LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Detecting ECG characteristic points by novel hybrid wavelet transforms: an evaluation of clinical SCP-ECG database

The morphologic analyses of ECG waveforms have been used often by physicians. A robust ECG delineator that can identify the characteristic points under different kinds of diseases with various noise interferences is crucial in clinical ECG waveform analyses. In this study, hybrid wavelet transforms (WT) were used to develop a tool for ECG delineation. The decomposed detail levels of d4 and d3 based on the Haar discrete WT were used to locate the QRS complex. After finding the R wave, the QRS duration, the onset- and end-points of P and T waves were identified by a multilevel Haar wavelet packet analysis in a moving search window. Approximately 10000 beats based on four categories of 12-lead ECG records including normal (N), acute myocardial ischemia (AMI), hyperkalemia (HK), and atrial fibrillation (AF) were randomly selected from the previous established SCP-ECG database to evaluate the algorithms on detecting QRS complex and delineation. The results showed (1) the sensitivities of QRS complex detection were 100%, 99.51%, 99.72%, and 99.65% in N, AMI, HK, and AF ECG records with various noise interferences respectively; (2) the positive predictivities of QRS complex detection were 100%, 99.46%, 99.66%, and 99.88% in the previous 4 categories of ECG records; and (3) the onset- and end-points of P, T waves can also be detected based on wavelet packet analyses when signals were interfered by noise and baseline wandering. The algorithms developed in this study can be applied directly onto clinical 12-lead ECG records for waveform analyses with their high accuracy on characteristic point detection in various leads and diseases. They can also be applied onto Holter ECG systems for QRS detection because of their robust ability for single-lead detection
An alternative to the dark matter paradigm : relativistic MOND gravitation

MOND, invented by Milgrom, is a phenomenological scheme whose basic premise is that the visible matter distribution in a galaxy or cluster of galaxies alone determines its dynamics. MOND fits many observations surprisingly well. Could it be that there is no dark matter in these systems and we witness rather a violation of Newton’s universal gravity law ? If so, Einstein’s general relativity would also be violated. For long conceptual problems have prevented construction of a consistent relativistic substitute which does not obviously run afoul of the facts. Here I sketch TeVe S, a tensor-vectorscalar field theory which seems to fit the bill: it has no obvious conceptual problems and has a MOND and Newtonian limits under the proper circumstances. It also passes the elementary solar system tests of gravity theory. Dedicated to Moti Milgrom who started it all Here I discuss a modified gravity theory. Modified gravity is often mentioned today in relation with dark energy in cosmology. But I concentrate on the first systematic modified gravity approach to the mass discrepancy in galaxies and clusters, Milgrom’s modified Newtonian dynamics (MOND) [1, 2, 3], and report on a relativistic implementation of it [4]. My approach is phenomenologically motivated, not theory motivated.
Racial and ethnic differences in beliefs about lung cancer care.

BACKGROUND
Disparities in lung cancer treatment and palliative care are well documented. However,the mechanisms underlying these disparities are not fully understood. In this study, we evaluated racial and ethnic differences in beliefs and attitudes about lung cancer treatment and palliative care among patients receiving a new diagnosis of lung cancer.


METHODS
Patients were recruited from four medical centers in New York City and surveyed about their beliefs regarding lung cancer care, including disease-directed treatments, palliative and end-of-life care, and fatalistic and spiritual beliefs. We used univariate and multiple regression analyses to compare the distribution of beliefs among minority (black and Hispanic) and nonminority patients.


RESULTS
Of the 335 patients, 21% were black, 20% were Hispanic, and 59% were nonminority. Beliefs about chemotherapy and radiotherapy were similar across the three groups ( P > .05),whereas black patients were more likely to believe that surgery might cause lung cancer to spread( P =.008). Fatalistic beliefs potentially affecting cancer treatment were more common among both minority groups ( P ≤ .02). No signifi cant differences were found in attitudes toward clinician communication about cancer prognosis ( P > .05). However, both blacks and Hispanics were more likely to have misconceptions about advance directives and hospice care ( P ≤ .02).


CONCLUSIONS
Similarities and differences in beliefs about disease-directed treatment were observed between minority and nonminority patients with lung cancer. Minority patients hold more fatalistic views about the disease and misperceptions about advance care planning and hospice care. Further research is needed to assess the impact of these beliefs on decisions about lung cancer care and patient outcomes.
Perceived occupational stress in nurses working in Ireland.

BACKGROUND
Stress has been seen as a routine and accepted part of the health care worker's role. There is a lack of research on stress in nurses in Ireland.


AIMS
To examine the levels of stress experienced by nurses working in an Irish teaching hospital and investigate differences in perceived stress levels by ward area and associations with work characteristics.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study design was employed, with a two-stage cluster sampling process. Data collection was by means of a self-administered questionnaire, and nurses were investigated across 10 different wards using the Nursing Stress Scale and the Demand Control Support Scales.


