LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Beneficial effects of the CorCap cardiac support device: five-year results from the Acorn Trial.

BACKGROUND
The CorCap cardiac support device (Acorn Cardiovascular, Inc, St Paul, Minn) is the first device that specifically addresses ventricular remodeling in heart failure by reducing wall stress. We previously reported outcomes from the Acorn randomized trial to a common closing date (22.9 months of follow-up). This report summarizes results of extended followup to 5 years.


METHODS
A total of 107 patients were enrolled in the no-mitral valve repair/replacement stratum including 57 in the CorCap treatment group and 50 in the control (optimal medical therapy alone) group. Patients were assessed every year, until completing 5 years of follow-up, for survival, adverse events, major cardiac procedures, New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional status, and echocardiograms, which were read at a core laboratory.


RESULTS
Overall survivals were similar between the treatment and control groups, demonstrating no late adverse effect on mortality. The treatment group had significant reductions in left ventricular end-diastolic volume (P = .029) as well as a small increase in sphericity index. More patients in the treatment group improved by at least 1 NYHA functional class (P = .0005). There was no difference in rates of adverse events. In a subgroup of patients with an intermediate left ventricular end-diastolic dimension, there was a significant reduction in the Kaplan-Meier estimate of the freedom from the composite end point of death and major cardiac procedures (P = .04).


CONCLUSIONS
These cumulative data demonstrate the sustained reverse remodeling of the left ventricle and the long-term safety and efficacy of the CorCap cardiac support device as an adjunctive therapy for patients with heart failure who remain symptomatic despite optimal medical therapy.
Recombinant ADAMTS13 reduces tissue plasminogen activator-induced hemorrhage after stroke in mice.

OBJECTIVE
Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is approved for treatment of acute ischemic stroke, but it increases the risk of cerebral hemorrhage. Accumulating evidence suggests that von Willebrand factor (VWF) plays a pivotal role in thrombus formation and microcirculatory disturbances after ischemic stroke. By cleaving VWF, ADAMTS13 (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with a thrombospondin type 1 motif, member 13) protects mice from stroke. Therefore, we hypothesized that recombinant ADAMTS13 (rADAMTS13) could increase the safety of tPA thrombolysis in stroke.


METHODS
We examined blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability after intraventricular injection of tPA, VWF, and rADAMTS13 in nonischemic mice. We investigated the role of rADAMTS13 on reducing tPA-induced BBB dysfunction and cerebral hemorrhage in a mouse stroke model.


RESULTS
Intraventricular injection of tPA or VWF under nonischemic conditions resulted in a significant increase in BBB permeability. In contrast, rADAMTS13 blocked both tPA- and VWF-induced BBB opening. BBB disruption following stroke was exacerbated by intravenous administration of tPA, but this was attenuated by injection of rADAMTS13. Correspondingly, tPA-associated hemorrhage after stroke was significantly reduced by rADAMTS13. The antihemorrhagic effect of rADAMTS13 was reversed by injection of recombinant VWF. We also showed that rADAMTS13 inhibited tPA-mediated upregulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in vascular endothelium after stroke. The upregulation of VEGF was suppressed by either an Akt inhibitor wortmannin or a Rho kinase inhibitor fasudil. Furthermore, rADAMTS13 downregulated tPA-induced phosphorylation of Akt and activation of RhoA.


INTERPRETATION
These findings demonstrate that the VWF-cleaving protease rADAMTS13 reduced tPA-induced hemorrhage by regulating BBB integrity, and suggest that this effect may occur through the Akt/RhoA-mediated VEGF pathways.
The Misuse of IEEE Device 52- Medium Voltage Contactors and Breakers Are Not the Same!

