LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Mikulicz's procedure with levator muscle and external anal sphincter plasty in the treatment of rectal prolapse.

UNLABELLED
Rectal prolapse is the partial or complete protrusion of the rectal wall into the anal canal. The most common etiology consists in the insufficiency of the diaphragm of the lesser pelvis and anal sphincter apparatus. Methods of surgical treatment involve perineal or abdominal approach surgical procedures. The aim of the study was to present the method of surgical rectal prolapse treatment, according to Mikulicz's procedure by means of the perineal approach, based on our own experience and literature review.


MATERIAL AND METHODS
The study group comprised 16 patients, including 14 women and 2 men, aged between 38 and 82 years admitted to the department, due to rectal prolapse, during the period between 2000 and 2012. Nine female patients, aged between 68 and 82 years (mean age-76.3 years) with fullthickness rectal prolapse underwent surgery by means of Mikulicz's method with levator muscle and external anal sphincter plasty. The most common comorbidities amongst patients operated by means of Mikulicz's method included cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.


RESULTS
Mean hospitalization was 14.4 days (ranging between 12 and 17 days). Despite advanced age and poor general condition of the patients, complications during the perioperative period were not observed. Good early and late functional results were achieved. The degree of anal sphincter continence was determined 6-8 weeks after surgery showing significant improvement, as compared to results obtained prior to surgery. One case of recurrence consisting in mucosal prolapse was noted, being treated surgically by means of Whitehead's method. Good treatment results were observed.


CONCLUSION
Transperineal rectosigmoidectomy using Mikulicz's method with levator muscle and external anal sphincter plasty seems to be an effective, minimally invasive and relatively safe procedure that does not require general anesthesia. It is recommended in case of patients with significant comorbidities and high surgical risk.
The 14-year course of alcoholism in a community sample: do men and women differ?

OBJECTIVE
To investigate the course of alcoholism in males and females in a 14-year follow-up of persons with DSM-III alcoholism compared to very heavy drinkers and unaffected controls in a community sample.


METHODS
Case-control study based on data from the 1997 Health Services Use and Cost study, a 14-year follow-up survey of 442 individuals who participated in two waves of the 1981-1983 St. Louis Epidemiologic Catchment Area study. Cases met criteria for DSM-III alcohol abuse (AA) or dependence (AD) at both waves of the ECA: "Two-times Alcohol Use Disorder Positives (ECA 2t-AUDPs)." Two comparison groups were frequency matched to 2t-AUDPs: (1) ECA Very Heavy Drinkers/One-time Alcohol Use Disorder Positives (ECA VHD/1t-AUDPs) and (2) ECA alcohol-unaffecteds. Lifetime and past year alcohol use disorders, patterns of drinking and recovery among males and females are reported.


RESULTS
84.6% of 2t-AUDPs again met lifetime DSM-III criteria at 14-year follow-up. At follow-up, only 9.3% male 2t-AUDPs and 20.7% female 2t-AUDPs met past year DSM-IV AUD criteria. Past year drinking patterns, however, revealed higher rates of DSM-IV AA or AD, problem or risk drinking among 2t-AUDPs (61.7%) compared to both ECA VHD/1t-AUDPs (41.2%) and ECA alcohol-unaffecteds (22.1%).


CONCLUSIONS
In a community sample, the rate of past year DSM-IV alcohol dependence was lower among male 2t-AUDPs than females, though both groups showed past year rates substantially lower than lifetime rates. However, less than half of ECA 2t-AUDPs exhibited low-risk or abstinent alcohol use behaviors, indicating that while remission from diagnosis is common, clinical relevance persists.
Ten principles of good business process management

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to foster a common understanding of business process management (BPM) by proposing a set of ten principles that characterize BPM as a research domain and guide its successful use in organizational practice. Design/methodology/approach – The identification and discussion of the principles reflects our viewpoint, which was informed by extant literature and focus groups, including 20 BPM experts from academia and practice. Findings – We identify ten principles which represent a set of capabilities essential for mastering contemporary and future challenges in BPM. Their antonyms signify potential roadblocks and bad practices in BPM. We also identify a set of open research questions that can guide future BPM research. Research limitation/implication – Our findings suggest several areas of research regarding each of the identified principles of good BPM. Also, the principles themselves should be systematically and empirically examined in future studies. Practical implications – Our findings allow practitioners to comprehensively scope their BPM initiatives and provide a general guidance for BPM implementation. Moreover, the principles may also serve to tackle contemporary issues in other management areas. Originality/value – This is the first paper that distills principles of BPM in the sense of both good and bad practice recommendations. The value of the principles lies in providing normative advice to practitioners as well as in identifying open research areas for academia, thereby extending the reach and richness of BPM beyond its traditional frontiers.
Enchondroma in the distal phalanx of the finger