RESULTS
The response rate was 62%. Using outpatients as a reference ward, perceived stress levels were found to be significantly higher in the medical ward, accident and emergency, intensive care unit and paediatric wards (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the wards with regard to job strain; however, differences did occur with levels of support, the day unit and paediatric ward reporting the lowest level of supervisor support (P < 0.01). A significant association was seen between the wards and perceived stress even after adjustment (P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
The findings suggest that perceived stress does vary within different work areas in the same hospital. Work factors, such as demand and support, are important with regard to perceived stress. Job control was not found to play an important role.
What type of lectures students want? - a reaction evaluation of dental students.

INTRODUCTION
An one hour didactic lecture is the common method of teaching in dental colleges in India. Lengthy lectures are boring and students are passive recipients of the information. Interactive lectures are suggested as a means of overcoming the disadvantages of regular lectures.


AIMS
The present study was conducted to pilot various methods of making lectures interactive and to find the students' reactions to interactive lectures as compared to regular lectures.


MATERIAL AND METHODS
An entire batch of first year dental students (n = 78) was exposed to both interactive and regular lectures for the cardiovascular system in physiology. Among the total number of 12 lectures, alternate lectures were conducted in an interactive style. At the end of the 12 lecture series, students' opinions were obtained using a structured feedback evaluation questionnaire, consisting of five statements, on a five point Likert scale. Statistical Analysis was done using SPSS software, version 15.


RESULTS
Interactive lectures were found to be more useful than regular lectures by 92% of the students. Significantly more number of students agreed or strongly agreed that interactive lectures kept them attentive, created interest, overcame monotony, motivated them for self learning and provided well defined learning than regular lectures. Among the different techniques which were used, the students preferred use of video clippings (58.1%), followed by each-one-teach-one. RESULTS of the present study support the use of interactive lectures for ensuring increased interest and attention of students during lectures.


CONCLUSION
Interactive lectures were more accepted and considered to be more useful than regular lectures by the students.
Ceramic abutments and ceramic oral implants. An update.

Dental implants are considered an essential treatment modality. Published data have demonstrated high success rates for implants placed in partially edentulous arches for the replacement of both single teeth (42, 66, 88) and multiple teeth (87, 117, 121, 163, 200). However, the use of implants to replace missing teeth in the aesthetic zone is challenging (64, 127, 211). The restorations are subjected, especially in patients with a gummy smile or a high lip line, to direct visual comparison with the adjacent natural teeth (81, 118). Perfect three-dimensional implant positioning and well-designed superstructures are therefore essential to mimic the appearance of a natural tooth and to achieve an optimal aesthetic outcome (118, 197, 209). Dental implants and abutments are usually fabricated out of commercially pure titanium, primarily because of its well-documented biocompatibility and mechanical properties (2). However, despite numerous modifications to the fabrication and design of metal abutments, there is still the disadvantage of metallic components showing through when such abutments are used (81, 83, 85, 126). The resultant dull grayish background may give the soft tissue an unnatural bluish appearance (64, 118, 209). The presence of a gray gingival discoloration may be attributed to a thin gingival biotype that is incapable of blocking reflective light from the metallic abutment surface (64, 209). Gingival biotype switching has been suggested when using a metal abutment to increase the thickness of the gingiva; this thicker gingiva will block the reflective light from the abutment s surface from showing through and thus improve the aesthetic outcome (91, 104, 105, 192). Biotype switching, however, requires an additional surgical procedure, which is unpleasant for most patients (105). Recent years have shown a consistent trend toward aesthetic improvements in implant restorative materials and in treatment outcome. To achieve optimal mucogingival aesthetics, ceramic abutments were developed (Figs 1 and 2).
Prey Switching with a Linear Preference Trade-Off

In ecology, prey switching refers to a predator’s adaptive change of habitat or diet in response to prey abundance. In this paper, we study piecewise-smooth models of predator-prey interactions with a linear trade-off in a predator’s prey preference. We consider optimally foraging predators and derive a model for a 1 predator-2 prey interaction with a tilted switching manifold between the two sides of discontinuous vector fields. We show that the 1 predator-2 prey system undergoes a novel adding-sliding-like (center to two-part periodic orbit; “C2PO”) bifurcation in which the prey ratio transitions from constant to time-dependent. Farther away from the bifurcation point, the period of the oscillating prey ratio doubles, which suggests a possible cascade to chaos. We compare our model predictions with data on freshwater plankton, and we successfully capture the periodicity in the ratio between the predator’s preferred and alternative prey types. Our study suggests that it is useful to investigate prey ratio as a possible indicator of how population dynamics can be influenced by ecosystem diversity.
Moderate amounts of fructose- or glucose-sweetened beverages do not differentially alter metabolic health in male and female adolescents.