Many standards and specifications, related to medium voltage (MV) motor and feeder circuits, continue to center around the generic use of the IEEE Device 52 as a circuit identifier for the switching device used within those power systems. IEEE Device 52 is defined as a device that is used to close and interrupt an ac power circuit under normal conditions or to interrupt this circuit under fault or emergency conditions. Many of the current standards include detailed protection and coordination recommendations that are centered on circuit breaker protective settings. Some of these recommended protective settings can be detrimental when MV vacuum contactors are used instead of ac circuit breakers to interrupt the circuit under fault conditions such as in motor and feeder applications. This paper will outline MV contactor and breaker rating differences, compare the appropriate protection variations and requirements between the two, and highlight the dangers to personnel and equipment when assuming that a MV vacuum contactor can provide the same performance and require the same protective settings as a MV circuit breaker.
Antioxidant Activity and Total Phenolic Content of Some Brazilian Species

The antioxidant activity of extracts and fractions of six vegetal species from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest were determined. The total antioxidant activity was assessed based on the scavenging activity of the stable DPPH free radical. Eight extracts or fractions of plants showed significant DPPH scavenging activity (IC50 10.0 mg=mL) compared with the values obtained for ascorbic acid (IC50 1⁄4 8.4 mg=mL) and gallic acid (IC50 1⁄4 2.6 mg=mL). The extracts or fractions were as follows: ethanol extracts of leaves, flowers, and stems of Baccharis illinita DC., ethanol extracts of leaves and stems of B. platypoda DC., hydroalcoholic extract and ethyl acetate fraction of leaves of Cyathea phalerata Mart. and hydroalcoholic extract of bark of Trichilia catigua A. Juss. Seven flavonoids present in the plant extracts were also investigated. The most active compounds were taxifolin, quercetin, and luteolin, which possess the catechol group 30,40diOH. In addition, the total phenolic or flavonoid contents of these extracts and fractions were evaluated. The phenolic content of the sample was determined using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent and varied from 489.07 to 11.29 mg=g dry weight expressed as gallic acid equivalents (GAE). The total flavonoid concentrations, detected using 2% aluminum chloride, varied from 61.82 to 5.6 mg quercetin equivalents (QE)=g dry weight. These results suggest that the level of antioxidant activity in these plants varies by a great extent. They also suggest that the phenolic content in these plants provides substantial antioxidant activity. The flora of Brazil appears to be a rich and interesting source for supplementary ethnomedical and phytochemical studies.
Phase II randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of whole-brain irradiation with concomitant chloroquine for brain metastases

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Chloroquine (CLQ), an antimalarial drug, has a lysosomotropic effect associated with increased radiationsensibility, which is mediated by the leakage of hydrolytic enzymes, increased apoptosis, autophagy and increased oxidative stress in vitro. In this phase II study, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of radiosensibilization using CLQ concomitant with 30 Gray (Gy) of whole-brain irradiation (WBI) to treat patients with brain metastases (BM) from solid tumors.


METHODS
Seventy-three eligible patients were randomized. Thirty-nine patients received WBI (30 Gy in 10 fractions over 2 weeks) concomitant with 150 mg of CLQ for 4 weeks (the CLQ arm). Thirty-four patients received the same schedule of WBI concomitant with a placebo for 4 weeks (the control arm). All the patients were evaluated for quality of life (QoL) using the EORTC Quality of Life (QoL) Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) (Mexican version) before beginning radiotherapy and one month later.


RESULTS
The overall response rate (ORR) was 54% for the CLQ arm and 55% for the control arm (p=0.92). The progression-free survival of brain metastases (BMPFS) rates at one year were 83.9% (95% CI 69.4-98.4) for the CLQ arm and 55.1% (95% CI 33.6-77.6) for the control arm. Treatment with CLQ was independently associated with increased BMPFS (RR 0.31,95% CI [0.1-0.9], p=0.046).The only factor that was independently associated with increased overall survival (OS) was the presence of< 4 brain metastases (RR 1.9, 95% CI [1.12-3.3], p=0.017). WBI was associated with improvements in cognitive and emotional function but also with worsened nausea in both patients groups. No differences in QoL or toxicity were found between the study arms.


CONCLUSION
Treatment with CLQ plus WBI improved the control of BM (compared with the control arm) with no increase in toxicity; however, CLQ did not improve the RR or OS. A phase III clinical trial is warranted to confirm these findings.
Effectiveness of physiotherapy for lateral epicondylitis: a systematic review.

