LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Nail psoriasis as a severity indicator: results from the PsoReal study

BACKGROUND
Although nail psoriasis affects a substantial proportion of psoriasis patients and causes significant psychologic distress, few epidemiologic data characterizing patients with nail involvement are available. The aim of this research was to elucidate differences between patients with nail psoriasis and those without any nail involvement, taking quality indicators of health care from the patient's perspective into account.


METHODS
In total, 2449 patient members of the Deutscher Psoriasis Bund, the largest patient organization for psoriasis in Germany, were interviewed in this nationwide, noninterventional, cross-sectional study. Patients with nail psoriasis were compared with patients without any nail involvement with regard to gender, age, disease duration, affected body surface area, health-related quality of life (Dermatology Life Quality Index [DLQI] ED-5D), patient-defined treatment benefit, amount of inpatient treatments, disease duration, and numbers of work days lost.


RESULTS
Data from 2449 patients with psoriasis were analyzed. Overall, 44.8% (1078) of patients were female, mean age was 57.0 ± 11.7 years, and 72.8% had nail involvement and showed higher values for affected body surface area than those without nail involvement (8.3% versus 5.6%, respectively; P < 0.004). Health-related quality of life was significantly lower in patients with nail psoriasis (DLQI 7.2 versus 5.3; ED-5D 60.1 versus 67.3), who had more days off work (9.8 versus 3.3).


CONCLUSION
Nail involvement is an important symptom of psoriasis and is associated with greater disease severity and quality of life impairment. Accordingly, management of psoriasis should include a special focus on nail involvement.
Predictors of Risky Sexual Behavior among Adolescents in Tanzania

Studies on sexual behavior among adolescents are fundamental in understanding and fighting against outcomes of unprotected sex that include unplanned/unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. This survey conducted among in- and out-of-schools adolescents measured prevalence of sexual behavior variables, including risky sexual behavior and associated factors. Risky sexual behavior was defined as having first sex before 16 years, inconsistent condom use and having multiple sexual partners. About 30% of adolescents reported being sexually active; a higher proportion being among males than females and 24.5% of sexually active adolescents reported having multiple sexual partners. More males (37%) reported having multiple sexual partners than females (26%). Nearly 48% of unmarried sexually active adolescents reported having used a condom during the most recent sexual intercourse. Predictors of risky sexual behavior were being male, young age (10–14 years) and being inschool. Preventive information and education should take into consideration these factors.
A Fuzzy Logic Approach to solve Unit Commitment and Economic Dispatch Problem

Unit commitment optimization for the scheduling of units and effective load sharing among thermal units is extensively used in electrical power system planning. The target of unit commitment optimization will be economical when the criteria is to test the best combination of thermal units to serve the load with the optimium load sharing among units satisfying various constraints like load demand, voltages limits, power generations, spinning reserves within defined range and minimize operating cost without effecting the system. An approach for solving unit commitment based on the Lagrangian Algorithm and Fuzzy Logic has been proposed for the optimal scheduling of thermal units. Lagrange algorithm is based on equal incremental cost curve technique and widely used in different environments where other conventional or unconventional methods are failed for economic dispatch consideration. It gives better result for load sharing of units than other conventional methods. An artificial intelligence techniques based on Fuzzy Logic is also proposed for optimization of operating cost and power generation. It is reflected that numerical problems through fuzzy logic gives feasible and economical cost for power system operation. A set of linguistic fuzzy rules are developed to establish relationship between inputs and outputs for the development of fuzzy controller. The programming of all the algorithms has been implemented in MATLAB environment on Intel Atom Processor with 1.66 GHz frequency and 1 GB RAM. Fuzzy Logic Approach to solve such kind of problems has been studied in this work.
Exercise and obesity in fibromyalgia: beneficial roles of IGF-1 and resistin?

INTRODUCTION
Severe fatigue is a major health problem in fibromyalgia (FM). Obesity is common in FM, but the influence of adipokines and growth factors is not clear. The aim was to examine effects of exercise on fatigue, in lean, overweight and obese FM patients.


METHODS
In a longitudinal study, 48 FM patients (median 52 years) exercised for 15 weeks. Nine patients were lean (body mass index, BMI 18.5 to 24.9), 26 overweight (BMI 25 to 29.9) and 13 obese. Fatigue was rated on a 0 to 100 mm scale (fibromyalgia impact questionnaire [FIQ] fatigue) and multidimensional fatigue inventory (MFI-20) general fatigue (MFIGF). Higher levels in FIQ fatigue and MFIGF indicate greater degree of fatigue. Free and total IGF-1, neuropeptides, adipokines were determined in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).


