entecavir therapy is unclear.


METHODS
We retrospectively investigated the long-term clinical outcomes of entecavir treatment for more than 12 months in 355 nucleos(t)ide-naïve chronic hepatitis B patients, particularly those with primary non-response or partial virologic response.


RESULTS
The median duration of entecavir therapy was 40 months (range, 12-64 months). Virologic response was achieved in 315 patients (88.7%). One hundred forty-four (96.6%) of 149 HBeAg-negative patients achieved virologic response. Among 206 HBeAg-positive patients, 52 (25.2%) achieved HBeAg seroconversion. Virologic breakthrough was observed in 7 patients (2.0%). Of these 7 patients, 5 (1.4%) had genotypic resistance to entecavir. Primary non-response and partial virologic response were evident in 6 (1.7%) and 63 (17.7%) patients, respectively. During continuous prolonged entecavir therapy, virologic response of patients with primary non-response and partial virologic response was achieved in 6 (100%) and 28 (44.4%) patients, respectively.


CONCLUSION
The vast majority of chronic hepatitis B patients in this study achieved virologic response through prolonged entecavir therapy, with only 1.4% chance of viral resistance. Furthermore, all patients with primary non-response were able to achieve virologic response without adjustment of antiviral therapy.
Foot Complications and Mortality: Results from Translating Research Into Action for Diabetes (TRIAD).

BACKGROUND
We sought to study the impact of foot complications on 10-year mortality independent of other demographic and biological risk factors in a racially and socioeconomically diverse managed-care population with access to high-quality medical care.


METHODS
We studied 6,992 patients with diabetes in Translating Research Into Action for Diabetes (TRIAD), a prospective observational study of diabetes care in managed care. Foot complications were assessed using administrative claims data. The National Death Index was searched for deaths across 10 years of follow-up (2000-2009).


RESULTS
Charcot's neuro-osteoarthropathy and diabetic foot ulcer with debridement were associated with an increased risk of mortality; however, the associations were not significant in fully adjusted models. Lower-extremity amputation (LEA) was associated with an increased risk of mortality in unadjusted (hazard ratio [HR], 3.21; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.50-4.12) and fully adjusted (HR, 1.84; 95% CI, 1.28-2.63) models. When we examined the associations between LEA and mortality stratified by sex and race, risk was increased in men (HR, 1.96; 95% CI, 1.25-3.07), Hispanic individuals (HR, 5.17; 95% CI, 1.48-18.01), and white individuals (HR, 2.18; 95% CI, 1.37-3.47). In sensitivity analyses, minor LEA tended to increase the risk of mortality (HR, 1.48; 95% CI, 0.92-2.40), and major LEA was associated with a significantly higher risk of death at 10 years (HR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.18-3.01).


CONCLUSIONS
In this managed-care population with access to high-quality medical care, LEA remained a robust independent predictor of mortality. The association was strongest in men and differed by race.
Machine Learning and Sound Design

In this paper I discuss the role of Machine Learning (ML) in sound design. I focus on the modelling of a particular aspect of human intelligence which is believed to play an important role in musical creativity: the Generalisation of Perceptual Attributes (GPA). By GPA I mean the process by which a listener tries to find common sound attributes when confronted with a series of sounds. The paper introduces the basics of GPA and ML in the context of ARTIST, a prototype case study system. ARTIST (Artificial Intelligence Sound Tools) is a sound design system that works in co-operation with the user, providing useful levels of automated reasoning to render the synthesis tasks less laborious (tasks such as calculating an appropriate stream of synthesis parameters for each single sound) and to enable the user to explore alternatives when designing a certain sound. The system synthesises sounds from input requests in a relatively high-level language; for instance, using attribute-value expressions such as "normal vibrato", "high openness" and "sharp attack". ARTIST stores information about sounds as clusters of attribute-value expressions and has the ability to interpret these expressions in the lower-level terms of sound synthesis algorithms. The user may, however, be interested in producing a sound which is "unknown" to the system. In this case, the system will attempt to compute the attribute values for this yet unknown sound by making analogies with other known sounds which have similar constituents. ARTIST uses ML to infer which sound attributes should be considered to make the analogies.
Robust portfolios: contributions from operations research and finance

