LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of penile length at 6–24 months between children with unilateral cryptorchidism and a healthy normal cohort

Purpose
Urologic diseases affected by testosterone can be associated with smaller penis size compared to the normal population. We sought to compare penile length in children with unilateral cryptorchidism and normative data from a cohort of healthy Korean boys.


Materials and Methods
This study was performed in 259 Korean boys (212, normal cohort; 47, cryptorchidism) aged 6-24 months, each of whom had been brought to an outpatient clinic at one of five tertiary hospitals (Gyeongsangnam-do Province) between April 2014 and June 2015. Penile length was measured via stretched penile length (SPL) and testicular size was measured using orchidometry (mL).


Results
SPL in children with cryptorchidism was significantly shorter compared to a cohort of healthy Korean boys aged 6-24 months (3.7±0.5 cm and 4.3±0.8 cm, p<0.001), although there were no differences with regard to height, body weight and contralateral testicular size between the two groups. According to the stratified ages (6-12, 12-18, and 18-24 months), SPL in children with cryptorchidism was persistently shorter at their ages than those without.


Conclusions
It might be that the penile length aged 6-24 months of children with unilateral cryptorchidism is shorter than that of a cohort of healthy Korean boys.
Comparison of pharmacy-based measures of medication adherence

BACKGROUND
Pharmacy databases are commonly used to assess medication usage, and a number of measures have been developed to measure patients' adherence to medication. An extensive literature now supports these measures, although few studies have systematically compared the properties of different adherence measures.


METHODS
As part of an 18-month randomized clinical trial to assess the impact of automated telephone reminders on adherence to inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) among 6903 adult members of a managed care organization, we computed eight pharmacy-based measures of ICS adherence using outpatient pharmacy dispensing records obtained from the health plan's electronic medical record. We used simple descriptive statistics to compare the relative performance characteristics of these measures.


RESULTS
Comparative analysis found a relative upward bias in adherence estimates for those measures that require at least one dispensing event to be calculated. Measurement strategies that require a second dispensing event evidence even greater upward bias. These biases are greatest with shorter observation times. Furthermore, requiring a dispensing to be calculated meant that these measures could not be defined for large numbers of individuals (17-32 % of participants in this study). Measurement strategies that do not require a dispensing event to be calculated appear least vulnerable to these biases and can be calculated for everyone. However they do require additional assumptions and data (e.g., pre-intervention dispensing data) to support their validity.


CONCLUSIONS
Many adherence measures require one, or sometimes two, dispensings in order to be defined. Since such measures assume all dispensed medication is used as directed, they have a built in upward bias that is especially pronounced when they are calculated over relatively short timeframes (< 9 months). Less biased measurement strategies that do not require a dispensing event are available, but require additional data to support their validity.


TRIAL REGISTRATION
The study was funded by grant R01HL83433 from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and is filed as study NCT00414817 in the clinicaltrials.gov database.
A stochastic approach to traffic congestion costs

The real world is a complex dynamic and stochastic environment. This is especially true for the traffic moving daily on our roads. As such, accurate modeling that correctly considers the real-world dynamics and the inherent stochasticity is very important, especially if government will base its road tax decisions on the outcomes of these models. The contemporary traffic prices, if any, however do not reflect the external congestion costs. In order to induce road users to make the correct decision, marginal external costs should be internalized. To assess these costs, the public sector managers need accurate operational models. We show in this article that using a better representation and characterization of the road traffic, via stochastic queueing models, leads to a more adequate reflection of the congestion costs involved. Using extensive numerical experiments, we show the superiority of the stochastic traffic flow models.
Vision-based intelligent vehicles: State of the art and perspectives

