LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Identification of the best complete blood count-based predictors for bladder cancer outcomes in patients undergoing radical cystectomy

Background:We sought to determine which parsimonious combination of complete blood count (CBC)-based biomarkers most efficiently predicts oncologic outcomes in patients undergoing radical cystectomy (RC) for bladder cancer (BC).Methods:Using our institutional RC database (1992–2012), nine CBC-based markers (including both absolute cell counts and ratios) were evaluated based on pre-treatment measurements. The outcome measures were recurrence-free survival (RFS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), and overall survival (OS). Time-dependent receiver-operating characteristics curves were used to characterise each biomarker. The CBC-based biomarkers, along with several clinical predictors, were then considered for inclusion in predictive multivariable Cox models based on the Akaike Information Criterion.Results:Our cohort included 418 patients. Neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was the only biomarker satisfying criteria for inclusion into all models, independently predicting RFS (HR per 1-log unit=1.52, 95% CI=1.17–1.98, P=0.002), CSS (HR=1.47, 95% CI=1.20–1.80, P<0.001), and OS (HR=1.56, 95% CI=1.16–2.10, P=0.004). Haemoglobin was also independently predictive of CSS (HR per 1 g/dl=0.91, 95% CI=0.86–0.95, P<0.001) and OS (HR=0.90, 95% CI=0.88–0.93, P<0.001), but not RFS.Conclusions:Among CBC biomarkers studied, NLR was the most efficient marker for predicting RFS, whereas NLR and haemoglobin were most efficient in predicting CSS and OS. NLR and haemoglobin are promising, cost-effective, independent biomarkers for predicting oncologic BC outcomes following RC.Condensed abstract:Various CBC-based biomarkers have separately been shown to be predictive of oncologic outcomes in patients undergoing cystectomy for BC. Our study evaluated these biomarkers, and determined that NLR is the best CBC-based biomarker for predicting RFS, whereas NLR and haemoglobin are most efficient for predicting CSS and OS.
Personalized Online Education - A Crowdsourcing Challenge

Interest in online education is surging, as dramatized by the success of Khan Academy and recent Stanford online courses, but the technology for online education is in its infancy. Crowdsourcing mechanisms will likely be essential in order to reach the full potential of this medium. This paper sketches some of the challenges and directions we hope HCOMP researchers will ad-
Reduced morbidity and mortality in the first year after initiating highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) among Ugandan adults.

OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effect of highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) and cotrimoxazole prophylaxis on morbidity after HAART eligibility.


METHODS
Between 1999 and 2006, we collected morbidity data from a community-based cohort of HAART-eligible patients, comparing patients initiating HAART and those non-HAART. Patients aged 15 years or older visited the clinic every 6 months and when ill. Baseline data on patients' characteristics, WHO stage, haemoglobin and CD4+ T-cell counts, along with follow-up data on morbidity (new, recurrent and drug-related), were collected for the first year after initiating HAART or becoming HAART-eligible. We estimated the overall effect of HAART on morbidity; adjusted for the effect of cotrimoxazole prophylaxis by Mantel-Haenszel methods. A negative binomial regression model was used to assess rate ratios (RR) after adjustment for other confounders, including cotrimoxazole.


RESULTS
A total of 219 HAART patients (median age 37 years; 73% women; 82% using cotrimoxazole prophylaxis, median haemoglobin 11.7 g/dl and median CD4+ 131 cells/microl) experienced 94 events in 127 person-years. 616 non-HAART patients (median age 33 years; 70% women; 26% using cotrimoxazole prophylaxis, median haemoglobin 11.2 g/dl and median CD4+ 130 cells/microl) experienced 862 events in 474 person-years. The overall morbidity during the first year of HAART was 80% lower than among non-HAART patients (adjusted RR = 0.20, 95% CI: 0.12-0.34). Cotrimoxazole prophylaxis also reduced morbidity (adjusted RR = 0.65, 95% CI: 0.45-0.94).