In this paper we provide a survey of recent contributions to robust portfolio strategies from operations research and finance to the theory of portfolio selection. Our survey covers results derived not only in terms of the standard mean-variance objective, but also in terms of two of the most popular risk measures, mean-VaR and mean-CVaR developed recently. In addition, we review optimal estimation methods and Bayesian robust approaches.
Treatment of early-stage Hodgkin's disease with four cycles of ABVD followed by adjuvant radio-therapy: analysis of efficacy and long-term toxicity.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
The use of combined modality therapy in early-stage Hodgkin's disease can spare staging laparotomy and reduces the risk of relapse compared to radiation alone. This paper reports on the efficacy and long-term events of a combined modality approach consisting of a brief course of chemotherapy followed by adjuvant radiotherapy, without laparotomy, in early-stage Hodgkin's disease.


DESIGN AND METHODS
This study included 78 patients with Hodgkin's disease (20 in stage I and 58 in stage II); 60% had mediastinal enlargement (12% had bulky disease) and 5% had subdiaphragmatic disease. Their median age was 33 years (range: 15-64) and median follow-up 60 months. The treatment program consisted of four cycles of ABVD followed by adjuvant radiation to involved sites (43 patients) or involved and contiguous sites of disease (35 patients); radiation doses ranged from 30 to 36 Gy to uninvolved and involved sites, respectively; bulky disease received up to 44 Gy. Gonadal function in women was assessed by hormonal tests and evaluation of menses; young men were given the opportunity to have their semen cryopreserved.


RESULTS
The treatment program was completed in a median of 6.2 months (range: 5-10). The complete remission rate was 88% after 4 courses of ABVD and 98.7% after adjunctive RT. The 5-year relapse-free survival was 97% and overall survival 98%; three patients died, one of disease progression and two of small cell lung carcinoma. Long-term events included three cases of pulmonary fibrosis with symptomatic interstitial disease, one case of dilated cardiomyopathy with cardiac failure (all had received mediastinal radiation) and four cases of dysthyroidism. Fertility was preserved in young women, with three subsequent normal pregnancies. Second neoplasms included two small cell lung carcinomas and one breast carcinoma.


INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS
In early-stage Hodgkin's disease, four cycles of ABVD followed by adjuvant radiotherapy produced a 5-year overall survival of 98%. Prolonged monitoring for therapy-related long term complications is mandatory in these potentially curable patients.
Peginterferon alfa-2a in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

BACKGROUND
Covalent attachment of a 40-kd branched-chain polyethylene glycol moiety to interferon alfa-2a results in a compound (peginterferon alfa-2a) that has sustained absorption, a slower rate of clearance, and a longer half-life than unmodified interferon alfa-2a. We compared the clinical effects of a regimen of peginterferon alfa-2a with those of a regimen of interferon alfa-2a in the initial treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C.


METHODS
We randomly assigned 531 patients with chronic hepatitis C to receive either 180 microg of peginterferon alfa-2a subcutaneously once per week for 48 weeks (267 patients) or 6 million units of interferon alfa-2a subcutaneously three times per week for 12 weeks, followed by 3 million units three times per week for 36 weeks (264 patients). All the patients were assessed at week 72 for a sustained virologic response, defined as an undetectable level of hepatitis C virus RNA (<100 copies per milliliter).


RESULTS
In the peginterferon group, 223 of the 267 patients completed treatment and 206 completed follow-up. In the interferon group, 161 of the 264 patients completed treatment and 154 completed follow-up. In an intention-to-treat analysis in which patients who missed the examination at the end of treatment or follow-up were considered not to have had a response at that point, peginterferon alfa-2a was associated with a higher rate of virologic response than was interferon alfa-2a at week 48 (69 percent vs. 28 percent, P=0.001) and at week 72 (39 percent vs. 19 percent, P=0.001). Sustained normalization of serum alanine aminotransferase concentrations at week 72 was also more common in the peginterferon group than in the interferon group (45 percent vs. 25 percent, P=0.001). The two groups were similar with respect to the frequency and severity of adverse events, which were typical of those associated with interferon alfa.