UNLABELLED
The goal of our study was to report the clinical presentation, treatment, and complications of enchondroma in the distal phalanx of the finger. This was a retrospective study of 34 patients (19 women and 15 men) who underwent surgery between May 2004 and September 2012 for enchondroma in the distal phalanx of the finger. The average age of the patients was 39.38 ± 10.97 years old (range 14-59). The presenting symptoms and imaging features were recorded. The surgical procedure was performed under regional or general anesthesia. The surgical technique involved removal of tumors by opening a cortical window and curetting the cavity. The defects were filled with an injectable calcium phosphate cement. All patients received follow-up in our outpatient clinic every 6 months. Expansion of bone or thinning of the cortex present in the radiological imaging, including anteroposterior and lateral plain radiographs of the fingers, was used to assess for tumor recurrence. The observational end-point was reoperation.All tumors were confirmed as enchondromas by the pathological results. None of the patients had a tumor recurrence. Three patients (9% of cases) developed an infection. After antibiotic treatment, 2 patients were cured, and 1 patient required an amputation. Enchondroma in the distal phalanx of the finger presents with a variety of clinical symptoms. Injectable calcium phosphate cement is adequate for bone grafting. Postoperative infection is more common than tumor recurrence. If patients have an infection or bilateral bone cortex defects, bone grafting is challenging.


LEVEL OF EVIDENCE
Therapeutic study, Level IV.
Learning Rates for Q-Learning

In this paper we derive convergence rates for Q-learning. We show an interesting relationship between the convergence rate and the learning rate used in the Q-learning. For a polynomial learning rate, one which is 1/t at time t where ω ∈ (1/2, 1), we show that that the convergence rate is polynomial in 1/(1 − γ), where γ is the discount factor. In contrast we show that for a linear learning rate, one which is 1/t at time t, the convergence rate has an exponential dependence on 1/(1 − γ). In addition we show a simple example that proves that this exponential behavior is inherent for a linear learning rate.
First-Order Continuous-Time Sigma-Delta Modulator

This paper presents the design of a first-order continuous-time sigma-delta modulator. It can accept input signal bandwidth of 10 kHz with oversampling ratio of 250. The modulator operates at 1.8 V supply voltage and uses 0.18 mum CMOS technology. It achieves a level of 60 dB SNR
UK Biobank: An Open Access Resource for Identifying the Causes of a Wide Range of Complex Diseases of Middle and Old Age

Cathie Sudlow and colleagues describe the UK Biobank, a large population-based prospective study, established to allow investigation of the genetic and non-genetic determinants of the diseases of middle and old age.
Multicast capacity for large scale wireless ad hoc networks

In this paper, we study the capacity of a large-scale random wireless network for multicast.Assume that <i>n</i> wireless nodes are randomly deployed in a square region with side-length <i>a</i> and all nodes have the uniform transmission range <i>r</i> and uniform interference range <i>R</i> ><i>r</i>. We further assume that each wireless node can transmit/receive at <i>W</i> bits/second over a <i>common</i> wireless channel. For each node <i>v<sub>i</sub></i>, we <i>randomly</i> pick <i>k</i>-1 nodes from the other <i>n</i>-1 nodes as the receivers of the multicast session rooted at node <i>v<sub>i</sub></i>. The aggregated multicast capacity is defined as the total data rate of all multicast sessions in the network. In this paper we derive matching asymptotic upper bounds and lower bounds on multicast capacity of random wireless networks. We show that the total multicast capacity is Θ(√<i>n</i> over log <i>n</i> dot <i>W</i> over √ <i>k</i>) when <i>k</i> = Ω(<i>n</i> over log <i>n</i>); the total multicast capacity is Θ(<i>W</i>) when <i>k</i> =Θ(<i>n</i> over log <i>n</i>). Our bounds unify the previous capacity bounds on unicast (when <i>k</i>=2) by Gupta and Kumar [7]and the capacity bounds on broadcast (when <i>k</i>=<i>n</i>) in [11,20]. We also study the capacity of group-multicast for wireless networks where for each source node, we randomly select <i>k</i>-1 groups of nodes as receivers and the nodes in each group are within a constant hops from the group leader. The same asymptotic upper bounds and lower bounds still hold. For arbitrary networks, we provide a constructive lower bound Ω(√<i>n</i> over √<i>k</i> dot <i>W</i>) for aggregated multicast capacity when we can carefully place nodes and schedule node transmissions.
Re-evaluation of transcription factor function in tomato fruit development and ripening with CRISPR/Cas9-mutagenesis