BACKGROUND
Adolescents consume more sugar-sweetened beverages than do individuals in any other age group, but it is unknown how the type of sugar-sweetened beverage affects metabolic health in this population.


OBJECTIVE
The objective was to compare the metabolic health effects of short-term (2-wk) consumption of high-fructose (HF) and high-glucose (HG)-sweetened beverages in adolescents (15-20 y of age).


DESIGN
In a counterbalanced, single-blind fashion, 40 male and female adolescents completed two 2-wk trials that included 1) an HF trial in which they consumed 710 mL of a sugar-sweetened beverage/d (equivalent to 50 g fructose/d and 15 g glucose/d) for 2 wk and 2) an HG trial in which they consumed 710 mL of a sugar-sweetened beverage/d (equivalent to 50 g glucose/d and 15 g fructose/d) for 2 wk in addition to their normal ad libitum diet. In addition, the participants maintained similar physical activity levels during each trial. The day after each trial, insulin sensitivity and resistance [assessed via Quantitative Insulin Sensitivity Check Index (QUICKI) and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index] and fasting and postprandial glucose, lactate, lipid, cholesterol, insulin, C-peptide, insulin secretion, and clearance responses to HF or HG mixed meals were assessed.


RESULTS
Body weight, QUICKI (whole-body insulin sensitivity), HOMA-IR (hepatic insulin resistance), and fasting lipids, cholesterol, glucose, lactate, and insulin secretion or clearance were not different between trials. Fasting HDL- and HDL₃-cholesterol concentrations were ∼10-31% greater (P < 0.05) in female adolescents than in male adolescents. Postprandial triacylglycerol, HDL-cholesterol, HDL₃-cholesterol, and glucose concentrations were not different between HF and HG trials. The lactate incremental area under the curve was ∼3.7-fold greater during the HF trial (P < 0.05), whereas insulin secretion was 19% greater during the HG trial (P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Moderate amounts of HF- or HG-sweetened beverages for 2 wk did not have differential effects on fasting or postprandial cholesterol, triacylglycerol, glucose, or hepatic insulin clearance in weight-stable, physically active adolescents.
Exergy Analysis and Second Law Efficiency of a Regenerative Brayton Cycle with Isothermal Heat Addition

The effect of two heat additions, rather than one, in a gas turbine engine is analyzed from the second law of thermodynamics point of view. A regenerative Brayton cycle model is used for this study, and compared with other models of Brayton cycle. All fluid friction losses in the compressor and turbine are quantified by an isentropic efficiency term. The effect of pressure ratio, turbine inlet temperature, ambient temperature, altitude, and altitude with variable ambient temperature on irreversibility " exergy destroyed " and second law efficiency was investigated and compared for all models. The results are given graphically with the appropriate discussion and conclusion.
You Can't Fix by Analysis What You've Spoiled by Design: Developing Survey Instruments and Collecting Validity Evidence.

S urveys are frequently used in graduate medical education (GME). Examples include resident satisfaction surveys, resident work-hour questionnaires, trainee self-assessments, and end-of-rotation evaluations. Survey instruments are also widely used in GME research. A review of the last 7 issues of JGME indicates that of the 64 articles categorized as Original Research, 50 (77%) included surveys as part of the study design. Despite the many uses of surveys in GME, the medical education literature provides limited guidance on survey design, and many surveys fail to use a rigorous methodology or best practices in survey design. As a result, the reliability and validity of many medical education surveys are uncertain. When surveys are not well designed, the data obtained from them may not be reproducible and may fail to capture the essence of the attitude, opinion, or behavior the survey developer is attempting to measure. A plethora of factors affecting reliability and validity in surveys includes, but is not limited to, poor question wording, confusing question layout, and inadequate response options. Ultimately, these problems negatively impact the reliability and validity of survey data, making it difficult to draw useful conclusions. With these problems in mind, the aim of the present editorial is to outline a systematic process for developing and collecting reliability and validity evidence for survey instruments used in GME and GME research. The term survey is quite broad and could include questions used in a phone interview, the set of items used in a focus group, and the items on a self-administered patient survey. In this editorial, we limit our discussion to selfadministered surveys, which are also sometimes referred to as questionnaires. The goals of any good questionnaire should be to develop a set of items that every respondent will interpret the same way, respond to accurately, and be willing and motivated to answer. The 6 questions below, although not intended to address all aspects of survey design, are meant to help guide the novice survey developer through the survey design process. Addressing each of these questions systematically will optimize the quality of GME surveys and improve the chances of collecting survey data with evidence of reliability and validity. A graphic depiction of the process described below is presented in the FIGURE.
A fuzzy TOPSIS model via chi-square test for information source selection

