LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
A 665μW silicon photomultiplier-based NIRS/EEG/EIT monitoring asic for wearable functional brain imaging

Functional brain imaging is considered a powerful and practical solution for understanding the brain and neurological diseases. While EEG is an established method for non-invasive electrical activity, electrical-impedance tomography (EIT) and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) can additionally measure impedance changes and hemodynamic processes. To facilitate long-term multi-channel brain imaging in a wearable form factor without cabling overhead, there is a need for low-power local amplifiers [1] to support all these modalities. The main principle of optical hemodynamic measurements is to send light pulses into the tissue and measure the reflected light, which is modulated by the oxygen levels in the blood (Fig. 17.8.1). State-of-the-art NIRS ICs typically consume a few mW, primarily for the LEDs to meet the required light sensitivity at the photodiodes (PDs). Silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) are promising alternatives because they have excellent low-light detection capabilities, speed of response and higher detection efficiency in both visible and near infrared range [2]. Hence, SiPMs allow deeper brain sensing depth and the possibility to sample consistent cerebral regions with larger inter-optode distance. This benefit would significantly reduce the number of NIRS channels and the associated power for a wearable NIRS device. Although SiPMs require a higher bias voltage (∼30V) than PDs, they achieve similar NIRS responses with a few hundred times less LED current. This results in a low-power NIRS ASIC and an overall power-efficient system. Existing optical sensing ICs are not suitable for a SiPM because of its large and variable output current. Trimming-based calibration methods [3] suffer from drift over time. Auto-zeroing by swapping an integrator capacitor [4][5] compensates ambient light at the cost of the integrator's headroom. Apart from ambient light, the dynamic range (DR) of the amplifier is also limited by a large NIRS signal, leading to a power-hungry readout.
Transitional feedback schedules during computer-based problem-solving practice

Feedback has a strong influence on effective learning from computer-based instruction. Prior research on feedback in computer-based instruction has mainly focused on static feedback schedules that employ the same feedback schedule throughout an instructional session. This study examined transitional feedback schedules in computer-based multimedia instruction on procedural problem-solving in electrical circuit analysis. Specifically, we compared two transitional feedback schedules: the TFS-P schedule switched from initial feedback after each problem step to feedback after a complete problem at later learning states; the TFP-S schedule transitioned from feedback after a complete problem to feedback after each problem step. As control conditions, we also considered two static feedback schedules, namely providing feedback after each practice problem-solving step (SFS) or providing feedback after attempting a complete multi-step practice problem (SFP). Results indicate that the static stepwise (SFS) and transitional stepwise to problem (TFS-P) feedback produce higher problem solving near-transfer post-test performance than static problem (SFP) and transitional problem to step (TFP-S) feedback. Also, TFS-P resulted in higher ratings of program liking and feedback helpfulness than TFP-S. Overall, the study results indicate benefits of maintaining high feedback frequency (SFS) and reducing feedback frequency (TFS-P) compared to low feedback frequency (SFP) or increasing feedback frequency (TFP-S) as novice learners acquire engineering problem solving skills. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A comparison of nasal trauma in preterm infants extubated to either heated humidified high-flow nasal cannulae or nasal continuous positive airway pressure

The objectives of this study were (1) to devise a nasal trauma score for preterm infants receiving non-invasive respiratory support, (2) to compare the incidence of nasal trauma in preterm infants <32 weeks gestation randomised to either nasal continuous positive airway pressure (NCPAP) or heated humidified high-Flow nasal cannulae (HHHFNC), in the first 7 days post-extubation and (3) to assess the effect of two different nasal dressings in those assigned to NCPAP. We randomly assigned preterm ventilated infants to receive Vapotherm® HHHFNC or NCPAP post-extubation. Infants receiving HHHFNC were treated with Sticky Whiskers® and infants receiving NCPAP received either Sticky Whiskers® or Cannualaide® nasal dressings. Bedside nursing staff scored six sites on each infant’s nose for erythema, bleeding or ulceration. Scores were recorded three times daily for the first 7 days post-extubation. The sum of these 21 scores was used as the summary measure of nasal trauma. The mean nasal trauma score for infants assigned HHHFNC was 2.8 (SD 5.7) compared to 11.7 for NCPAP (SD 10.4), p < 0.001. There was no difference in mean trauma score between infants on NCPAP assigned Sticky Whiskers® 14.4 (SD 12.5) or Cannualaide® 9.5 (SD 7.3), p = 0.06. Conclusion: HHHFNC resulted in significantly less nasal trauma in the first 7 days post-extubation than NCPAP and was most significant in infants <28 weeks of gestation. The use of protective dressings was not associated with decreased nasal trauma for infants on NCPAP.
Cursor control by Kalman filter with a non-invasive body–machine interface

OBJECTIVE
We describe a novel human-machine interface for the control of a two-dimensional (2D) computer cursor using four inertial measurement units (IMUs) placed on the user's upper-body.