AIM
To evaluate the available evidence of the effectiveness of physiotherapy for lateral epicondylitis of the elbow.


METHOD
Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) identified by a highly sensitive search strategy in six databases in combination with reference checking. Two independent reviewers selected RCTs that included a physiotherapy intervention, patients with lateral epicondylitis, and at least one clinically relevant outcome measure. No language restrictions were made. Methodological quality was independently assessed by two blinded reviewers. A best evidence synthesis, including a quantitative and qualitative analysis, was conducted, weighting the studies with respect to their internal validity, statistical significance, clinical relevance, and statistical power.


RESULTS
23 RCTs were included in the review, evaluating the effects of lasertherapy, ultrasound treatment, electrotherapy, and exercises and mobilisation techniques. Fourteen studies satisfied at least 50% of the internal validity criteria. Except for ultrasound, pooling of data from RCTs was not possible because of insufficient data, or clinical or statistical heterogeneity. The pooled estimate of the treatment effects of two studies on ultrasound compared to placebo ultrasound, showed statistically significant and clinically relevant differences in favour of ultrasound. There is insufficient evidence either to demonstrate benefit or lack of effect of lasertherapy, electrotherapy, exercises and mobilisation techniques for lateral epicondylitis.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite the large number of studies, there is still insufficient evidence for most physiotherapy interventions for lateral epicondylitis due to contradicting results, insufficient power, and the low number of studies per intervention. Only for ultrasound, weak evidence for efficacy was found. More better designed, conducted and reported RCTs are needed.
Context-oriented and transaction-based service provisioning

This paper presents our approach for service provisioning in pervasive computing environments. The presented approach is based on the usage of context-aware features and transactions during the discovery and the deployment of composite services. Context ensures that the best service offers are selected to participate in a service composition. Transactions help in improving the reliability and efficiency of the composite services.
Building a Corpus for Named Entity Recognition using Portuguese Wikipedia and DBpedia

Some natural language processing tasks can be learned from example corpora, but having enough examples for the task at hands can be a bottleneck. In this work we address how Wikipedia and DBpedia, two freely available language resources, can be used to support Named Entity Recognition, a fundamental task in Information Extraction and a necessary step of other tasks such as Co-reference Resolution and Relation Extraction.
Functional endoscopic transnasal dacryocystorhinostomy

Endoscopic nasal surgical techniques are revolutionising the management of nasal and sinus disorders. Historically the surgical approach to the nasolacrimal sac and duct has been indirect by an external approach because of poor visualisation intranasally. The nasolacrimal apparatus is, however, intimately related to the lateral nasal wall and may readily be approached using an endoscopic technique which minimises functional interference with the physiological action of the lacrimal pump. This paper describes a technique of endoscopic intranasal dacryocystorhinostomy which has success rates comparable to those obtained by the more conventional external approach.
Biomechanical Assessment of Stabilization of Simulated Type II Odontoid Fracture with Case Study

STUDY DESIGN
Researchers created a proper type II dens fracture (DF) and quantified a novel current posterior fixation technique with spacers at C1-C2. A clinical case study supplements this biomechanical analysis.


PURPOSE
Researchers explored their hypothesis that spacers combined with posterior instrumentation (PI) reduce range of motion significantly, possibly leading to better fusion outcomes.


OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE
Literature shows that the atlantoaxial joint is unique in allowing segmental rotary motion, enabling head turning. With no intervertebral discs at these joints, multiple ligaments bind the axis to the skull base and to the atlas; an intact odontoid (dens) enhances stability. The most common traumatic injury at these strong ligaments is a type II odontoid fracture.


METHODS
Each of seven specimens (C0-C3) was tested on a custom-built six-degrees-of-freedom spine simulator with constructs of intact state, type II DF, C1-C2 PI, PI with joint capsulotomy (PIJC), PI with spacers (PIS) at C1-C2, and spacers alone (SA). A bending moment of 2.0 Nm (1.5°/sec) was applied in flexion-extension (FE), lateral bending (LB), and axial rotation (AR). One-way analysis of variance with repeated measures was performed.