CONCLUSIONS
In patients with chronic hepatitis C, a regimen of peginterferon alfa-2a given once weekly is more effective than a regimen of interferon alfa-2a given three times weekly.
Positive resources for combating depressive symptoms among Chinese male correctional officers: perceived organizational support and psychological capital

BACKGROUND
Although correctional officers (COs) clearly suffer from depression, positive resources for combating depression have been rarely studied in this population. The purpose of the study was to examine the associations of perceived organizational support (POS) and psychological capital (PsyCap) with depressive symptoms among Chinese COs.


METHODS
A cross-sectional survey was conducted in a province of northeast China during March-April 2011. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 1900 male COs from four male prisons. Depressive symptoms, POS, and PsyCap (self efficacy, hope, resilience, and optimism) were measured anonymously. A total of 1428 effective respondents with 953 frontline COs (FL-COs) and 475 non-frontline COs (NFL-COs) became our final sample. Hierarchical linear regression was performed to explore the factors associated with depressive symptoms. Asymptotic and resampling strategies were used to examine the mediating roles of PsyCap and its four components.


RESULTS
The level of depressive symptoms of FL-COs was significantly higher than that of NFL-COs (t = 2.28, p = 0.023). There were significant negative associations of POS, PsyCap, hope, resilience, and optimism with depressive symptoms among FL-COs. In NFL-COs, POS, PsyCap, and optimism were negatively associated with depressive symptoms. POS was positively associated with PsyCap and its four components among both FL-COs and NFL-COs. For FL-COs, PsyCap (a*b = -0.143, BCa 95% CI: -0.186, -0.103, p < 0.05), resilience (a*b = -0.052, BCa 95% CI: -0.090, -0.017, p < 0.05), and optimism (a*b = -0.053, BCa 95% CI: -0.090, -0.016, p < 0.05) significantly mediated the association between POS and depressive symptoms. For NFL-COs, PsyCap (a*b = -0.126, BCa 95% CI: -0.186, -0.065, p < 0.05) and optimism (a*b = -0.066, BCa 95% CI: -0.116, -0.008, p < 0.05) significantly mediated the association.


CONCLUSIONS
Perceived organizational support and psychological capital could be positive resources for combating depressive symptoms in Chinese male COs. Psychological capital and its components (resilience and optimism) partially mediate the association between perceived organizational support and depressive symptoms. Therefore, organizational support and psychological capital investment (especially resilience and optimism) should be included in depression preventions and treatments targeting Chinese male COs.
Adverse behavioral and sexual factors in chronic vulvar disease.

OBJECTIVE
We investigated the prevalence of adverse sexual, personal hygiene, and self-treatment behavior among women with chronic benign vulvar and vaginal disorders.


STUDY DESIGN
This study was carried out by means of a scientific clinical audit producing actuarial data by way of a semistructured questionnaire. Subjects consisted of a sample of 530 cases treated at a specialist clinic for vulvar diseases. In addition to clinical and laboratory investigations, the patients were interviewed by the clinic's psychologist, who used a structured interview schedule developed specifically for the study. Descriptive analysis and analysis of variance were used to investigate data.


RESULTS
Most patients remained sexually active in spite of arousal failure and discomfort and engaged in unlubricated and often painful sexual intercourse. Most women engaged in potentially harmful genital hygiene and self-treatment behavior. Adverse self-treatment practices but not adverse genital hygiene practices were associated with greater symptom duration.