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is a model for climacteric fleshy fruit ripening studies. Tomato ripening is regulated by multiple transcription factors together with the plant hormone ethylene and their downstream effector genes. Transcription Factors APETALA2a (AP2a), NON-RIPENING (NOR) and FRUITFULL (FUL1/TDR4 and FUL2/MBP7) were reported as master regulators controlling tomato fruit ripening. Their proposed functions were derived from studies of the phenotype of spontaneous mutants or RNAi knock-down lines rather than, as it appears now, actual null mutants. To study TF function in tomato fruit ripening in more detail, we used CRISPR/Cas9-mediated mutagenesis to knock out the encoding genes, and phenotypes of these mutants are reported for the first time. While the earlier ripening, orange-ripe phenotype of ap2a mutants was confirmed, the nor null mutant exhibited a much milder phenotype than the spontaneous nor mutant. Additional analyses revealed that the severe phenotype in the spontaneous mutant is caused by a dominant-negative allele. Our approach also provides new insight into the independent and overlapping functions of FUL1 and FUL2. Single and combined null alleles of FUL1 and FUL2 illustrate that these two genes have partially redundant functions in fruit ripening, but also unveil an additional role for FUL2 in early fruit development.
Evolutionary variation in bacterial RNase P RNAs.

Sequences encoding RNase P RNAs from representatives of the last remaining classical phyla of Bacteria have been determined, completing a general phylogenetic survey of RNase P RNA sequence and structure. This broad sampling of RNase P RNAs allows some refinement of the secondary structure, and reveals patterns in the evolutionary variation of sequences and secondary structures. Although the sequences range from 100 to <25% identical to one another, and although only 40 of the nucleotides are invariant, there is considerable conservation of the underlying core of the RNA sequence. RNase P RNAs, like group I intron RNAs but unlike ribosomal RNAs, transfer RNAs or other highly conserved RNAs, are quite variable in secondary structure outside of this conserved structural core. Conservative regions of the RNA evolve by substitution of apparently interchangeable alternative structures, rather than the insertion and deletion of helical elements that occurs in the more variable regions of the RNA. In a remarkable case of convergent molecular evolution, most of the unusual structural elements of type B RNase P RNAs of the low G+C Gram-positive Bacteria have evolved independently in Thermomicrobium roseum , a member of the green non-sulfur Bacteria.
Spatial Social Behavior in Second Life

We have developed software bots that inhabit the popular online social environment SecondLife (SL). Our bots can wander around, collect data, engage in simple interactions, and carry out simple automated experiments. In this paper we use our bots to study spatial social behavior. We found an indication that SL users display distinct spatial behavior when interacting with other users. In addition, in an automated experiment carried out by our bot, we found that users, when their avatars were approached by our bot, tended to respond by moving their avatar, further indicating the significance of proxemics in SL.
Breast cancer scalp metastasis as first metastatic site after scalp cooling: Two cases of occurrence after 7- and 9-year follow-up