RESULTS
DF increased motion to 320%, 429%, and 120% versus intact (FE, LB, and AR, respectively). PI significantly reduced motion to 41%, 21%, and 8%. PIJC showed negligible changes from PI. PIS reduced motion to 16%, 14%, and 3%. SA decreased motion to 64%, 24%, and 54%. Reduced motion facilitated solid fusion in an 89-year-old female patient within 1 year.


CONCLUSIONS
Type II odontoid fractures can lead to acute or chronic instability. Current fixation techniques use C1-C2 PI or an anterior dens screw. Addition of spacers alongside PI led to increased biomechanical rigidity over intact motion and may offer an alternative to established surgical fixation techniques.
Understanding Gay Identity Development Within the College Environment

Using grounded theory methodology, the experiences of 11 self-identified gay male college students were explored to understand how the environment contributed to the exploration and development of a gay identity. One central category (finding empowerment) and 5 integrative categories (self-acceptance, disclosure to others, environmental influences, individual factors, and exploring multiple identities) emerged from the research. Findings suggested that one’s sexual identity is complexly integrated and often at odds with other aspects of the individual’s identity.
Photons, clocks, gravity and the concept of mass

Abstract Various aspects of the concept of mass in modern physics are discussed: 1. Mass in Special Relativity, 2. Atoms in Static Gravity, 3. Photons in Static Gravity, 4. Misleading Terminology, 5. Unsolved Problems of mass.
Physician knowledge of the benefits, risks, and contraindications of tissue plasminogen activator for acute ischemic stroke.

To the Editor:

Emergency room (ER) physicians and neurologists are critical in ensuring a prompt evaluation of patients arriving at the ER within 3 hours of symptom onset and in initiating therapy with tPA. Suboptimal institutional readiness for evaluating patients with acute stroke and fear about the hemorrhagic complications among neurologists are some of the factors that can limit the widespread use of tPA, as reported by Katzan et al.1 Family physicians play an important role in educating patients at risk for stroke about the warning signs of stroke and the importance of contacting 911 as soon as these appear. Limited knowledge about the benefits and an unjustified fear of the side effects may limit stroke patients’ access to this treatment. …
EVIDENCING ENABLERS OF INNOVATION CAPABILITIES AND THEIR EFFECTS ON ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE

Innovation influences the performance of organizations by building distinctive competencies that result in sources of competitive advantage. For innovation to take place, the organization must posses innovation capability and operate in an enevironment (internal and external) with appropriate enablers which work sufficiently under a sound innovation management system. The main objective of the study was to establish the internal enablers of innovation capabilities and their effects on the organizational performance in the retail industry in Kenya. The specific objectives were; to establish the internal enablers of innovation capabilities at Nakumatt Holdings Limited; and to evaluate the role of the internal enablers of innovation capabilities on organizational performance at Nakumatt Holdings Limited. The study was guided by two theories; Resources Based View and the Capability Based View. The study population was made up of 6,500 employees of Nakumatt Holding Limited. Since all the employees could not be accessed within the study limits, the sampling frame constituted 89 employees stationed at the company’s headquarters in Nairobi. The 89 comprised of 11 senior managers, 16 line managers, 23 supervisors and 39 non-management staff. The study targeted to collect primary information from the entire sample frame using a standardized questionnaire. The data was analyzed using SPSS. Descriptive analysis involved frequencies, percentages and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Regression analysis and correlations were conducted to determine the relationship between the dependent variable and the independent variables of the study. Statistical significance level was used to infer deductions. Findings were presented using tables. The study established that clear strategies; innovative culture; learning environment and exploitation of internal resource base are some of the enablers of innovation capabilities that influence innovation at Nakumatt Holdings Limited. The study further established a positive relationship between the enablers of innovation capabilities and performance of the organization. Favorable environment for learning contributed the most to the positive organizational performance. This was followed by exploitation of internal resources; clear strategies and innovative culture. The study recommends that managers of innovation capabilities should ensure that their organizations have systems that support exchange of knowledge within and without the organization. Additionally, there is need to exploit the existing internal resources e.g. excess capacity to tap knowledge or innovate. Communication of clear strategies and enshrining of innovative culture would go a long way in ensuring successful innovation.
Supplier integration into new product development : coordinating product , process and supply chain design