CONCLUSION
These results confirm the reduction in morbidity due to HAART, and the additional protection of cotrimoxazole prophylaxis.
High-level synthesis techniques for reducing the activity of functional units

Decisions taken at the earliest steps of the design process may have a significant impact on the characteristics of the final implementation. This paper illustrates how power consumption issues can be tackled during high-level synthesis (high-level transformations, scheduling and binding). Several techniques pursuing low power are proposed and the potential benefits evaluated. The common idea behind these techniques is to reduce the activity of the functional units (e.g. adders, multipliers) by minimizing the changes of their input operands. Preliminary evaluations obtained from switch-level simulations show that significant improvements can be achieved.
Ecosystem Services in Decision Making: Time to Deliver

© The Ecological Society of America www.frontiersinecology.org T Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) advanced a powerful vision for the future (MA 2005), and now it is time to deliver. The vision of the MA – and of the prescient ecologists and economists whose work formed its foundation – is a world in which people and institutions appreciate natural systems as vital assets, recognize the central roles these assets play in supporting human well-being, and routinely incorporate their material and intangible values into decision making. This vision is now beginning to take hold, fueled by innovations from around the world – from pioneering local leaders to government bureaucracies, and from traditional cultures to major corporations (eg a new experimental wing of Goldman Sachs; Daily and Ellison 2002; Bhagwat and Rutte 2006; Kareiva and Marvier 2007; Ostrom et al. 2007; Goldman et al. 2008). China, for instance, is investing over 700 billion yuan (about US$102.6 billion) in ecosystem service payments, in the current decade (Liu et al. 2008). The goal of the Natural Capital Project – a partnership between Stanford University, The Nature Conservancy, and World Wildlife Fund (www.naturalcapitalproject.org) – is to help integrate ecosystem services into everyday decision making around the world. This requires turning the valuation of ecosystem services into effective policy and finance mechanisms – a problem that, as yet, no one has solved on a large scale. A key challenge remains: relative to other forms of capital, assets embodied in ecosystems are often poorly understood, rarely monitored, and are undergoing rapid degradation (Heal 2000a; MA 2005; Mäler et al. 2008). The importance of ecosystem services is often recognized only after they have been lost, as was the case following Hurricane Katrina (Chambers et al. 2007). Natural capital, and the ecosystem services that flow from it, are usually undervalued – by governments, businesses, and the public – if indeed they are considered at all (Daily et al. 2000; Balmford et al. 2002; NRC 2005). Two fundamental changes need to occur in order to replicate, scale up, and sustain the pioneering efforts that are currently underway, to give ecosystem services weight in decision making. First, the science of ecosystem services needs to advance rapidly. In promising a return (of services) on investments in nature, the scientific community needs to deliver the knowledge and tools necessary to forecast and quantify this return. To help address this challenge, the Natural Capital Project has developed InVEST (a system for Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem ECOSYSTEM SERVICES ECOSYSTEM SERVICES ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
Mediterranean-style diet reduces metabolic syndrome components in obese children and adolescents with obesity

BACKGROUND
The beneficial effects of the Mediterranean diet have been amply proven in adults with cardiovascular risk factors. The effects of this diet have not been extensively assessed in pediatric populations with obesity, insulin resistance (IR) and metabolic syndrome (MetS). The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of the Mediterranean style diet (MSD) to decrease cardiovascular risk factors in children and adolescents with obesity.


METHODS
Participants were randomly assigned to a MSD rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, fiber, flavonoids and antioxidants (60% of energy from carbohydrate, 25% from fat, and 15% from protein, (n = 24); or a standard diet (55% of carbohydrate, 30% from fat and 15% from protein, (n = 25), the caloric ingest was individualized. At baseline and 16-week of intervention, the glucose, triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), HDL-C, LDL-C were measured as well as the body composition and anthropometric data. The diet compliance was determined by the 24-hour recalls.Paired Student's t and Macnemar's test were used to compare effects in biochemical, body composition, anthropometric, and dietary variables.


RESULTS
The MSD group had a significantly decrease in BMI, lean mass, fat mass, glucose, TC, TG, HDL-C and LDL-C. (p < 0.05); the diet compliance increased consumption of omega 9 fatty acids, zinc, vitamin E, selenium, and decreased consumption of saturated fatty acids (p < 0.05). The standard diet group decrease in glucose levels and frequency of glucose >100 mg/dL (p < 0.05).