The Information Source (IS) selection involves various aspects with different requirements under indeterminate conditions. It is such a complicated process pertaining to seeking for the most appropriate solution that how to resolve the constraint resources needs to be congruously considered. This paper proposes a Multi-Criteria Group Decision Making (MCGDM) model, which uniforms the quantitative and qualitative factual value of different attributes with trapezoidal fuzzy numbers. Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Entropy Weights (EW) are integrated to alleviate the conflicts by experts’ intuitions and provide the accurate weight vector in this model. Besides, the Euclidean Distance (ED) is substituted by the Value of Chi-Square Test (VCST) to refine the Relative Closeness (RC), which theoretically excluded the potential bias arising from relative importance of the two types of distances, in a revised Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). The optimal recommendation compromises in a social decision making way. Finally, the software named ‘‘Evaluator’’, which is based on the presented model, is illustrated to show how it can be practically used for IS selection with comparative analysis. 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The Sacramento Neighborhood Alcohol Prevention Project: outcomes from a community prevention trial.

OBJECTIVE
This article reports the results of the Sacramento Neighborhood Alcohol Prevention Project (SNAPP). SNAPP set as its goal the reduction of alcohol access, drinking, and related problems in two low-income, predominantly ethnic minority neighborhoods, focusing on individuals between the ages 15 and 29, an age group identified with high rates of alcohol-involved problems.


METHOD
Two neighborhoods in Sacramento were selected to be the intervention sites because they were economically and ethnically diverse and had high rates of crime and other drinking-related problems. The quasi-experimental design of the study took a "phased" approach to program implementation and statistical examination of outcome data. Outcome-related data were collected in the intervention sites as well as in the Sacramento community at large. Five project interventions included a mobilization component to support the overall project, a community awareness component, a responsible beverage-service component, an underage-access law enforcement component, and an intoxicated-patron law enforcement component. Archival data were collected to measure and evaluate study outcomes and to provide background and demographic information for the study.


RESULTS
Overall, we found significant (p < .05) reductions in assaults as reported by police, aggregate emergency medical services (EMS) outcomes, EMS assaults, and EMS motor vehicle accidents.


CONCLUSIONS
Results from the Sacramento Neighborhood Alcohol Prevention Project demonstrate the effectiveness of neighborhood-based interventions in the reduction of alcohol-related problems such as assaults, motor vehicle crashes, and sale of alcohol to minors.
FruitChains: A Fair Blockchain

Nakamoto's famous blockchain protocol enables achieving consensus in a so-called permissionless setting---anyone can join (or leave) the protocol execution, and the protocol instructions do not depend on the identities of the players. His ingenious protocol prevents "sybil attacks" (where an adversary spawns any number of new players) by relying on computational puzzles (a.k.a. "moderately hard functions") introduced by Dwork and Naor (Crypto'92). Recent work by Garay et al (EuroCrypt'15) and Pass et al (manuscript, 2016) demonstrate that this protocol provably achieves consistency and liveness assuming a) honest players control a majority of the computational power in the network, b) the puzzle-hardness is appropriately set as a function of the maximum network delay and the total computational power of the network, and c) the computational puzzle is modeled as a random oracle. Assuming honest participation, however, is a strong assumption, especially in a setting where honest players are expected to perform a lot of work (to solve the computational puzzles). In Nakamoto's Bitcoin application of the blockchain protocol, players are incentivized to solve these puzzles by receiving rewards for every "block" (of transactions) they contribute to the blockchain. An elegant work by Eyal and Sirer (FinancialCrypt'14), strengthening and formalizing an earlier attack discussed on the Bitcoin forum, demonstrates that a coalition controlling even a minority fraction of the computational power in the network can gain (close to) 2 times its "fair share" of the rewards (and transaction fees) by deviating from the protocol instructions. In contrast, in a fair protocol, one would expect that players controlling a φ fraction of the computational resources to reap a φ fraction of the rewards.
 We present a new blockchain protocol---the FruitChain protocol---which satisfies the same consistency and liveness properties as Nakamoto's protocol (assuming an honest majority of the computing power), and additionally is δ-approximately fair: with overwhelming probability, any honest set of players controlling a φ fraction of computational power is guaranteed to get at least a fraction (1-δ)φ of the blocks (and thus rewards) in any Ω(κ/δ) length segment of the chain (where κ is the security parameter). Consequently, if this blockchain protocol is used as the ledger underlying a cryptocurrency system, where rewards and transaction fees are evenly distributed among the miners of blocks in a length κ segment of the chain, no coalition controlling less than a majority of the computing power can gain more than a factor (1+3δ) by deviating from the protocol (i.e., honest participation is an n/2-coalition-safe 3δ-Nash equilibrium). Finally, the FruitChain protocol enables decreasing the variance of mining rewards and as such significantly lessens (or even obliterates) the need for mining pools.