APPROACH
A calibration paradigm where human subjects follow a cursor with their body as if they were controlling it with their shoulders generates a map between shoulder motions and cursor kinematics. This map is used in a Kalman filter to estimate the desired cursor coordinates from upper-body motions. We compared cursor control performance in a centre-out reaching task performed by subjects using different amounts of information from the IMUs to control the 2D cursor.


MAIN RESULTS
Our results indicate that taking advantage of the redundancy of the signals from the IMUs improved overall performance. Our work also demonstrates the potential of non-invasive IMU-based body-machine interface systems as an alternative or complement to brain-machine interfaces for accomplishing cursor control in 2D space.


SIGNIFICANCE
The present study may serve as a platform for people with high-tetraplegia to control assistive devices such as powered wheelchairs using a joystick.
Treatment decision-making and the form of risk communication: results of a factorial survey

BACKGROUND
Prospective users of preventive therapies often must evaluate complex information about therapeutic risks and benefits. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of relative and absolute risk information on patient decision-making in scenarios typical of health information for patients.


METHODS
Factorial experiments within a telephone survey of the Michigan adult, non-institutionalized, English-speaking population. Average interview lasted 23 minutes. Subjects and sample design: 952 randomly selected adults within a random-digit dial sample of Michigan households. Completion rate was 54.3%.


RESULTS
When presented hypothetical information regarding additional risks of breast cancer from a medication to prevent a bone disease, respondents reduced their willingness to recommend a female friend take the medication compared to the baseline rate (66.8% = yes). The decrease was significantly greater with relative risk information. Additional benefit information regarding preventing heart disease from the medication increased willingness to recommend the medication to a female friend relative to the baseline scenario, but did not differ between absolute and relative risk formats. When information about both increased risk of breast cancer and reduced risk of heart disease were provided, typical respondents appeared to make rational decisions consistent with Expected Utility Theory, but the information presentation format affected choices. Those 11% - 33% making decisions contrary to the medical indications were more likely to be Hispanic, older, more educated, smokers, and to have children in the home.


CONCLUSIONS
In scenarios typical of health risk information, relative risk information led respondents to make non-normative decisions that were "corrected" when the frame used absolute risk information. This population sample made generally rational decisions when presented with absolute risk information, even in the context of a telephone interview requiring remembering rates given. The lack of effect of gender and race suggests that a standard strategy of presenting absolute risk information may improve patient decision-making.
[Effects of individualized nutritional education programs on the level of nutrient intake and nutritional status of colorectal cancer patients undergoing palliative chemotherapy].

PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an individualized nutritional education programs on nutrient intake and nutritional status of patients with colorectal cancer who are undergoing palliative chemotherapy.


METHODS
Forty patients with colorectal cancer (19 experimental and 21 control patients) were recruited from a chemotherapy ward at S University Hospital in Seoul, Korea. The experimental group received two individualized nutritional counseling sessions and two telephone counseling sessions over 6 weeks. The control group received nutritional counseling after completion of data collection. Nutritional education included general guidelines for food intake while receiving chemotherapy, dietary guidelines for patients with colorectal cancer, daily meal schedules to overcome cancer, and dietary guideline for each chemotherapy side effect. Data were analyzed using χ²-test and t-test with the SPSS program 17.0.


RESULTS
Two group comparison revealed that the experimental group had significantly improved calorie (p=.038) and total protein intake (p=.001), and serum albumin percentage change (p=.040). Body weight did not increase but remained the same as the baseline in both groups.


CONCLUSION
Study results indicate that this individualized nutritional education programs are effective in enhancing nutrient intake and nutritional status of patients with colorectal cancer who are undergoing palliative chemotherapy.
A Semantic Kernel to Classify Texts with Very Few Training Examples

Advanced techniques to access the information distributed on the Web often exploit automatic text categorization to filter out irrelevant data before activating specific searching procedures. The drawback of such approach is the need of a large number of training documents to train the target classifiers. One way to reduce such number relates to the use of more effective document similarities based on prior knowledge. Unfortunately, previous work has shown that such information (e.g. WordNet) causes the decrease of retrieval accuracy. In this paper, we propose kernel functions to use prior knowledge in learning algorithms for document classification. Such kernels implement balanced and statistically coherent document similarities in a vector space by means of the term similarity based on the WordNet hierarchy. Cross-validation results show the benefit of the approach for Support Vector Machines when few training examples are available.
CT angiography (CTA) and diagnostic performance of noninvasive fractional flow reserve: results from the Determination of Fractional Flow Reserve by Anatomic CTA (DeFACTO) study.