Recently, a large emphasis has been devoted to Automatic Vehicle Guidance since the automation of driving tasks carries a large number of benefits, such as the optimization of the use of transport infrastructures, the improvement of mobility, the minimization of risks, travel time, and energy consumption. This paper surveys the most common approaches to the challenging task of Autonomous Road Following reviewing the most promising experimental solutions and prototypes developed worldwide using AI techniques to perceive the environmental situation by means of artificial vision. The most interesting results and trends in this field as well as the perspectives on the evolution of intelligent vehicles in the next decades are also sketched out. © 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
An e-service infrastructure for power distribution

Delivering Web services based on data collected from distributed networks of smart devices presents several business and data-integration challenges for providers. Enterprise users need a scalable, standards-based mechanism that lets them run services without becoming experts in the technical aspects of service delivery. The Inside software infrastructure attempts to provide such a solution. Inside uses the Java 2 Enterprise Edition, the Open Services Gateway Initiative, and a suite of mediation components to address issues of scalability, dynamism, and transparency.
An LDA-based Community Structure Discovery Approach for Large-Scale Social Networks

Community discovery has drawn significant research interests among researchers from many disciplines for its increasing application in multiple, disparate areas, including computer science, biology, social science and so on. This paper describes an LDA(latent Dirichlet Allocation)-based hierarchical Bayesian algorithm, namely SSN-LDA (simple social network LDA). In SSN-LDA, communities are modeled as latent variables in the graphical model and defined as distributions over the social actor space. The advantage of SSN-LDA is that it only requires topological information as input. This model is evaluated on two research collaborative networkst: CtteSeer and NanoSCI. The experimental results demonstrate that this approach is promising for discovering community structures in large-scale networks.
Value of magnetic resonance imaging in the evaluation of sex-reassignment surgery in male-to-female transsexuals*

Background: We investigated the value of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the evaluation of sex-reassignment surgery in male-to-female transsexual patients. Methods: Ten male-to-female transsexual patients who underwent sex-reassignment surgery with inversion of combined penile and scrotal skin flaps for vaginoplasty were examined after surgery with MRI. Turbo spin-echo T2-weighted and spin-echo T1-weighted images were obtained in sagittal, coronal, and axial planes with a 1.5-T superconductive magnet. Images were acquired with and without an inflatable silicon vaginal tutor. The following parameters were evaluated: neovaginal depth, neovaginal inclination in the sagittal plane, presence of remnants of the corpus spongiosum and corpora cavernosa, and thickness of the rectovaginal septum. Results: The average neovaginal depth was 7.9 cm (range = 5–10 cm). The neovagina had a correct oblique inclination in the sagittal plane in four patients, no inclination in five, and an incorrect inclination in one. In seven patients, MRI showed remnants of the corpora cavernosa and/or of the corpus spongiosum; in three patients, no remnants were detected. The average thickness of the rectovaginal septum was 4 mm (range = 3–6 mm). Conclusion: MRI allows a detailed assessment of the pelvic anatomy after genital reconfiguration and provides information that can help the surgeon to adopt the most correct surgical approach.
Teachers’ Use of Technology and Constructivism

Technology has changed the way we teach and the way we learn. Many learning theories can be used to apply and integrate this technology more effectively. There is a close relationship between technology and constructivism, the implementation of each one benefiting the other. Constructivism states that learning takes place in contexts, while technology refers to the designs and environments that engage learners. Recent efforts to integrate technology in the classroom have been within the context of a constructivist framework. The purpose of this paper is to examine the definition of constructivism, incorporating technology into the classroom, successful technology integration into the classroom, factors contributing to teachers’ use of technology, role of technology in a constructivist classroom, teacher’s use of learning theories to enable more effective use of technology, learning with technology: constructivist perspective, and constructivism as a framework for educational technology. This paper explains whether technology by itself can make the education process more effective or if technology needs an appropriate instructional theory to indicate its positive effect on the learner. Index Terms Technology, Definition, Role, Constructivism, Benefits, Factors, Learning Theory
Cs229 Problem Set #2 Solutions