RESULTS
Baseline FIQ fatigue correlated negatively with serum leptin (r=-0.345; P=0.016) and nerve growth factor (NGF; r=-0.412; P=0.037). In lean patients, baseline MFIGF associated negatively with serum resistin (r=-0.694; P=0.038). FIQ Fatigue associated negatively with CSF resistin (r=-0.365; P=0.073). Similarly, FIQ fatigue (r=-0.444; P=0.026) and MFIGF correlated negatively with CSF adiponectin (r=-0.508; P=0.01). In lean patients, FIQ fatigue (P=0.046) decreased after 15 weeks. After 30 weeks, MFIGF decreased significantly in lean (MFIGF: P=0.017), overweight (MFIGF: P=0.001), and obese patients (MFIGF: P=0.016). After 15 weeks, total IGF-1 increased in lean (P=0.043) patients. ∆Total IGF-1 differed significantly between lean and obese patients (P=0.010). ∆Total IGF-1 related negatively with ∆MFIGF after 15 weeks (r=-0.329; P=0.050). After 30 weeks, ∆FIQ fatigue negatively correlated with ∆NGF (r=-0.463; P=0.034) and positively with ∆neuropeptide Y (NPY) (r=0.469; P=0.032). Resistin increased after 30 weeks (P=0.034). ∆MFIGF correlated negatively with ∆resistin (r=-0.346; P=0.031), being strongest in obese patients (r=-0.815; P=0.007). In obese patients, ∆FIQ fatigue after 30 weeks correlated negatively with ∆free IGF-1 (r=-0.711; P=0.032).


CONCLUSIONS
Exercise reduced fatigue in all FM patients, this effect was achieved earlier in lean patients. Baseline levels of resistin in both serum and CSF associated negatively with fatigue. Resistin was increased after the exercise period which correlated with decreased fatigue. Changes in IGF-1 indicate similar long-term effects in obese patients. This study shows reduced fatigue after moderate exercise in FM and indicates the involvement of IGF-1 and resistin in these beneficial effects.


TRIAL REGISTRATION
ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00643006.
Childhood Maltreatment and Psychopathology: Prospective Tests of Attachment, Cognitive Vulnerability, and Stress as Mediating Processes

A childhood history of maltreatment is a distal risk factor for depression, although less research has examined the proximal mechanisms for this relation. To address this question, three theoretically derived mechanisms were tested as mediators: an insecure attachment style, a negative cognitive style, and negative life events. These mediating processes were examined in two prospective studies. In the first, young adults (n = 652) completed a detailed self-report measure assessing a childhood history (before age 14) of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. In the second, an independent sample of young adults (n = 75) were interviewed with a well-validated, objective, contextual threat interview that assesses a childhood history (before age 14) of physical, sexual, and psychological abuse as well as the surrounding familial context of emotional neglect, antipathy, discipline, and discord. In both studies, participants completed measures of the proposed mediators as well as anxiety and depressive symptoms at 2 time points (10-week interval in Study 1 and 2-year interval in Study 2). Across both studies, a childhood history of emotional maltreatment and adversity specifically predicted prospective elevations of depressive symptoms, whereas no specific form of childhood maltreatment predicted anxiety symptoms after controlling for initial symptoms and overlap among forms of maltreatment. Further, support was found for the proposed mediating processes. An insecure attachment style, a negative cognitive style, and negative events helped to account for the link between childhood maltreatment and later depressive symptoms in young adulthood.
A decision support system for stock investment recommendations using collective wisdom

a r t i c l e i n f o Previous research has shown that user-generated stock votes from online communities can be valuable for investment decisions. However, to support investors on a day-today basis, there is a need for an efficient support system to facilitate the use of the data and to transform crowd votes into actionable investment opportunities. We propose a decision support system (DSS) design that enables investors to include the crowd's recommendations in their investment decisions and use it to manage a portfolio. A prototype with two test scenarios shows the potential of the system as the portfolios recommended by the system clearly outperform the market benchmark and comparable public funds in the observation period in terms of absolute returns and with respect to the Reward-to-Variability-Ratio. The rise of user-generated content on the Internet enabled a wider public to participate in online content creation and publication without the need for deep technical expertise. The technical possibility to centrally aggregate the local contributions of a large crowd enables the creation of artifacts which are of equal or superior quality than those made by experts in the domain. Wikipedia, as an example, reaches a comparable quality to the renowned Britannica [19], solely depending on the contributions of a diverse anonymous crowd. This effect, coined as " wisdom of crowds " [41], is based on the diversity in information possession and processing of the individual members and is evident in a number of problem solving situations such as judging, estimating or decision making [18,28]. Estimation tasks are a problem class where group judgments prove to perform extraordinarily well. The reason behind is an effect called bracketing [39], which refers to the high likeliness that a part of the crowd will overestimate, while another part will underestimate the true value. Hence, averaging all judgments will lead to a more accurate judgment than that of the average judge [26]. Take an example: two people estimate the outside temperature for the next day as 60 °F and 80 °F, while the true temperature will be 73 °F. The estimates were wrong by 13 °F and 7 °F, or 10 °F on average. However, the mean of the two estimates, 60 °F and 80 °F, which is 70 °F, is off by only 3 °F. So using deviation as a measure, the average judgment outperforms the average judge [cf. 26]. One form …
The mind possessed : the cognition of spirit possession in an Afro-Brazilian religious tradition