OBJECTIVE
Fractional flow reserve (FFR) computed from standard coronary CT scans (FFRCT) is a novel noninvasive method for determining the functional significance of coronary artery lesions. Compared with CT alone, FFRCT significantly improves diagnostic accuracy and discrimination for patients with and without hemodynamically significant coronary artery stenoses. To date, the impact of CT image quality on diagnostic performance of FFRCT is unknown. We evaluated the impact of patient preparation, CT scan protocol, and factors related to image quality on the diagnostic accuracy of FFRCT.


SUBJECTS AND METHODS
We studied stable patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD), enrolled from 17 centers, who underwent CT, invasive coronary angiography, FFR, and FFRCT. The accuracy of CT and FFRCT for diagnosis of ischemia was compared against an invasive FFR reference standard. Anatomically obstructive CAD was defined by a stenosis value of at least 50 by CT or invasive coronary angiography, whereas ischemia was defined by an FFR or FFRCT of up to 0.80. Ischemia was assessed at the per-patient and per-vessel levels. Diagnostic performance of FFRCT was then evaluated in relation to patient preparation, including administration before CT of a β-blocker or nitroglycerin, as well as in relation to imaging characteristics, including misalignment, noise, motion, and coronary artery calcium.


RESULTS
Among 252 study participants, 137 (54.0%) had an abnormal FFR. Administration of a β-blocker increased FFRCT specificity (51.0% vs 66.0%; p = 0.03) with lower bias (-0.084 vs -0.048; p = 0.008), whereas nitroglycerin pretreatment within 30 minutes of CT was associated with improved specificity (54.0% vs 75.0%; p = 0.013). Misalignment artifacts resulted in impaired sensitivity (43.0% vs 86.0%; p = 0.001) with resultant reductions in overall accuracy (56.0% vs 71.0%; p = 0.03). No differences in diagnostic performance of FFRCT were noted in the presence of coronary motion or increasing coronary artery calcium score.


CONCLUSION
Use of β-blockade and nitroglycerin administration before CT improve diagnostic performance of FFRCT. Diagnostic accuracy of FFRCT is significantly reduced in the setting of misalignment artifacts.
Family history of premature coronary heart disease and coronary artery calcification: Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).

BACKGROUND
A family history of premature coronary heart disease (CHD) is a known risk factor for CHD events. The purpose of this study was to assess the strength of the association between a family history of premature CHD and coronary artery calcification (CAC) in a multiethnic cohort of asymptomatic individuals. We also sought to determine whether individuals with a reported family history of premature CHD have an increased atherosclerotic burden among those classified as being at low to intermediate risk on the basis of the conventional Framingham risk score.


METHODS AND RESULTS
The association of family history of premature CHD with CAC was assessed in 5347 asymptomatic individuals (47% men; mean age 62+/-10 years) in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). The demographics (age, gender, and race)-adjusted OR for CAC > 0 with versus without a family history of premature CHD was 1.94 (95% CI, 1.64 to 2.29). On adjustment for CHD risk factors, the association was slightly attenuated to an OR of 1.84 (95% CI, 1.55 to 2.19). Family history of premature CHD was significantly associated with CAC in all ethnic groups. The age-, gender-, and race-adjusted prevalence of CAC > 0 was significantly higher with presence of any family history of premature CHD than for those with no family history of premature CHD among individuals classified as low risk (35% versus 23%, P<0.0001) and among those at intermediate risk (70% versus 60%, P=0.01). Similarly, the prevalence of age-gender-race-based CAC > or = 75th percentile in low-risk (24% versus 14%, P=0.0003) and intermediate-risk (34% versus 20%, P<0.001) individuals was also higher among those with a family history of premature CHD. Compared with those without a family history of premature CHD, the association with the presence of CAC was strongest in participants reporting such history in both a parent and a sibling (odds ratio, 2.74; 95% CI, 1.64 to 4.59), followed by those reporting a family history in a sibling only (odds ratio, 2.06; 95% CI, 1.64 to 2.58) and those reporting a family history of premature CHD only in a parent (odds ratio, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.19 to 1.93).


CONCLUSIONS
An association between family history of premature CHD and the presence of any CAC, as well as advanced CAC, was observed in the present population-based multiethnic study. The relationship was independent of other risk factors and Framingham risk score, which supports the utility of including information on family history of premature CHD in current methods of global risk assessment and practice guidelines.
Gender roles and their influence on life prospects for women in urban Karachi, Pakistan: a qualitative study


BACKGROUND
Pakistan is a patriarchal society where men are the primary authority figures and women are subordinate. This has serious implications on women's and men's life prospects.


