LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Supplementation with bio-calcium from shells Pinctada maxima in postmenopausal women with decreased mineral bone density--pilot study.

INTRODUCTION
Treatment of osteoporosis, in addition to a specific antiresorptive or anabolic treatment, requires supplementation with calcium and vitamin D. Widespread cultivation of pearl shells has made pearls available for commercial use for a very reasonable price. The main chemical compound of pearls from shells Pinctada maxima is calcium-carbonate (CaCO3). Recently developed technologies applied in a micronisation process have provided increased gastrointestinal resorption of calcium, estimated at over 90% of calcium intake.


OBJECTIVE
The paper is aimed at monitoring of efficacy and tolerance of six-month bio-calcium supplementation in postmenopausal women with reduced bone mineral density.


METHODS
Group 1 (30 patients) received, three times a day, capsules of pearl powder from shells Pinctada maxima (it is equal to 260 mg of elementary calcium); group II (20 patients) received a daily dose of 500 mg inorganic CaCO3. Both groups received 666 IU of cholecalciferol per day. In all patients, bone mineral density (BMD) of the spine or hip, serum blood and urine levels of Ca, phosphates and alkaline phosphatase, were measured before and after six months of the treatment.


RESULTS
Group I/Group II: average age 61.7/61.7 years; beginning of menopause: 48.32 /48 years; menopause duration 13.4/13.7 years; average body mass index 27.2/27 kg/m2. These two groups did not different significantly before supplementation. Six-month supplementation with CaCO3 of the biological origin led to the increase of BMD from 0.901 g/cm2 to 0.948 g/cm2 (p = 0.067), while BMD remained the same in the group supplemented with inorganic CaCO3 Gastrointestinal tolerability of bio-calcium was excellent, without any adverse events.


CONCLUSION
These data could not strongly support the hypothesis of better efficacy of bio-calcium taking into account a small number of patients and a short follow-up period in this pilot study. Tolerance of CaCO3 of the biological origin was excellent and free of any adverse events. The results of laboratory values were within normal range.
Using temporal patterns of interactions to design effective automated searching assistance

We b search engines effectively support searching of short queries, with session durations of typically 15 minutes , while providing limited searching assistance to the user. However, Web search engines are less effective in the more complex searching situations in which users lack the domain knowledge or contextual awareness to use the system effectively. User uncertainty about the information needs, the content space, or the system's capabilities typify these types of searches. The interactions among searcher, system, and content are more multifaceted. Current research indicates that approximately 15% of user sessions on the Web are more complex searching episodes [3]. Assistance from the search engine can improve the searching experience for the user. There has been considerable work on developing contextual help and recommender systems to aid searchers. However, prior work has noted that searchers seldom utilize this support , resulting in ineffective or inefficient searches. Issues hindering the use of these automated assistance systems may result from a lack of understanding, on the part of the system , about the information task, and when users desire assistance. The negative aspects of task interruption for searchers may negate whatever benefits the assistance provides. Prior research indicates there are typical patterns of interactions between searchers and systems [4]. It would seem reasonable to leverage these patterns to provide searching assistance to aid the user, with the goal of improving the outcome of the search process. However, beyond simple assistance (for example , spelling corrections for query terms), the results have been mixed [1]. Certainly, the cognitive load of information seeking in these contextual situations is high. The interjection of assistance into the search process may be too much of a cognitive load, requiring a task switch from focusing on the search process to mentally processing the assistance. Therefore, searchers ignore or improperly implement the assistance. Some researchers are investigating an approach that is more synergistic with the search process. Assistance is offered when the searcher is most receptive to it. This is in contrast to system intervention at every step in the search process or when the system deems there is a need for assistance. Assistance synchronized with the user's searching process helps reduces the cognitive effort required for task
Technology Entrepreneurship : Overview , Definition , and Distinctive Aspects

Previous definitions from the literature do not explore and identify: the ultimate outcome of technology entrepreneurship; the target of the ultimate outcomes; the mechanism used to deliver the ultimate outcomes; or the nature of the interdependence between technology entrepreneurship and scientific and technological advances. Moreover, a new definition should explicitly link technology entrepreneurship to the theory of the firm, entrepreneurship theory, and management theory.
Hypogonadism and pubertal development in Prader-Willi syndrome