Notes: (1) These questions require thought, but do not require long answers. Please be as concise as possible. (2) If you have a question about this homework, we encourage you to post your question on our Piazza forum, at https://piazza.com/stanford/fall2015/cs229. (3) If you missed the first lecture or are unfamiliar with the collaboration or honor code policy, please read the policy on Handout #1 (available from the course website) before starting work. (4) For problems that require programming, please include in your submission a printout of your code (with comments) and any figures that you are asked to plot. (5) If you are an on-campus (non-SCPD) student, please print, fill out, and include a copy of the cover sheet (enclosed as the final page of this document), and include the cover sheet as the first page of your submission. SCPD students: If you are submitting on time without using late-days, please submit your assignments through the SCPD office. Consult Piazza post 35 for details. Otherwise, please submit your assignments at as a single PDF file under 20MB in size. If you have trouble submitting online, you can also email your submission to cs229-qa@cs.stanford.edu. However, we strongly recommend using the website submission method as it will provide confirmation of submission, and also allow us to track and return your graded homework to you more easily. If you are scanning your document by cellphone, please check the Piazza forum for recommended cellphone scanning apps and best practices. 1. [15 points] Constructing kernels In class, we saw that by choosing a kernel K(x, z) = φ(x) T φ(z), we can implicitly map data to a high dimensional space, and have the SVM algorithm work in that space. One way to generate kernels is to explicitly define the mapping φ to a higher dimensional space, and then work out the corresponding K. However in this question we are interested in direct construction of kernels. I.e., suppose we have a function K(x, z) that we think gives an appropriate similarity measure for our learning problem, and we are considering plugging K into the SVM as the kernel function. However for K(x, z) to be a valid kernel, it must correspond to an inner product in some higher dimensional space resulting from some feature mapping φ. Mercer's theorem tells us that K(x, z) is a (Mercer) kernel if and only if for any finite set {x
Pain Control Program improves family caregivers ’ knowledge of cancer pain management

Background: The majority of cancer treatment is provided in outpatient settings. Family caregivers' (FCs') knowledge and beliefs about pain and its management are critical components of effective care. Objective: This study's aim was to evaluate the efficacy of a psychoeducational intervention, compared to control, to increase FCs' knowledge of cancer pain management. Intervention/method: FCs of oncology outpatients were randomized together with the patients into the PROSELF © Pain Control Program (n=58) or a control group (n=54). FCs completed a demographic questionnaire and the Family Pain Questionnaire (FPQ) at the beginning and end of the study to assess their knowledge about pain and its management. The intervention consisted of nurse coaching, home visits, and phone calls that occurred over 6 weeks. Results: One hundred and twelve FCs (60% female) with a mean age of 63 years (SD 10.7) participated. Compared to FCs in the control group, FCs in the PRO-SELF© group had significantly higher knowledge scores on all of the single items on the FPQ, except for the item "cancer pain can be relieved", as well as for the total FPQ score. Conclusion: The use of a knowledge and attitude survey like the FPQ, as part of a psychoeducational intervention provides an effective foundation for FC education about cancer pain management. Implications for practice: Oncology nurses can use FCs' responses to the FPQ to individualize teaching and spend more time on identified knowledge deficits. This individualized approach to FC education may save staff time and improve patient outcomes.
Norepinephrine turnover is increased in suprabulbar subcortical brain regions and is related to whole-body sympathetic activity in human heart failure.

BACKGROUND
Although it is established that heightened sympathetic drive exists in congestive heart failure (CHF), the reflex processes by which this may occur and the sites in the central nervous system that may be responsible for mediating this process are not yet fully elucidated.