Chemotherapy-induced alopecia is a commonly feared chemotherapy side effect and can be prevented using scalp cooling. Scalp metastasis is a rare site of recurrence. There is a question about whether or not the risk might be increased with the use of scalp cooling. Two cases of breast cancer with scalp metastases as first metastatic site are presented. The first patient presented with a scalp metastasis as first metastatic site 9 years following breast cancer chemotherapy treatments; she used scalp cooling for the adjuvant treatment. Second case presented a scalp metastasis as first metastatic site 7 years following treatments for her first cancer; overall, she used scalp cooling in only one of her six adjuvant chemotherapy cycles. Scalp metastases as the first site of recurrence are very rare entities. Scalp cooling is unlikely to have contributed in the cases presented here.
Global Policy Construction in Modular Reinforcement Learning

We propose a modular reinforcement learning algorithm which decomposes a Markov decision process into independent modules. Each module is trained using Sarsa(λ). We introduce three algorithms for forming global policy from modules policies, and demonstrate our results using a 2D grid world.
Effect of long-term interactive music therapy on behavior profile and musical skills in young adults with severe autism.

BACKGROUND
Data on the potential behavioral effects of music therapy in autism are scarce.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to investigate whether a musical training program based on interactive music therapy sessions could enhance the behavioral profile and the musical skills of young adults affected by severe autism.


METHODOLOGY
Young adults (N = 8) with severe (Childhood Autism Rating Scale >30) autism took part in a total of 52 weekly active music therapy sessions lasting 60 minutes. Each session consisted of a wide range of different musical activities including singing, piano playing, and drumming. Clinical rating scales included the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scale and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). Musical skills-including singing a short or long melody, playing the C scale on a keyboard, music absorption, rhythm reproduction, and execution of complex rhythmic patterns-were rated on a 5-point Likert-type scale ranging from "completely/entirely absent" to "completely/entirely present."


RESULTS
At the end of the 52-week training period, significant improvements were found on both the CGI and BPRS scales. Similarly, the patients' musical skills significantly ameliorated as compared to baseline ratings.


CONCLUSIONS
Our pilot data seem to suggest that active music therapy sessions could be of aid in improving autistic symptoms, as well as personal musical skills in young adults with severe autism.
Experiences of supernumerary status and the hidden curriculum in nursing: a new twist in the theory-practice gap?

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
This paper aims to increase our understanding about how student nurses' experiences of supernumerary status are embedded in the hidden curriculum in clinical practice and contribute to the theory-practice gap in nursing.


BACKGROUND
Current literature suggests that the hidden curriculum exists in many professional curricula and that it functions to socialise students into professional behaviours and practice. However, in nursing, there is a gap in our understanding of how these socialisation processes have been influenced by supernumerary status and what forms the hidden curriculum might take currently in clinical practice.


DESIGN
An ethnographic case study design.


METHOD
Data were collected in four sites using fieldwork in clinical practice as well as interviews with students, mentors and key stakeholders, an online survey of student bodies and curriculum analysis in four universities. The findings in this paper are drawn from the qualitative fieldwork and interviews and were analysed thematically.


RESULTS
The findings suggest that supernumerary status is an important aspect of the hidden curriculum in clinical learning for nursing students; that students are expected by trained staff to work while they learn and that on registration, they are expected to be competent to work immediately as registered nurses. These expectations are at odds with those of academic nurses and contribute to a theory-practice gap for student nurses. These expectations form part of the hidden curriculum that shapes the clinical context, and students have to learn to negotiate their status as supernumerary students in practice to meet these expectations.


CONCLUSION
Consequently, students have to learn in a disintegrated learning context where opposing values of learning exist.


RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE
To reintegrate student nurses' learning, educators in universities and clinical practice have to understand how the hidden curriculum and expectations around supernumerary status among trained staff affect learning for students.
The analyzing power for the pp -> ppn reaction at Q = 10 MeV

R. Czyżykiewicz1a,b, P. Moskal, H.-H. Adam, A. Budzanowski, E. Czerwiński, D. Gil, D. Grzonka, M. Janusz, L. Jarczyk, B. Kamys, A. Khoukaz, K. Kilian , P. Klaja, B. Lorentz, J. Majewski, W. Oelert, C. Piskor-Ignatowicz, J. Przerwa, J. Ritman, H. Rohdjess, T. Rożek , R. Santo, T. Sefzick, M. Siemaszko , J. Smyrski, A. Täschner, K. Ulbrich , P. Winter, M. Wolke, P. Wüstner, Z. Zhang, W. Zipper Institute of Physics, Jagellonian University, 30-059 Crac ow, Poland IKP, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany IKP, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, 48149 Münste r, Germany Institute of Nuclear Physics, 31-342 Cracow, Poland Institut für Strahlenund Kernphysik, Rheinische Friedr ch-Wilhelms-Universität, 53115 Bonn, Germany f Institute of Physics, University of Silesia, 40-007 Katowi ce, Poland ZEL, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany present address: Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen, S witzerland
Visualization of Text Streams: A Survey