CONCLUSIONS
Adverse practices should be addressed during the management of cases of chronic vulvar disease.
Systematic Mapping Studies in Software Engineering

BACKGROUND: A software engineering systematic map is a defined method to build a classification scheme and structure a software engineering field of interest. The analysis of results focuses on frequencies of publications for categories within the scheme. Thereby, the coverage of the research field can be determined. Different facets of the scheme can also be combined to answer more specific research questions. OBJECTIVE: We describe how to conduct a systematic mapping study in software engineering and provide guidelines. We also compare systematic maps and systematic reviews to clarify how to chose between them. This comparison leads to a set of guidelines for systematic maps. METHOD: We have defined a systematic mapping process and applied it to complete a systematic mapping study. Furthermore, we compare systematic maps with systematic reviews by systematically analyzing existing systematic reviews. RESULTS: We describe a process for software engineering systematic mapping studies and compare it to systematic reviews. Based on this, guidelines for conducting systematic maps are defined. CONCLUSIONS: Systematic maps and reviews are different in terms of goals, breadth, validity issues and implications. Thus, they should be used complementarily and require different methods (e.g., for analysis).
PCSK7 Genotype Modifies Effect of a Weight-Loss Diet on 2-Year Changes of Insulin Resistance: The POUNDS LOST Trial

OBJECTIVE
A common variant rs236918 in the PCSK7 gene has the strongest association with iron homeostasis and is related to insulin resistance. Dietary carbohydrate (CHO) modulates the genetic effect on insulin resistance. We examined whether 2-year weight-loss diets modify the effect of PCSK7 genetic variants on changes in fasting insulin levels and insulin resistance in a randomized, controlled trial.


RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
Data were analyzed in the Preventing Overweight Using Novel Dietary Strategies (POUNDS LOST) trial, which is a randomized, controlled 2-year weight-loss trial using diets that differed in macronutrient proportions. PCSK7 rs236918 was genotyped in 730 overweight or obese adults (80% whites) in this trial. We assessed the progression in fasting insulin and glucose levels, and insulin resistance by genotypes.


RESULTS
During the 6-month weight-loss phase, the PCSK7 rs236918 G allele was significantly associated with greater decreases in fasting insulin levels in the high-dietary CHO group (P for interaction = 0.04), while the interaction for changes in HOMA-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (P for interaction = 0.06) did not reach significant levels in white subjects. The G allele was significantly associated with a greater decrease in fasting insulin levels and HOMA-IR in response to high dietary CHO levels (P = 0.02 and P = 0.03, respectively). From 6 months to 2 years (weight-regain phase), the interactions became attenuated due to the regaining of weight (P for interactions = 0.08 and 0.06, respectively). In addition, we observed similar and even stronger results in the whole-study samples from the trial.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data suggest that PCSK7 genotypes may interact with dietary CHO intake on changes in insulin sensitivity in the white Americans.
Crash Simulation of an F 1 Racing Car Front Impact Structure

Formula 1 motorsport is a platform for maximum race car driving performance resulting from high-tech developments in the area of lightweight materials and aerodynamic design. In order to ensure the driver’s safety in case of high-speed crashes, special impact structures are designed to absorb the race car’s kinetic energy and limit the decelerations acting on the human body. These energy absorbing structures are made of laminated composite sandwich materials like the whole monocoque chassis and have to meet defined crash test requirements specified by the FIA. This study covers the crash behaviour of the nose cone as the F1 racing car front impact structure. Finite element models for dynamic simulations with the explicit solver LS-DYNA are developed with the emphasis on the composite material modelling. Numerical results are compared to crash test data in terms of deceleration levels, absorbed energy and crushing mechanisms. The validation led to satisfying results and the overall conclusion that dynamic simulations with LS-DYNA can be a helpful tool in the design phase of an F1 racing car front impact structure.
The Effect of IT Failure Impact and Personal Morality on IT Project Reporting Behavior