METHODS AND RESULTS
Eight patients with moderate to severe CHF and 8 healthy control subjects underwent simultaneous arterial and bilateral internal jugular venous blood sampling and cerebral venous blood pool scanning for anatomical determination of the origin of internal jugular venous blood flow. We estimated sympathetic nervous activity by measuring total body norepinephrine (NE) spillover using radiotracer methodology and determined brain NE turnover by measuring the internal jugular overflow of NE and its lipophilic metabolites, 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylglycol. Suprabulbar subcortical turnover of NE was significantly greater in CHF patients than in the healthy group (2.77 +/- 0.75 versus 0.66 +/- 0.40 nmol/min, P<0.05). There was a significant positive correlation between suprabulbar subcortical turnover of NE and total body NE spillover (r=0.62, P=0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
This study, for the first time, demonstrates elevated suprabulbar subcortical noradrenergic activity in human CHF and identifies a positive correlation between this and the level of whole-body NE spillover. The findings suggest that the activation of noradrenergic neurons projecting rostrally from the brain stem mediates sympathetic nervous stimulation in CHF.
Gold nanocages as multifunctional materials for nanomedicine

Featured by tunable localized surface plasmon resonance peaks in the near-infrared region and hollow interiors, Au nanocages represent a novel class of multifunctional nanomaterials that have gained considerable attention in recent years. This short review summarizes our recent work on the capabilities of Au nanocages in nanomedicine. We start with a brief description of the synthesis of Au nanocages and highlight our recent protocols for the scaled-up production of Au nanocages. We then use a number of examples to illustrate how Au nanocages can contribute to nanomedicine with respect to both diagnosis and therapy.
The Development of Digital Library User Interface by Using Responsive Web Design and User Experience

The digital library has the purpose of providing services to the user, therefore, user experience factor and adjusting the display device diversity becomes the main thing to consider in building a digital library. The digital library is visited by many users because it provides a lot of information so that the existing content should be accessible anywhere, anytime and using a variety of devices. This research focuses on the design of digital library interface that adapts to the user experience and a variety of devices. The method used in this study is testing the user experience for the evaluation of digital library interface and Responsive Web Design for the development of digital library interface. The confidence interval is used as the analysis of the test data. Implementation of the user experience and Responsive Web Design in the digital library interface design proposals can improve the estimated percentage of success and task time users.
Emotion recognition from speech using global and local prosodic features

In this paper, global and local prosodic features extracted from sentence, word and syllables are proposed for speech emotion or affect recognition. In this work, duration, pitch, and energy values are used to represent the prosodic information, for recognizing the emotions from speech. Global prosodic features represent the gross statistics such as mean, minimum, maximum, standard deviation, and slope of the prosodic contours. Local prosodic features represent the temporal dynamics in the prosody. In this work, global and local prosodic features are analyzed separately and in combination at different levels for the recognition of emotions. In this study, we have also explored the words and syllables at different positions (initial, middle, and final) separately, to analyze their contribution towards the recognition of emotions. In this paper, all the studies are carried out using simulated Telugu emotion speech corpus (IITKGP-SESC). These results are compared with the results of internationally known Berlin emotion speech corpus (Emo-DB). Support vector machines are used to develop the emotion recognition models. The results indicate that, the recognition performance using local prosodic features is better compared to the performance of global prosodic features. Words in the final position of the sentences, syllables in the final position of the words exhibit more emotion discriminative information compared to the words and syllables present in the other positions. K.S. Rao ( ) · S.G. Koolagudi · R.R. Vempada School of Information Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, West Bengal, India e-mail: ksrao@iitkgp.ac.in S.G. Koolagudi e-mail: koolagudi@yahoo.com R.R. Vempada e-mail: ramu.csc@gmail.com
Supporting Social Engagement for Young Audiences with Serious Games and Virtual Environments in Museums

Considering the shift of museums towards digital experiences that can satiate the interests of their young audiences, we suggest an integrated schema for socially engaging large visitor groups. As a means to present our position we propose a framework for audience involvement with complex educational material, combining serious games and virtual environments along with a theory of contextual learning in museums. We describe the research methodology for validating our framework, including the description of a testbed application and results from existing studies with children in schools, summer camps, and a museum. Such findings serve both as evidence for the applicability of our position and as a guidepost for the direction we should move to foster richer social engagement of young crowds. Author
Multiple identities in decentralized Spain: the case of Catalonia