In many industries, firms are seeking to cut concept to customer development time, improve quality, reduce the cost of new products and facilitate the smooth launch of new products. Prior research has indicated that the integration of material suppliers into the new product development (NPD) cycle can provide substantial benefits towards achieving these goals. This involvement may range from simple consultation with suppliers on design ideas to making suppliers fully responsible for the design of components or systems they will supply. Moreover, suppliers may be involved at different stages of the new product development process. Early supplier involvement is a key coordinating process in supply chain design, product design and process design. Several important questions regarding supplier involvement in new product development remain unanswered. Specifically, we look at the issue of what managerial practices affect new product development team effectiveness when suppliers are to be involved. We also consider whether these factors differ depending on when the supplier is to be involved and what level of responsibility is to be given to the supplier. Finally, we examine whether supplier involvement in new product development can produce significant improvements in financial returns and/or product design performance. We test these proposed relationships using survey data collected from a group of global organizations and find support for the relationships based on the results of a multiple regression analysis. # 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Learning Word Vectors for Sentiment Analysis

Publications Learning Word Vectors for Sentiment Analysis. Andrew L. Maas, Raymond E. Daly, Peter T. Pham, Dan Huang, Andrew Y. Ng, and Christopher Potts. The 49 th Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics (ACL 2011). Spectral Chinese Restaurant Processes: Nonparametric Clustering Based on Similarities. Richard Socher, Andrew Maas, and Christopher D. Manning. The 15 th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Statistics (AISTATS 2010). A Probabilistic Model for Semantic Word Vectors. Andrew L. Maas and Andrew Y. Ng. NIPS 2010 Workshop on Deep Learning and Unsupervised Feature Learning. One-Shot Learning with Bayesian Networks. Andrew L. Maas and Charles Kemp. Proceedings of the 31 st
EEG extreme delta brush: An ictal pattern in patients with anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis

INTRODUCTION
The anti-NMDA receptor (NMDAr) encephalitis-associated syndrome includes neuropsychiatric symptoms, impaired consciousness, seizures, autonomic instability, and hypoventilation. The electroencephalographic (EEG) activity throughout the course of the disease has still not been well documented. We reviewed electroclinical data of patients with NMDAr encephalitis to characterize their EEG and its clinical correlation.


MATERIAL AND METHODS
We retrospectively identified 16 patients with NMDAr encephalitis from 8 Spanish medical centers, 15 of whom underwent video-EEG in the acute phase.


RESULTS
In 15 patients (11 females, median age: 37.4, range: 14-87 years), seizures occurred in 9 (60%) and status epilepticus (SE) in 5 (33.3%). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was abnormal in 10 (66.6%), and CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) was normal in 3 and abnormal in 12, with positive PCR (polymerase chain reaction) for Mycoplasma pneumoniae (1/15) and herpes simple virus (1/15). An ovarian teratoma was found in 1 patient and other malignancies (small cell lung carcinoma) in 1 patient. The EEG was abnormal in the acute phase in 14/15 (93.3%). Extreme delta brush (EDB) was observed in 5 (33.3%), and the presence of EDB was associated with SE in all cases. Rhythmic delta activity without EDB was observed in 5 (33.3%), while excessive beta activity was present in 4 (26.6%). Extreme delta brush can follow a pattern of well-characterized electroclinical seizures.


CONCLUSIONS
Almost invariably, patients with NMDAr encephalitis had abnormal EEG. The presence of EDB, which can follow a pattern of well-characterized electroclinical seizures, in our patients was associated with seizures and SE. These findings suggest that EDB could be an evolutive pattern of an SE in NMDAr encephalitis. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled "Status Epilepticus".