This work presents related areas of research, types of data collections that are visualized, technical aspects of generating visualizations, and evaluation methodologies. Existing methods are structured and explained from the aspect of visualization process. Successful applications are noted and some future trends in the field are anticipated. Keywords— Information Visualization, Visual Analytics, Topic Detection and Tracking, Text Mining, Trend Discovery, Visualization Evaluation, Dimensionality Reduction, Text Representation, Information Extraction, User Interaction.
The Transferable Belief Model for Belief Representation

A survey of the use of belief functions to quantify the beliefs held by an agent, and in particular of their interpretation in the transferable belief model.
Manufacturing method affects mitochondrial DNA release and extracellular vesicle composition in stored red blood cells.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) are found in transfusion products, but their potential impacts are not fully understood. We examined the influence of manufacturing method on levels of mitochondrial (mt) DNA and extracellular vesicle (EV) DAMPs in red cell concentrates (RCCs).


MATERIALS AND METHODS
Eighty-seven RCCs were prepared using nine different methods (6-15 units/method), including three apheresis, five whole blood (WB)-derived leucoreduced (LR) and one WB-derived non-LR method. On storage days 5 and 42, levels of mtDNA (by PCR) and number and cell of origin of EVs (by flow cytometry) were assessed in RCC supernatants.


RESULTS
There was a 100-fold difference in mtDNA levels among methods, with highest levels in non-LR, followed by MCS+ and Trima apheresis RCCs. There was a 10-fold difference in EV levels among methods. RBC-derived CD235a+ EVs were found in fresh RCCs and increased in most during storage. Platelet-derived CD41a+ EVs were highest in non-LR and Trima RCCs and did not change during storage. WBC-derived EVs were low in most RCCs; CD14+ EVs increased in several RCCs during storage.


CONCLUSION
DAMPs in RCCs vary by manufacturing method. MtDNA and EV could be informative quality markers that may be relevant to RCC immunomodulatory potential.
Diet or diet plus physical activity versus usual care in patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes: the Early ACTID randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND
Lifestyle changes soon after diagnosis might improve outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, but no large trials have compared interventions. We investigated the effects of diet and physical activity on blood pressure and glucose concentrations.


METHODS
We did a randomised, controlled trial in southwest England in adults aged 30-80 years in whom type 2 diabetes had been diagnosed 5-8 months previously. Participants were assigned usual care (initial dietary consultation and follow-up every 6 months; control group), an intensive diet intervention (dietary consultation every 3 months with monthly nurse support), or the latter plus a pedometer-based activity programme, in a 2:5:5 ratio. The primary endpoint was improvement in glycated haemoglobin A(1c)(HbA(1c)) concentration and blood pressure at 6 months. Analysis was done by intention to treat. This study is registered, number ISRCTN92162869.


FINDINGS
Of 593 eligible individuals, 99 were assigned usual care, 248 the diet regimen, and 246 diet plus activity. Outcome data were available for 587 (99%) and 579 (98%) participants at 6 and 12 months, respectively. At 6 months, glycaemic control had worsened in the control group (mean baseline HbA(1c) percentage 6·72, SD 1·02, and at 6 months 6·86, 1·02) but improved in the diet group (baseline-adjusted difference in percentage of HbA(1c) -0·28%, 95% CI -0·46 to -0·10; p=0·005) and diet plus activity group (-0·33%, -0·51 to -0·14; p<0·001). These differences persisted to 12 months, despite less use of diabetes drugs. Improvements were also seen in bodyweight and insulin resistance between the intervention and control groups. Blood pressure was similar in all groups.


INTERPRETATION
An intensive diet intervention soon after diagnosis can improve glycaemic control. The addition of an activity intervention conferred no additional benefit.


FUNDING
Diabetes UK and the UK Department of Health.