The persistence of a dual self-identification expressed by citizens in the Spanish Comunidades Autónomas (nationalities and regions) is one of the main features of centre-periphery relations in democratic Spain. This 'dual identity' or 'compound nationality' incorporates -in variable proportions, individually or subjectively assertedboth state/national and ethnoterritorial identities with no apparent exclusion. It characterises the ambivalent and dynamic nature of spatial politics in decentralized Spain. A succinct review of the main developments in Spain's contemporary history is carried out in order to provide a background for the discussion of the various identities expressed by citizens in Catalonia. A segmentation analysis reviews the various forms of Catalan self-identification, among which ‘duality’ is to be underlined.
Graphene-based polymer nanocomposites

The chapter gives general information about graphene, namely its structure, properties and methods of preparation, and highlights the methods for the preparation of graphene-based polymer nanocomposites.
CHARACTERIZATION AND ANTIBACTERIAL STUDY OF PUMPKIN SEED OIL (CUCURBITA PEPO)

The current research deals with the extraction, physicochemical and antimicrobial parameters of pumpkin seed oil (Cucurbita pepo) of arid zone variety of Pakistan. Pumpkin is a nutritive and unique plant commonly used as vegetable all around the world. Its seeds and rinds are mostly thrown away after use however; they are rich in proteins and fatty acids. In Pakistan usage of pumpkin is not as frequent as other vegetable and least importance is given to its seed. Therefore a present study is designed to see the physicochemical and antimicrobial properties of pumpkin seed oil (Cucurbita pepo). Results showed that the pumpkin seed oil had acid value 0.83667 (mg KOH/g oil), saponification value 194.606 (g of I2/100 g oil), peroxide value 6.74 (meq O2/kg oil), iodine value 97.9766 (g of I2/100 g oil) and ester value 193.7640 which are in range of the standard levels. Gass chromatography analysis showed the presence of five major free fatty acids linoleic acid, oleic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, and linolenic acid and among them linoleic and oleic are the major ones. The oil also showed good antimicrobial activity against S. aureus with zone of inhibition of 15 mm. Therefore, it is feasible to be used as edible oil and for other purposes.
Providers do not verify patient identity during computer order entry.

INTRODUCTION
Improving patient identification (ID), by using two identifiers, is a Joint Commission safety goal. Appropriate identifiers include name, date of birth (DOB), or medical record number (MRN).


OBJECTIVES
The objectives were to determine the frequency of verifying patient ID during computerized provider order entry (CPOE).


METHODS
This was a prospective study using simulated scenarios with an eye-tracking device. Medical providers were asked to review 10 charts (scenarios), select the patient from a computer alphabetical list, and order tests. Two scenarios had embedded ID errors compared to the computer (incorrect DOB or misspelled last name), and a third had a potential error (second patient on alphabetical list with same last name). Providers were not aware the focus was patient ID. Verifying patient ID was defined as looking at name and either DOB or MRN on the computer.


RESULTS
Twenty-five of 25 providers (100%; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 86% to 100%) selected the correct patient when there was a second patient with the same last name. Two of 25 (8%; 95% CI = 1% to 26%) noted the DOB error; the remaining 23 ordered tests on an incorrect patient. One of 25 (4%, 95% CI = 0% to 20%) noted the last name error; 12 ordered tests on an incorrect patient. No participant (0%, 0/107; 95% CI = 0% to 3%) verified patient ID by looking at MRN prior to selecting a patient from the alphabetical list. Twenty-three percent (45/200; 95% CI = 17% to 29%) verified patient ID prior to ordering tests.


CONCLUSIONS
Medical providers often miss ID errors and infrequently verify patient ID with two identifiers during CPOE.