CONCLUSION
The MSD improves the BMI, glucose and lipid profile in children and adolescents with obesity and any MetS component.
Estimation-based ant colony optimization and local search for the probabilistic traveling salesman problem

The use of ant colony optimization for solving stochastic optimization problems has received a significant amount of attention in recent years. In this paper, we present a study of enhanced ant colony optimization algorithms for tackling a stochastic optimization problem, the probabilistic traveling salesman problem. In particular, we propose an empirical estimation approach to evaluate the cost of the solutions constructed by the ants. Moreover, we use a recent estimation-based iterative improvement algorithm as a local search. Experimental results on a large number of problem instances show that the proposed ant colony optimization algorithms outperform the current best algorithm tailored to solve the given problem, which also happened to be an ant colony optimization algorithm. As a consequence, we have obtained a new state-of-the-art ant colony optimization algorithm for the probabilistic traveling salesman problem.
A note on optimal taxation in the presence of externalities

Abstract I consider the problem of optimal taxation with externalities in a general setup encompassing most of optimal taxation models found in the literature. It is demonstrated that when direct taxation of externalities is possible, optimal taxes can be expressed as the sum of the optimal Pigouvian taxes and the optimal taxes in a related problem without externalities, regardless of what other tax instruments are available. This result generalizes the so-called ‘Principle of Targeting’.
Drowning in Immersion

It is commonly believed, but not proven, that virtual reality attains its power by captivating the user's attention to induce a sense of immersion [1] and presence [2]. This is what sets virtual reality apart from other interface metaphors. However, both these terms have been liberally used to varying degrees within the virtual reality literature. This paper attempts to step back from the technological issues of immersion and to look at some of the basics of immersion itself. Looking at examples of immersion in reality can help us to understanding what may or may not be required in a proposed virtual reality (VR) system. Using the physical senses as a basis for defining immersion has been discussed and three examples (reality, VR and dreaming while asleep) have been highlighted to show the interplay of external sensory stimulation and internal sense representation.
GIP contributes to islet trihormonal abnormalities in type 2 diabetes.

CONTEXT
Research and clinical treatments on type 2 diabetes mainly focus on insulin deficiency with little attention paid to other islet hormones.


OBJECTIVE
This study tested the hypothesis that glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) is involved in diabetes-associated multiislet hormone dysregulation.


DESIGN
This paper included a case-control study involving 92 community-based volunteers from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA): 23 with type 2 diabetes on glucose-lowering agents, 25 with newly diagnosed drug-naïve type 2 diabetes, 19 with prediabetes, and 25 with normal glucose tolerance; a separate intervention study with 13 non-BLSA volunteers with type 2 diabetes treated with diet alone, metformin, and/or metformin/sulfonylurea combination; a rodent study; and an in vitro cell line study.


INTERVENTIONS
An oral glucose tolerance test was performed in the BLSA participants. For the intervention study, saline (0.9% NaCl) or synthetic human GIP (20 ng · kg(-1) · min(-1)) was administered to type 2 diabetes subjects for 180 minutes together with a meal, and plasma samples were obtained at predetermined intervals for 360 minutes. A bolus of GIP or placebo was given to C57BL/6 mice.


MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Plasma glucose, insulin, glucagon, pancreatic polypeptide (PP), glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), and GIP were measured.


RESULTS
After an oral glucose tolerance test, glucose, glucagon, PP, GLP-1, and GIP levels were significantly elevated in type 2 diabetes groups, compared with normal and prediabetes groups. GIP infusion in type 2 diabetes subjects was associated with significantly elevated PP levels compared with placebo. The GIP bolus given to C57BL/6 mice was followed by increased PP levels. GIP receptors were found in both human and mouse PP cells.