“Why spirits?” asks Emma Cohen (97)—why are concepts of intentional and agentive supernatural beings such as spirits and gods so prevalent cross-culturally? What makes them appealing, contagious, and lasting? And what kinds of assumptions about the world and its workings do they entail and do they generate? In Th e Mind Possessed, Cohen off ers us some answers; to some degree by appealing to her ethnography of the Afro-Brazilian practice of batuque in the Amazon-bordering town of Belém, but mostly by subordinating particularistic concerns to what she considers more general ‘scientifi c’ ones. However, it may be the questions, rather than the answers, that merit revising. Cohen holds that the minds of human beings are constrained by certain tacit (and largely unconscious) assumptions about the natural and social world, inherited from our evolutionary past (‘naive biology’, for instance; or, more important in this case, ‘theory of mind’, consistent with the modularity thesis). Following authors such as Barrett (1999, 2004), Boyer (1994, 2001), and Sperber (1996), she argues that the spirit beliefs that are likely to be transmitted from one person to the next generally consist of a balance of intuitive (the spirit has thoughts and feelings) and counterintuitive principles (the spirit has a mind but no body). Furthermore, spirits (such as orixás) are catchy ideas because they are socially relevant—they are believed to have access to crucial ‘strategic information’, and this keeps people coming back. Possession, Cohen explains, is an interpretation of what can be regarded as a relatively normal ‘alternative state of consciousness’, one based on the over-attribution of agency, both from the perspective of the possessed and from that of his or her audience (“subtle contextual cues and psychological biases come into play” on both ends [131]). Comparatively little attention is given to the structure and experience of possession, or to how it is properly learned and developed over time, which strikes this reader as paradoxical given the author’s concern with explaining the continued existence of these phenomena. By disembedding the conceptual from the phenomenological, Cohen ends up not being able to say much about the ‘cognition’ leading up to and of spirit possession itself, ‘on the ground’ (as she oft en says), which is a historical, intersubjective process, some aspects of which are shared and others unique to each person. In other words, because she separates so determinately native explanations from the so-called objective ones, Cohen is unable to transform ethnographic categories into vital analytical ones, permitting a rather one-sided conversation to take place. Th at the former kinds of explanations are relegated to the status of ‘beliefs’—by
Modeling and analysis applications in manufacturing system design and development

This thesis demonstrates how modeling and analysis tools, particularly simulation tools, can be used to facilitate the design of a manufacturing system. The study is based on visits performed at eight large US manufacturers during the summer 1994. It reflects on the practices encountered at these companies for the design of plants, on the tools identified and examined which help this design process, and on methodologies and policies that contribute to an efficient use of modeling tools. The main types of modeling tools identified are described in a high level way. Their benefits are stressed in light of the fundamental objectives of the development process as observed at the participating companies: risk control, time and cost reduction, quality and flexibility achievment. A particular emphasis is given to dynamic tools, or simulation. It is shown that two types of simulation can be performed and lead to different benefits: simulation for predictions or simulation for insight into a system. A model development process methodology is presented, along with recommendations on how to involve all key players in the model building phase: system people, model builders and decision makers. It is argued that this practice greatly improves the usefulness of the model, its acceptance and the learning associated with it. Characteristics of a useful model, and selection criteria for commercial tools are then examined. The fundamental conclusion drawn from the practices of the companies visited is that leverage can be achieved through more communication between model builders, and more interactions between models. It is recommended that harmonization of tools across divisions be aimed at, and that corporate standards be set for modeling tools. Integration of tools used for complementary analyses is also encouraged, and a method to facilitate it is presented. Communication through users' groups or online is suggested as a way to promote the use of modeling. Thesis Supervisor: Professor Kevin Otto Title: Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering
HIV, multidrug-resistant TB and depressive symptoms: when three conditions collide

BACKGROUND
Management of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) patients co-infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is highly challenging. Such patients are subject to long and potentially toxic treatments and may develop a number of different psychiatric illnesses such as anxiety and depressive disorders. A mental health assessment before MDR-TB treatment initiation may assist in early diagnosis and better management of psychiatric illnesses in patients already having two stigmatising and debilitating diseases.


OBJECTIVE
To address limited evidence on the baseline psychiatric conditions of HIV-infected MDR-TB patients, we aimed to document the levels of depressive symptoms at baseline, and any alteration following individualized clinical and psychological support during MDR-TB therapy, using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) tool, among HIV-infected patients.