 Genital abnormalities and disorders of pubertal development such as hypogonadism are common in Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS). Depending on age, PWS patients present genital hypoplasia and delayed or incomplete gonadal maturation. Nevertheless, only a few evaluations have been made of these findings in this syndrome; in the cases previously reported the diagnosis of PWS has often been based only on clinical criteria and not confirmed by genetic analysis. In this paper we describe both external genital findings and spontaneous pubertal development in 84 patients aged from 2.1 to 35.4 (42 males, 42 females) affected by PWS. Diagnosis was made using the Holm and Cassidy criteria and was confirmed by genetic analysis (methylation test and/or FISH). We evaluated the presence of cryptorchidism, scrotal development, length of penis and volume of testis in males and outlook of labia minora and/or clitoris, age of menarche and features of menses (when present) in females; in both sexes we also evaluated the onset of puberty. All recruited males showed cryptorchidism, which was bilateral in 36 out of 42 patients (86%); 38 patients (90%) underwent orchidopexy. Small testes and scrotal hypoplasia were present in 76% and 69% of cases, respectively. In 76% of females, hypoplasia or absence of labia minora and/or clitoris was described. Spontaneous menarche occurred only in 14/32 cases (44%) over the age of 15 years, but menstrual cycles were often a periodical vaginal spotting. Primary amenorrhea was diagnosed in 56% of cases. Isolated premature pubarche was present in six males and in six females (14% of cases) while one male and two females were affected by precocious puberty (3.6%). Conclusion: Hypogonadism represents a common clinical feature in PWS, confirming the importance of such a major diagnostic criterion. Cryptorchidism was consistently present in all our cases. Patients with PWS commonly fail to spontaneously complete puberty, although some patients may have early pubarche or, more rarely, precocious puberty. In older subjects, hormonal replacement therapy is not always necessary and it must be reserved for selected patients.
Acute effects of intravenous nicorandil on hemodynamics in patients hospitalized with acute decompensated heart failure.

BACKGROUND
Nicorandil injection, a potent vasodilator with K(ATP) channel opening action and nitrate-like action, has been used for treatment of unstable angina. In the present investigation, we examined the effect of intravenous nicorandil on hemodynamics in patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF).


METHODS
ADHF patients admitted to hospital with pulmonary artery wedge pressure (PAWP)≥18 mm Hg were enrolled. Patients received nicorandil by an intravenous bolus injection of 0.2mg/kg/5 min followed by continuous infusion at a rate of 0.05, 0.10, or 0.20mg/kg/h for 6h.


RESULTS
Nicorandil administration caused a significant decrease in PAWP and increase in the cardiac index (CI) that began immediately after the injection and were maintained during the continuous infusion. After 6h, nicorandil administration at 0.2mg/kg/5 min followed by 0.20mg/kg/h resulted in a decrease in PAWP (26.5%, p<0.01), an increase in CI (15.8%, p<0.05), and a decrease in total peripheral resistance (13.8%, p<0.01) in a dose-dependent manner. Nicorandil decreased blood pressure significantly, without an excessive decrease or negative impact even in patients with lower systolic blood pressure.


CONCLUSION
Intravenous administration of nicorandil, by bolus injection followed by continuous infusion, improves PAWP and CI in ADHF patients immediately and continuously as a potent vasodilator with combined preload and afterload reduction. These results demonstrate that nicorandil is a safe and effective new medication for the treatment of ADHF.
The ABC model and its applicability to basal angiosperms.

BACKGROUND
Although the flower is the central feature of the angiosperms, little is known of its origin and subsequent diversification. The ABC model has long been the unifying paradigm for floral developmental genetics, but it is based on phylogenetically derived eudicot models. Synergistic research involving phylogenetics, classical developmental studies, genomics and developmental genetics has afforded valuable new insights into floral evolution in general, and the early flower in particular.


SCOPE AND CONCLUSIONS
Genomic studies indicate that basal angiosperms, and by inference the earliest angiosperms, had a rich tool kit of floral genes. Homologues of the ABCE floral organ identity genes are also present in basal angiosperm lineages; however, C-, E- and particularly B-function genes are more broadly expressed in basal lineages. There is no single model of floral organ identity that applies to all angiosperms; there are multiple models that apply depending on the phylogenetic position and floral structure of the group in question. The classic ABC (or ABCE) model may work well for most eudicots. However, modifications are needed for basal eudicots and, the focus of this paper, basal angiosperms. We offer 'fading borders' as a testable hypothesis for the basal-most angiosperms and, by inference, perhaps some of the earliest (now extinct) angiosperms.
Bimanual motor deficits in older adults predicted by diffusion tensor imaging metrics of corpus callosum subregions

Age-related changes in the microstructural organization of the corpus callosum (CC) may explain declines in bimanual motor performance associated with normal aging. We used diffusion tensor imaging in young (n = 33) and older (n = 33) adults to investigate the microstructural organization of seven specific CC subregions (prefrontal, premotor, primary motor, primary sensory, parietal, temporal and occipital). A set of bimanual tasks was used to assess various aspects of bimanual motor functioning: the Purdue Pegboard test, simultaneous and alternating finger tapping, a choice reaction time test and a complex visuomotor tracking task. The older adults showed age-related deficits on all measures of bimanual motor performance. Correlation analyses within the older group showed that white matter fractional anisotropy of the CC occipital region was associated with bimanual fine manipulation skills (Purdue Pegboard test), whereas better performance on the other bimanual tasks was related to higher fractional anisotropy in the more anterior premotor, primary motor and primary sensory CC subregions. Such associations were less prominent in the younger group. Our findings suggest that structural alterations of subregional callosal fibers may account for bimanual motor declines in normal aging.
Counterfactual distributions with sample selection adjustments: Econometric theory and an application to the Netherlands