An individual's reluctance to report the actual status of a troubled project has recently received research attention as an important contributor to project failure. While there are a variety of factors influencing the reluctance to report, prior information systems research has focused on only situational factors such as risk, information asymmetry, and time pressure involved in the given situation. In this paper, we examine the effects of both situational and personal factors on an individual's reporting behavior within the rubric of the basic whistle-blowing model adapted from Dozier and Miceli . Specifically, we identify perceived impact of information technology (IT) failure as a situational factor and personal morality and willingness to communicate as personal factors, and investigate their effects on the assessments and decisions that individuals make about reporting the IT project's status. Based on the results of a controlled laboratory experiment, we found that perceived impact of IT failure directly affects an individual's assessment of whether a troubled project's status ought to be reported, exerting an indirect influence on willingness to report bad news, and that personal morality directly affects all three steps in the basic whistle-blowing model, as hypothesized. Willingness to communicate, however, was found not to affect an individual's willingness to report bad news. The implications of these findings and directions for future research are discussed.
Impact of cessation of smoking on the course of ulcerative colitis

OBJECTIVES:The incidence and severity of ulcerative colitis (UC) are higher in nonsmokers than in smokers. The natural course of UC in smokers who stop smoking is not known. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of cessation of smoking on the course of UC among the cohort of patients regularly seen at our institution.METHODS:The severity of UC, as judged by the occurrence of flare-ups and the need for systemic steroids, immunosuppressive drugs and colectomy, was determined in 32 patients with UC who stopped smoking after the diagnosis of UC. We compared the period after cessation of smoking (7-yr mean follow-up) with the period between the onset of the disease and the cessation of smoking (9-yr mean duration). The course of UC in this group was compared with that of 32 nonsmokers and 32 continuing smokers matched for sex, age, and age at onset.RESULTS:In patients who quit, cessation of smoking was followed by an increase in the rate of years with active disease (p < 0.01), years with hospitalization (p < 0.05) and years with major medical therapy (oral steroids, intravenous steroids, and azathioprine, p < 0.01). After cessation of smoking, the rate of years with immunosuppressive therapy was significantly greater in ex-smokers and nonsmokers than in continuing smokers (p < 0.01). The risk of colectomy in ex-smokers after smoking cessation was similar to that of nonsmokers and continuing smokers.CONCLUSIONS:In smokers with UC who stop smoking, the severity of the disease increases after smoking cessation, with an increase in the disease activity and the need for hospital admission and major medical therapy. In addition, the need for azathioprine therapy becomes similar to that of nonsmokers.
Reliability analysis of the Chinese version of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy – Leukemia (FACT-Leu) scale based on multivariate generalizability theory

BACKGROUND
The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Leukemia (FACT-Leu) scale, a leukemia-specific instrument for determining the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with leukemia, had been developed and validated, but there have been no reports on the development of a simplified Chinese version of this scale. This is a new exploration to analyze the reliability of the HRQOL measurement using multivariate generalizability theory (MGT). This study aimed to develop a Chinese version of the FACT-Leu scale and evaluate its reliability using MGT to provide evidence to support the revision and improvement of this scale.


METHODS
The Chinese version of the FACT-Leu scale was developed by four steps: forward translation, backward translation, cultural adaptation and pilot-testing. The HRQOL was measured for eligible inpatients with leukemia using this scale to provide data. A single-facet multivariate Generalizability Study (G-study) design was demonstrated to estimate the variance-covariance components and then several Decision Studies (D-studies) with varying numbers of items were analyzed to obtain reliability coefficients and to understand how much the measurement reliability could be vary as the number of items in MGT changes.


RESULTS
One-hundred and one eligible inpatients diagnosed with leukemia were recruited and completed the HRQOL measurement at the time of admission to the hospital. In the G-study, the variation component of the patient-item interaction was largest while the variation component of the item was the smallest for the four of five domains, except for the leukemia-specific (LEUS) domain. In the D-study, at the level of domain, the generalizability coefficients (G) and the indexes of dependability (Ф) for four of the five domains were approximately equal to or greater than 0.80 except for the Emotional Well-being (EWB) domain (>0.70 but <0.80). For the overall scale, the composite G and composite Ф coefficients were greater than 0.90. Based on the G coefficient and Ф coefficient, two decision options for revising this scale considering the number of items were obtained: one is a 37-item version while the other is a 45-item version.


CONCLUSION
The Chinese version of the FACT-Leu scale has good reliability as a whole based on the results of MGT and the implementation of MGT could lead to more informed decisions in complex questionnaire design and improvement.