CONCLUSIONS
Up-regulation of GIP production may play an important role in multihormonal dysregulation in type 2 diabetes, most likely through interaction with GIP receptors on islets.
Chromate Resistance and Reduction by Bacterial Isolates

Extensive use of hexavalent chromium in various industrial applications has caused substantial environmental contamination. Utilization of Cr (VI) reducing microbial consortium has enhanced the efficiency of the process of detoxification of Cr (VI) to Cr (III). Chromium resistant bacteria such as Pseudomonas fluorescens and Bacillus sp isolated from heavy metal contaminated soil were examined for their tolerance to hexavalent chromium and their ability to reduce Cr (VI) to Cr (III). The detoxification process in cell suspensions and cell extracts was also studied. The influence of various factors such as pH, time interval and initial metal concentrations on the reduction of chromium by the bacterial isolates were studied. Both the bacterial isolates tolerated Cr (VI) at 100 ppm in minimal salt broth. At 25 ppm Bacillus sp and Pseudomonas fluorescens recorded maximum accumulation rates of 87.8 % and 93 % respectively. Bacillus sp. reduced 40 %, 68%, 81 %, 75 % and 60 % of Cr (VI) to Cr (III) and Pseudomonas fluorescens reduced 52%, 58%, 72%, 75% and 61% of Cr (VI) to Cr (III) at different levels of pH such as 5.0, 6.0, 7.0, 8.0 and 9.0 respectively. Maximal Cr (VI) reduction was observed at pH 7.0 to 8.0. The results indicate that the microbial consortia and the mono cultures of the above isolates can be useful for Cr (VI) detoxification of chromium contaminated environment.
Application of data mining techniques in customer relationship management: A literature review and classification

Despite the importance of data mining techniques to customer relationship management (CRM), there is a lack of a comprehensive literature review and a classification scheme for it. This is the first identifiable academic literature review of the application of data mining techniques to CRM. It provides an academic database of literature between the period of 2000–2006 covering 24 journals and proposes a classification scheme to classify the articles. Nine hundred articles were identified and reviewed for their direct relevance to applying data mining techniques to CRM. Eighty-seven articles were subsequently selected, reviewed and classified. Each of the 87 selected papers was categorized on four CRM dimensions (Customer Identification, Customer Attraction, Customer Retention and Customer Development) and seven data mining functions (Association, Classification, Clustering, Forecasting, Regression, Sequence Discovery and Visualization). Papers were further classified into nine sub-categories of CRM elements under different data mining techniques based on the major focus of each paper. The review and classification process was independently verified. Findings of this paper indicate that the research area of customer retention received most research attention. Of these, most are related to one-to-one marketing and loyalty programs respectively. On the other hand, classification and association models are the two commonly used models for data mining in CRM. Our analysis provides a roadmap to guide future research and facilitate knowledge accumulation and creation concerning the application of data mining techniques in CRM. 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Effects of 6-Month Folic Acid Supplementation on Cognitive Function and Blood Biomarkers in Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Randomized Controlled Trial in China.

BACKGROUND
This study is to examine the effects of folic acid supplementation on cognitive function in Chinese older adults with mild cognitive impairment who are unexposed to folic acid fortification and assess cognitive functioning in relation to folate, homocysteine, and vitamin B12 values at baseline.


METHODS
This was a single-center, randomized, controlled trial in Tianjin, China; 180 individuals aged 65 years and older who had mild cognitive impairment were assigned randomly to one of two groups: (a) those treated with oral folic acid (400 µg/day) and (b) those treated via conventional treatment. Tests of cognitive performance and biomarkers were measured at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. Analysis was by intention-to-treat. Changes in cognitive or clinical function were analyzed by repeated-measure analysis of variance or mixed-effects models. This trial has been registered with the trial number ChiCTR-TRC-13003227.


RESULTS
Total of 159 participants (intervention group: 80; control group: 79) completed the trial. Repeated-measure analysis of variance showed significant improvements in serum folate (ηp (2) = 0.712, p = .009), homocysteine (ηp (2) = 0.119, p = .017), serum vitamin B12 (ηp (2) = 0.144, p = .022), and S-adenosylmethionine (ηp (2) = 0.117, p = .033) in the intervention group over the control group. Folic acid supplementation improved Full Scale IQ (p = .031; effect size d = 0.168), Digit Span (p = .009; d = 0.176), and Block Design (p = .036; effect size d = 0.146) scores at 6 months in comparison to the control. There were no significant findings for all other cognitive measures.


CONCLUSION
There was a beneficial effect from relatively short-term folate supplementation on cognitive functioning in later life. Larger-scale, randomized, controlled trials of longer duration in selected age groups are needed.
Antecedents and Outcomes of Organisational Commitment among Malaysian Engineers

This study explores the major factors contributing to organizational commitment among engineers in Malaysia. It identifies the effects of certain antecedents on organizational commitment a nd evaluates the impact of organizational commitment t o organizational outcomes. From the literature review, a theoretical foundation for the study was compiled and two hypotheses were established. Firstly, positive employee perception leads to high er organizational commitment. Secondly, higher organizational commitment brings positive organizat ional outcomes. A questionnaire survey of Malaysian engineers established that employee perce tion and attitudinal characteristics have a significant influence on organizational commitment, while organizational commitment and behavioral characteristics directly affect organizational outc mes. The research demonstrates that positive employee perception enhances organizational commitm ent, which, in turn, leads to positive organizational outcomes.
How to put probabilities on homographies

We present a family of "normal" distributions over a matrix group together with a simple method for estimating its parameters. In particular, the mean of a set of elements can be calculated. The approach is applied to planar projective homographies, showing that using priors defined in this way improves object recognition.
Liver resection versus other treatments for neuroendocrine tumours in patients with resectable liver metastases.

BACKGROUND
Neuroendocrine tumours are tumours of cells, which possess secretory granules and originate from the neuroectoderm. While liver resection is generally advocated in patients with resectable liver metastases, recent studies have shown good survival in patients with disseminated neuroendocrine tumours who underwent thermal ablation using radiofrequency.


OBJECTIVES
To determine the benefits and harms of liver resection versus other treatments in patients with resectable liver metastases from gastro-entero-pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours.


SEARCH STRATEGY
We searched The Cochrane Hepato-Biliary Group Controlled Trials Register, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) in The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Science Citation Index Expanded and LILACS until July 2008 for identifying the randomised trials.


SELECTION CRITERIA
We considered only randomised clinical trials (irrespective of language, blinding, or publication status) comparing liver resection (alone or in combination with radiofrequency ablation or cryoablation) versus other interventions (chemotherapy, hormonotherapy, or immunotherapy) and those comparing liver resection and thermal ablation (radiofrequency ablation or cryoablation) in patients with resectable liver metastases from neuroendocrine tumours for the review.


DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Two authors independently identified trials for inclusion.


MAIN RESULTS
We were unable to identify any randomised clinical trial suitable for inclusion in this review. We were also unable to identify any quasi-randomised studies, cohort studies, or case-control studies that could inform meaningfully.


AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
There is no evidence from randomised clinical trials comparing liver resection versus other treatments in patients with resectable liver metastases from gastro-entero-pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours. Liver resection appears to be the main stay curative treatment for neuroendocrine liver metastases based on non-randomised studies. Further randomised clinical trials comparing liver resection alone or in combination with chemoembolisation or radionuclide therapy are needed. Further randomised clinical trials comparing surgical resection and radiofrequency ablation in selected patients may also be appropriate.
Social Vulnerability to Environmental Hazards n

Objective. County-level socioeconomic and demographic data were used to construct an index of social vulnerability to environmental hazards, called the Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI) for the United States based on 1990 data. Methods. Using a factor analytic approach, 42 variables were reduced to 11 independent factors that accounted for about 76 percent of the variance. These factors were placed in an additive model to compute a summary score—the Social Vulnerability Index. Results. There are some distinct spatial patterns in the SoVI, with the most vulnerable counties clustered in metropolitan counties in the east, south Texas, and the Mississippi Delta region. Conclusion. Those factors that contribute to the overall score often are different for each county, underscoring the interactive nature of social vulnerability—some components increase vulnerability; others moderate the effects.