DESIGN
This was a retrospective review of the medical records of an adult (aged >15 years) HIV/MDR-TB cohort registered for care during the period of August 2012 through to March 2014.


RESULTS
A total of 45 HIV/MDR-TB patients underwent baseline assessment using the PHQ-9 tool, and seven (16%) were found to have depressive symptoms. Of these, four patients had moderate to severe depressive symptoms. Individualized psychological and clinical support was administered to these patients. Reassessments were carried out for all patients after 3 months of follow-up, except one, who died during the period. Among these 44 patients, three with baseline depressive symptoms still had depressive symptoms. However, improvements were observed in all but one after 3 months of follow-up.


CONCLUSION
Psychiatric illnesses, including depressive symptoms, during MDR-TB treatment demand attention. Routine administration of baseline mental health assessments by trained staff has the potential to assist in determining appropriate measures for the management of depressive symptoms during MDR-TB treatment, and help in improving overall treatment outcomes. We recommend regular monitoring of mental health status by trained counsellors or clinical staff, using simple, validated and cost-effective tools.
ICD-10 coding algorithms for defining comorbidities of acute myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND
With the introduction of ICD-10 throughout Canada, it is important to ensure that Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) comorbidities employed in risk adjustment methods remain valid and robust. Therefore, we developed ICD-10 coding algorithms for nine AMI comorbidities, examined the validity of the ICD-10 and ICD-9 coding algorithms in detection of these comorbidities, and assessed their performance in predicting mortality. The nine comorbidities that we examined were shock, diabetes with complications, congestive heart failure, cancer, cerebrovascular disease, pulmonary edema, acute renal failure, chronic renal failure, and cardiac dysrhythmias.


METHODS
Coders generated a comprehensive list of ICD-10 codes corresponding to each AMI comorbidity. Physicians independently reviewed and determined the clinical relevance of each item on the list. To ensure that the newly developed ICD-10 coding algorithms were valid in recording comorbidities, medical charts were reviewed. After assessing ICD-10 algorithms' validity, both ICD-10 and ICD-9 algorithms were applied to a Canadian provincial hospital discharge database to predict in-hospital, 30-day, and 1-year mortality.


RESULTS
Compared to chart review data as a 'criterion standard', ICD-9 and ICD-10 data had similar sensitivities (ranging from 7.1-100%), and specificities (above 93.6%) for each of the nine AMI comorbidities studied. The frequencies for the comorbidities were similar between ICD-9 and ICD-10 coding algorithms for 49,861 AMI patients in a Canadian province during 1994-2004. The C-statistics for predicting 30-day and 1 year mortality were the same for ICD-9 (0.82) and for ICD-10 data (0.81).


CONCLUSION
The ICD-10 coding algorithms developed in this study to define AMI comorbidities performed similarly as past ICD-9 coding algorithms in detecting conditions and risk-adjustment in our sample. However, the ICD-10 coding algorithms should be further validated in external databases.
Does corporate social responsibility impact on employee engagement ?

Purpose – Despite the claim that internal corporate social responsibility plays an important role, the understanding of this phenomenon has been neglected. This paper intends to contribute to fill this gap by looking into the relation between CSR and employee engagement. Design/methodology/approach – A survey research was conducted and three different groups of respondents were faced with three different CSR scenarios (general, internal, external) and respondents’ employee engagement was measured. Findings – The results show that there are no statistically significant differences in levels of engagement between employees exposed to external and internal CSR practices. Nevertheless, employees exposed to internal CSR are more engaged than those exposed only to external CSR practices. Research limitations/implications – The use of scenarios, although a grounded approach, involves risks, including the difficulty of participants to put themselves in a fictional situation. Also, the scale used to measure employee engagement puts the emphasis on work rather than on the organisation. Practical implications – Although this study is not conclusive it raises the need for companies to look at their CSR strategy in a holistic approach, i.e. internal and external. Originality/value – This paper represents a contribution to understand CSR strategic status and the need to enlighten the impact that social responsible practices can have on employees’ engagement.
Contrast compensation by fuzzy classification and image illumination analysis for back-lit and front-lit color face images

Conventional contrast enhancement methods have two shortcomings. First, most of them do not produce satisfactory enhancement results for face images with back-lit or front-lit. Second, most of them need transformation functions and parameters which are specified manually. Thus, this paper proposes an automatic and parameter-free contrast compensation algorithm for skin detection in color face images. This method includes following steps: First, RGB color space is transformed to YIQ color space. Second, fuzzy logic is used to classify the color images into three categories: back-lit, normal-lit, and front-lit. Third, image illumination analysis is used to analyze the image distribution. Fourth, the input image is compensated by piecewise linear based enhancement method. Finally, the compensation image is transformed back to RGB color space. Our experiments included various color and gray face images. Experiment results show that the performance of the proposed compensation method is better than other available methods in skin detection and visual perception measurements.