Several recent papers use the quantile regression decomposition method of Machado and Mata (2005) to analyze the gender gap in log wages across the distribution. Since employment rates often differ substantially by gender, sample selection is potentially a serious issue for such studies. To address this issue, we extend the Machado-Mata technique to account for selection. In addition, we prove that this procedure yields consistent and asymptotically normal estimates of the quantiles of the counterfactual distribution that it is designed to simulate. We illustrate our approach by analyzing the gender log wage gap between men and women who work full time in the Netherlands. Because the fraction of women working full time in the Netherlands is quite low, this is a case in which sample selection is clearly important. We find a positive selection of women into full-time work and find that about two thirds of this selection is due to observables such as education and experience with the remainder due to unobservables. Our decompositions show that the majority of the gender gap across the log wage distribution is due to differences between men and women in the distributions of returns to labor market characteristics rather than to differences in the distributions of the characteristics themselves.
Interferon alpha-2c therapy of patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia: long-term results of a multicenter phase-II study

 In a prospective multicenter phase-II trial 80 patients with Philadelphia (Ph)-positive chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) were treated with recombinant interferon (IFN)α-2c, administered subcutaneously at an absolute dose of 3.5 megaunits (MU)/day. Complete hematological remission was achieved in 29 (39%) and partial hematological remission in 26 (35%) of the 74 patients evaluable for response. Major cytogenetic responses were observed in ten (13%) and minor cytogenetic responses in 11 patients (15%). Median duration of cytogenetic response was 33 months (range, 2–90); relapses were seen in all of the 11 patients with minor and in three of the ten patients with major cytogenetic responses. Median survival estimates for pretreated (n=19) and untreated (n=58) patients were 51 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 30–72) and 77 months (95% CI, 43–111), and the survival probabilities at 5 years were 45% and 54% for the two groups, respectively. Hematological response after 3 months of treatment demonstrated a clear-cut discriminative capacity with 5-year survival probabilities of 100%, 67% and 24% for patients achieving CHR (n=6), PHR (n=34), and less than PHR (n=35), respectively. Landmark analysis at 12, 18, and 24 months after start of IFN therapy and an analysis treating time to cytogenetic response as a time-dependent covariate showed that cytogenetic response was associated with longer survival. The impact of a low-dose IFN regimen on survival in CML patients is unclear and requires further clarification by randomized clinical trials. Early hematological and cytogenetic response to IFN-α treatment identifies patients with a favorable long-term prognosis.
Effects and feasibility of a multi-disciplinary orientation program for newly registered cancer patients: design of a randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND
Diagnosis and treatment of cancer can contribute to psychological distress and anxiety amongst patients. Evidence indicates that information giving can be beneficial in reducing patient anxiety, so oncology specific information may have a major impact on this patient group. This study investigates the effects of an orientation program on levels of anxiety and self-efficacy amongst newly registered cancer patients who are about to undergo chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy in the cancer care centre of a large tertiary Australian hospital.


METHODS
The concept of interventions for orienting new cancer patients needs revisiting due to the dynamic health care system. Historically, most orientation programs at this cancer centre were conducted by one nurse. A randomised controlled trial has been designed to test the effectiveness of an orientation program with bundled interventions; a face-to-face program which includes introduction to the hospital facilities, introduction to the multi-disciplinary team and an overview of treatment side effects and self care strategies. The aim is to orientate patients to the cancer centre and to meet the health care team. We hypothesize that patients who receive this orientation will experience lower levels of anxiety and distress, and a higher level of self-efficacy.


DISCUSSION
An orientation program is a common health care service provided by cancer care centres for new cancer patients. Such programs aim to give information to patients at the beginning of their encounter at a cancer care centre. It is clear in the literature that interventions that aim to improve self-efficacy in patients may demonstrate potential improvement in health outcomes. Yet, evidence on the effects of orientation programs for cancer patients on self-efficacy remains scarce, particularly with respect to the use of multidisciplinary team members. This paper presents the design of a randomised controlled trial that will evaluate the effects and feasibility of a multidisciplinary orientation program for new cancer patients.


TRIAL REGISTRATION
Current Controlled Trials ACTRN12609000018213.
Trends in steganography

Methods for embedding secret data are more sophisticated than their ancient predecessors, but the basic principles remain unchanged.
NMR T2 Distributions in the Eagle Ford Shale: Reflections on Pore Size

Production of oil from organic shale reservoirs is a function of porosity, hydrocarbon saturation, pore pressure, matrix permeability, and hydraulic fracture surface area plus fracture conductivity. Hydraulic fracture surface area, porosity, saturations and pore pressure dominate initial production rates. Matrix permeability becomes increasingly important in sustaining production later in time. