LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Comparative study of different enzyme immunoassays for measurement of IgM and IgA rheumatoid factors.

OBJECTIVE
To compare the value of various IgM and IgA rheumatoid factor (RF) tests for the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).


METHODS
Firstly, the latex test, one global assay (for IgM, IgA, and IgG RF), six IgM, and four IgA RF assays were compared in a particularly challenging situation-that is, with 67 patients with RA, many of whom were latex negative, and 91 non-RA controls, many of whom were latex positive. More detailed evaluation followed with three IgM RF tests (two commercially available kits and one assay developed in our laboratory) and two IgA RF tests (one commercially available and one from our laboratory) in two more representative samples of rheumatological patients (146 RA and 75 non-RA controls).


RESULTS
Diagnostic performance differed considerably between the assays. For IgM RF detection the highest sensitivity (88%) was obtained with the Diamedix kit (specificity 67%) and for IgA RF with the Inova kit (sensitivity 65%, specificity 88%). Combining one IgM and one IgA RF test improved diagnostic performance when both tests were in agreement, but at the cost of yielding 15-27% of discrepant results which did not help in ruling RA in or out. Mean concentration values differed significantly among IgM RF tests, and in most cases concentrations were not correlated.


CONCLUSIONS
Available tests for IgM RF isotype vary in accuracy, and none is uniformly better than all the others. For IgA RF isotype, the Inova kit appears to be the best. Quantitative results cannot be compared across tests. Combination of one IgM and one IgA RF test may improve diagnostic accuracy.
Programmable self-assembly: constructing global shape using biologically-inspired local interactions and origami mathematics

© 2 0 0 1 m a s s a c h u s e t t s i n s t i t u t e o f t e c h n o l o g y, c a m b r i d g e , m a 0 2 1 3 9 u s a — w w w. a i. m i t. e d u
A comparative study of DWT, CWT and DCT transformations in ECG arrhythmias classification

In this study we have proposed and compared use of CWT (Continues Wavelet Transform) with two powerful data transformation techniques DWT (Discrete Wavelet Transform), and DCT (Discrete Cosine Transform) which have already been in use, in order to improve the capability of two pattern classifiers in ECG arrhythmias classification. The classifiers under examination are MLP (Multi-Layered Perceptron, a conventional neural network) and SVM (Support Vector Machine). The training or learning algorithms used in MLP and SVM are BackPropagation (BP) and Kernel–Adatron (K–A), respectively. The ECG signals taken from MIT-BIH arrhythmia database are used to classify four different arrhythmias together with normal ECG. The output of MLP and SVM classifiers in terms of training performance, testing performance or generalization ability and training time are compared. MLP and SVM training and testing stages have been carried out twice. At first, only one lead (II) is used, and then a second ECG lead (V1) has been added to the training and testing datasets. Three feature extraction techniques are applied separately to datasets before classification. The results show that selection of the best feature extraction method will depend on the substantial value considered for training time, training and testing performance. This is stated because when applying MLP or SVM, addition of CWT and DCT will show the advantage only when training performance and testing performance are important, respectively. Generally speaking only testing performance with single lead for MLP shows superiority over SVM. 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
An LTV model and customer segmentation based on customer value: a case study on the wireless telecommunication industry

Since the early 1980s, the concept of relationship management in marketing area has gained its importance. Acquiring and retaining the most profitable customers are serious concerns of a company to perform more targeted marketing campaigns. For effective customer relationship management, it is important to gather information on customer value. Many researches have been performed to calculate customer value based on Customer lifetime value (LTV). It, however, has some limitations. It is difficult to consider the defection of customers. Prediction models have focused mainly on expected future cash flow derived from customers’ past profit contribution. In this paper we suggest an LTV model considering past profit contribution, potential benefit, and defection probability of a customer. We also cover a framework for analyzing customer value and segmenting customers based on their value. Customer value is classified into three categories: current value, potential value, and customer loyalty. Customers are segmented according to three types of customer value. A case study on calculating customer value and segmenting customers of a wireless communication company will be illustrated. q 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Effect of technosphere inhaled insulin on quality of life and treatment satisfaction.

AIMS
This randomized controlled trial assessed the impact of Technosphere insulin (MannKind Corp., Valencia, CA) delivered via the MedTone inhaler (MannKind Corp.) on quality of life and treatment satisfaction in adults with type 2 diabetes.


METHODS
Subjects were 119 insulin-naive subjects with starting hemoglobin A1c >6.5%: 58 in the active inhaled insulin arm and 61 in the inhaled placebo arm (67% male; mean age 55 years; mean duration of diagnosed diabetes 7 years). Subjects completed a measure of health-related quality of life (the SF-36) and a measure of treatment satisfaction (the Insulin Treatment Questionnaire [ITQ]) before starting insulin treatment and approximately 12 weeks later. The ITQ assesses Diabetes Worries, Perceptions of Insulin Therapy, and Inhaler Performance.


RESULTS
There was no significant change in any SF-36 factor or Diabetes Worries during the trial in either arm, and there were no significant between-arm differences in change on any of these measures. Perceptions of Insulin Therapy improved significantly during the trial in the active medication arm (effect size for composite measure = 0.56, P = 0.002) but not in the placebo arm; there were no significant between-arm differences in change. The majority of subjects gave positive ratings of Inhaler Performance on all items (median = 93% positive ratings).


CONCLUSIONS
In this study treatment with inhaled Technosphere insulin was well tolerated, clinically efficacious, and associated with positive patient-reported outcomes, including improved attitudes toward insulin therapy and high treatment satisfaction. This treatment strategy was implemented without a negative impact on health-related quality of life or worries about diabetes.
Social Network Analysis: History, Concepts, and Research

Social network analysis (SNA), in essence, is not a formal theory in social science, but rather an approach for investigating social structures, which is why SNA is often referred to as structural analysis [1]. The most important difference between social network analysis and the traditional or classic social research approach is that the contexts of the social actor, or the relationships between actors are the first considerations of the former, while the latter focuses on individual properties. A social network is a group of collaborating, and/or competing individuals or entities that are related to each other. It may be presented as a graph, or a multi-graph; each participant in the collaboration or competition is called an actor and depicted as a node in the graph theory. Valued relations between actors are depicted as links, or ties, either directed or undirected, between the corresponding nodes. Actors can be persons, organizations, or groups – any set of related entities. As such, SNA may be used on different levels, ranging from individuals, web pages, families, small groups, to large organizations, parties, and even to nations. According to the well known SNA researcher Lin Freeman [2], network analysis is based on the intuitive notion that these patterns are important features of the lives of the individuals or social entities who display them; Network analysts believe that how an individual lives, or social entity depends in large part on how that they are tied into the larger web of social connections/structures. Many believe, moreover, that the success or failure of societies and organizations often depends on the patterning of their internal structure. With a history of more than 70 years, SNA as an interdisciplinary technique developed under many influences, which come from different fields such as sociology, mathematics and computer science, are becoming increasingly important across many disciplines, including sociology, economics, communication science, and psychology around the world. In the current chapter of this book, the author discusses
Hypochloremia, Diuretic Resistance, and Outcome in Patients With Acute Heart Failure.

BACKGROUND
Chloride plays a role in renal salt sensing, neurohormonal activation, and regulation of diuretic targets, and hypochloremia predicts mortality in acute heart failure (AHF). AHF therapies, such as diuretics, alter chloride homeostasis. We studied the association between (changes in) chloride levels and diuretic responsiveness, decongestion, and mortality in patients with AHF.


METHODS AND RESULTS
Patients hospitalized for AHF in the PROTECT trial (n=2033) with serum chloride levels within 24 hours of admission and 14 days later were studied (n=1960). Hypochloremia was defined as serum chloride <96 mEq/L. Mean baseline chloride was 100.8±5.0 mEq/L. Low baseline chloride was associated with high bicarbonate, poor diuretic response, less hemoconcentration, and worsening heart failure (all P<0.01). Newly developed hypochloremia at day 14 was common and associated with a decline in renal function and an increase in blood urea nitrogen (P<0.01). In multivariable analyses, chloride measured at day 14, but not baseline chloride, was strongly and independently associated with mortality through 180 days (hazard ratio per unit decrease: 1.07 [1.03-1.10]; P<0.001). In comparison, sodium was not significantly associated with mortality after multivariable adjustment at any time point. Hypochloremia at baseline that resolved was not associated with mortality (P=0.55), but new or persistent hypochloremia at day 14 was associated with increased mortality (hazard ratio: 3.11 [2.17-4.46]; P<0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Low serum chloride at AHF hospital admission was strongly associated with impaired decongestion. New or persistent hypochloremia 14 days later was independently associated with reduced survival, whereas hypochloremia that resolved by day 14 was not.


CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION
URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00354458.
Neuroleptic malignant syndrome complicating antipsychotic treatment of delirium or agitation in medical and surgical patients: case reports and a review of the literature.

BACKGROUND
Neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) is a potentially fatal adverse event associated with the use of antipsychotics.


OBJECTIVE
The authors provide information on the development and outcome of NMS during antipsychotic treatment of delirium or agitation in medically ill patients.


METHOD
The authors present case reports and a literature review of NMS arising during antipsychotic treatment of delirium.


RESULTS
A total of 25 cases of NMS occurring in patients with delirium or agitation were identified. Most cases involved men with agitated delirium who received relatively high doses of parenteral haloperidol. The signs and symptoms of NMS episodes were similar to those reported in other settings, and most patients had a complete recovery.


CONCLUSION
Clinicians utilizing antipsychotics in managing delirium or agitation are advised to be vigilant for NMS. Further study is required to determine whether certain patient characteristics or medications present greater risk for this serious adverse event.
Discovering recency, frequency, and monetary (RFM) sequential patterns from customers' purchasing data

1567-4223/$ see front matter 2009 Elsevier B.V. A doi:10.1016/j.elerap.2009.03.002 * Corresponding author. Tel.: +886 3 4267266; fax: E-mail addresses: ylchen@mgt.ncu.edu.tw (Y.-L. du.tw (M.-H. Kuo), sywu@itri.org.tw (S.-Y. Wu), ktang In response to the thriving development in electronic commerce (EC), many on-line retailers have developed Web-based information systems to handle enormous amounts of transactions on the Internet. These systems can automatically capture data on the browsing histories and purchasing records of individual customers. This capability has motivated the development of data-mining applications. Sequential pattern mining (SPM) is a useful data-mining method to discover customers’ purchasing patterns over time. We incorporate the recency, frequency, and monetary (RFM) concept presented in the marketing literature to define the RFM sequential pattern and develop a novel algorithm for generating all RFM sequential patterns from customers’ purchasing data. Using the algorithm, we propose a pattern segmentation framework to generate valuable information on customer purchasing behavior for managerial decision-making. Extensive experiments are carried out, using synthetic datasets and a transactional dataset collected by a retail chain in Taiwan, to evaluate the proposed algorithm and empirically demonstrate the benefits of using RFM sequential patterns in analyzing customers’ purchasing data. 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Semi-supervised Aspect Based Sentiment Analysis for Movies Using Review Filtering

Aspect based Sentiment Analysis (ABSA) is a subarea of opinion mining which enables one to gain deeper insights into the features of items which interest the users by mining reviews. In this paper we attempt to perform ABSA on movie review data. Unlike other domains such as camera, laptops restaurants etc, a major chunk of movie reviews is devoted to describing the plot and contains no information about user interests. The presence of such narrative content may potentially mislead the review analysis. The contribution of this paper is two-fold: a two class classification scheme for plots and reviews without the need for labeled data is proposed. The overhead of constructing manually labeled data to build the classifier is avoided and the resulting classifier is shown to be effective using a small manually built test set. Secondly we propose a scheme to detect aspects and the corresponding opinions using a set of hand crafted rules and aspect clue words. Three schemes for selection of aspect clue words are explored manual labeling (M), clustering(C) and review guided clustering (RC). The aspect and sentiment detection using all the three schemes is empirically evaluated against a manually constructed test set. The experiments establish the effectiveness of manual labeling over cluster based approaches but among the cluster based approaches, the ones utilizing the review guided clue words performed better. © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. Peer-review under responsibility of the Scientific Committee of IHCI 2015.
Job stressors, personality and burnout in primary school teachers.

BACKGROUND
Teaching is considered a highly stressful occupation. Burnout is a negative affective response occurring as a result of chronic work stress. While the early theories of burnout focused exclusively on work-related stressors, recent research adopts a more integrative approach where both environmental and individual factors are studied. Nevertheless, such studies are scarce with teacher samples.


AIMS
The present cross-sectional study sought to investigate the association between burnout, personality characteristics and job stressors in primary school teachers from Cyprus. The study also investigates the relative contribution of these variables on the three facets of burnout - emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment.


SAMPLE
A representative sample of 447 primary school teachers participated in the study.


METHOD
Teachers completed measures of burnout, personality and job stressors along with demographic and professional data. Surveys were delivered by courier to schools, and were distributed at faculty meetings.


RESULTS
Results showed that both personality and work-related stressors were associated with burnout dimensions. Neuroticism was a common predictor of all dimensions of burnout although in personal accomplishment had a different direction. Managing student misbehaviour and time constraints were found to systematically predict dimensions of burnout.


CONCLUSIONS
Teachers' individual characteristics as well as job related stressors should be taken into consideration when studying the burnout phenomenon. The fact that each dimension of the syndrome is predicted by different variables should not remain unnoticed especially when designing and implementing intervention programmes to reduce burnout in teachers.
CHA₂DS₂-VASc scores predict mortality after hospitalization for atrial fibrillation.

OBJECTIVE
The outcome of patients hospitalized for atrial fibrillation (AF) is relatively poor. We sought to determine the mortality rate and predictors of mortality following hospitalization for AF and to evaluate whether the CHA2DS2-VASc score was a predictor of mortality.


METHODS
We examined the national database of Thailand residents who registered for government provided health insurance in 2005 and reviewed patient records from 2005 to 2010 to determine all-cause mortality. A total of 8981 patients (mean age, 65 years; 42% male) were admitted to the hospital with a diagnosis of AF. Data on demographics and comorbidities were retrieved from the database. The CHA2DS2-VASc score was calculated for each patient.


RESULTS
The hospitalization rate for AF was 15.5 per 100,000 person-years. The two most common comorbidities were hypertension (N=1638, 18.2%) and diabetes (N=1349, 15.0%). The average CHA2DS2-VASc score for all patients was 1.8. By the 72-month follow-up (average 46 months), 3948 patients (44.0%) had died. The CHA2DS2-VASc score was directly related to the mortality rate (P log-rank <0.0001). Multivariate analysis showed that a CHA2DS2-VASc score ≥ 6 (hazard ratio [HR] 2.2, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.4-3.7, P=0.002) and the presence of chronic kidney disease (HR 2.0, 95% CI 1.7-2.4, P<0.0001) were the strongest predictors of death.


CONCLUSION
The outcome after hospitalization for AF is relatively poor. The CHA2DS2-VASc score is an independent prognostic marker of poor outcomes following hospitalization for AF.
A randomized controlled study of single-session behavioural treatment of earthquake-related post-traumatic stress disorder using an earthquake simulator.

BACKGROUND
Brief interventions are needed in dealing with traumatic stress problems in large survivor populations after devastating earthquakes. The present study examined the effectiveness of a single session of exposure to simulated tremors in an earthquake simulator and self-exposure instructions in reducing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).


METHOD
Participants were consecutively recruited from among survivors screened during field surveys in the disaster region in Turkey. Thirty-one earthquake survivors with PTSD were assigned either to a single session of behavioural treatment (n=16) or to repeated assessments (RA; n=15). Assessments in the treatment group were at 4, 8, 12, 24 weeks and 1-2 years post-treatment. The RA cases were assessed at baseline and 4 and 8 weeks after trial entry, after which they received the same treatment and were followed up at 4, 12, 24 weeks and 1-2 years.


RESULTS
Between-group treatment effects at week 8 were significant on measures of fear, PTSD and self- and assessor-rated global improvement. Improvement rates were 40% at week 4, 72% at week 12, 80% at week 24, and 80% at 1-2-years' follow-up, with large effect sizes on fear and PTSD measures. Post-session reduction in fear of earthquakes and increased sense of control over fear at follow-up related to improvement in PTSD.


CONCLUSION
The study provided further evidence of the effectiveness of a single session of behavioural treatment in reducing fear and PTSD in earthquake survivors. Future research needs to examine the usefulness of earthquake simulators in increasing psychological preparedness for earthquakes.
Conversations with Samuel Beckett and Bram van Velde [Review of: Ch. Juliet (1995) -]

Itself a mixture of idolatry, deft characterization, and critical insight, Conversations with Samuel Beckett and Bram Van Velde is both an entertaining and insightful contribution to our understanding of the lives and thoughts of two masters.
Health Impact of Fasting in Saudi Arabia during Ramadan: Association with Disturbed Circadian Rhythm and Metabolic and Sleeping Patterns

BACKGROUND
Muslims go through strict Ramadan fasting from dawn till sunset for one month yearly. These practices are associated with disturbed feeding and sleep patterns. We recently demonstrated that, during Ramadan, circadian cortisol rhythm of Saudis is abolished, exposing these subjects to continuously increased cortisol levels.


HYPOTHESIS
Secretory patterns of other hormones and metabolic parameters associated with cortisol, and insulin resistance, might be affected during Ramadan.


PROTOCOL
Ramadan practitioners (18 males, 5 females; mean age ±SEM = 23.16±1.2 years) were evaluated before and two weeks into Ramadan. Blood was collected for measurements of endocrine and metabolic parameters at 9 am (±1 hour) and again twelve hours later.


RESULTS
In Ramadan, glucose concentration was kept within normal range, with a significant increase in the morning. Mean morning concentration of leptin was significantly higher than pre-Ramadan values (p = 0.001), in contrast to that of adiponectin, which was significantly lower (p<0.001). These changes were associated with increased insulin resistance in morning and evening. Concentrations of hsCRP were lower during Ramadan than those during regular living conditions, however, normal circadian fluctuation was abolished (p = 0.49). Even though means of liver enzymes, total bilirubin, total protein and albumin were all decreased during Ramadan, statistically lower means were only noted for GGT, total protein, and albumin (p = 0.018, 0.002 and 0.001 respectively).


DISCUSSION
Saudi Ramadan practitioners have altered adipokine patterns, typical of insulin resistance. The noted decreases of hsCRP, liver enzymes, total protein, and albumin, are most likely a result of fasting, while loss of circadian rhythmicity of hsCRP is probably due to loss of circadian cortisol rhythm.


CONCLUSIONS
Modern Ramadan practices in Saudi Arabia, which are associated with evening hypercortisolism, are also characterized by altered adipokines patterns, and an abolished hsCRP circadian rhythm, all likely to increase cardiometabolic risk.
HOW DOES CULTURE INFLUENCE CONFLICT RESOLUTION? A DYNAMIC CONSTRUCTIVIST ANALYSIS

Psychologists have taken several approaches to modeling how culture influences the ways individuals negotiate interpersonal conflict. Most common has been the approach of searching for cultural traits-general, stable value-orientations that predict a variety of culturally typical conflict resolution behaviors. Increasingly researchers have adopted a constructivist approach of locating the nexus of cultural influence in the knowledge structures that guide negotiators’ judgments and decisions. In this paper, we advocate extending the constructivist approach by incorporating principles from social cognition research on knowledge activation. We develop dynamic constructivist hypotheses about how the influence of culture on negotiation is moderated by the stimulus or task that the conflict presents, the social context in which the negotiator is embedded, and the negotiator/perceiver’s epistemic state.