OBJECTIVE
The aim was to explore current gender roles in urban Pakistan, how these are reproduced and maintained and influence men's and women's life circumstances.


DESIGN
Five focus group discussions were conducted, including 28 women representing employed, unemployed, educated and uneducated women from different socio-economic strata. Manifest and latent content analyses were applied.


FINDINGS
TWO MAJOR THEMES EMERGED DURING ANALYSIS: 'Reiteration of gender roles' and 'Agents of change'. The first theme included perceptions of traditional gender roles and how these preserve women's subordination. The power gradient, with men holding a superior position in relation to women, distinctive features in the culture and the role of the extended family were considered to interact to suppress women. The second theme included agents of change, where the role of education was prominent as well as the role of mass media. It was further emphasised that the younger generation was more positive to modernisation of gender roles than the elder generation.


CONCLUSIONS
This study reveals serious gender inequalities and human rights violations against women in the Pakistani society. The unequal gender roles were perceived as static and enforced by structures imbedded in society. Women routinely faced serious restrictions and limitations of autonomy. However, attainment of higher levels of education especially not only for women but also for men was viewed as an agent towards change. Furthermore, mass media was perceived as having a positive role to play in supporting women's empowerment.
Pedestrian Tracking by Associating Tracklets using Detection Residuals

Due to increased interest in visual surveillance, various multiple object tracking methods have been recently proposed and applied to pedestrian tracking. However in presence of intensive inter-object occlusion and sensor gaps, most of these methods result in tracking failures. We present a two-stage multi-object tracking approach to robustly track pedestrians in such complex scenarios. We first generate high confidence partial track segments (tracklets) using a robust pedestrian detector and then associate the tracklets in a global optimization framework. Unlike the existing two-stage tracking methods, our method uses the unasso- ciated low confidence detections (residuals) between the tracklets, which improves the tracking performance. We evaluate our method on the CAVIAR dataset and show that our method performs better than state-of-the-art methods.
Observed-predicted length of stay for an acute psychiatric department, as an indicator of inpatient care inefficiencies. Retrospective case-series study.

BACKGROUND
Length of stay (LOS) is an important indicator of efficiency for inpatient care but it does not achieve an adequate performance if it is not adjusted for the case mix of the patients hospitalized during the period considered. After two similar studies for Internal Medicine and Surgery respectively, the aims of the present study were to search for Length of Stay (LOS) predictors in an acute psychiatric department and to assess the performance of the difference: observed-predicted length of stay, as an indicator of inpatient care inefficiencies.


METHODS
Retrospective case-series of patients discharged during 1999 from the Psychiatric Department from General Hospital "Hermanos Ameijeiras" in Havana, Cuba. The 374 eligible medical records were randomly split into two groups of 187 each. We derived the function for estimating the predicted LOS within the first group. Possible predictors were: age; sex; place of residence; diagnosis, use of electroconvulsive therapy; co morbidities; symptoms at admission, medications, marital status, and response to treatment. LOS was the dependent variable. A thorough exam of the patients' records was the basis to assess the capacity of the function for detecting inefficiency problems, within the second group.


RESULTS
The function explained 37% of LOS variation. The strongest influence on LOS came from: age (p = 0.002), response to treatment (p < 0.0001), the dummy for personality disorders (p = 0.01), ECT therapy (p = 0.003), factor for sexual and/or eating symptoms (p = 0.003) and factor for psychotic symptoms (p = 0.025). Mean observed LOS is 2 days higher than predicted for the group of records with inefficient care, whereas for the group with acceptable efficiency, observed mean LOS was 4 days lower than predicted. The area under the ROC curve for detecting inefficiencies was 69%


CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrates the importance of possible predictors of LOS, in an acute care Psychiatric department. The proposed indicator can be readily used to detect inefficiencies.
Personal and Professional Boundary Attitudes and Effective Group Leadership in Classrooms

ABSTRACT The influence of personal boundary orientation (Boundary and Fusion dimensions of the Personal Boundary Questionnaire) and views on classroom boundary regulation (Classroom Boundary Questionnaire) on effective group leadership was studied by observation in classrooms of 8 male and 22 female elementary school teachers. A preference for higher personal boundaries was associated with a preference for greater regulation of classroom boundaries, which was in turn associated with less boundary-related activity in the classroom. Classrooms with less boundary-related activity had less active deviancy (all correlations p < .05). Tendencies toward fusion were not associated with differences in classroom management attitudes or behavior, but teachers with greater fusion tendencies had classrooms with less work involvement and a social climate characterized by more competition and friction (My Class Inventory scales). Personal and professional boundary attitudes helped to account for differences among teache...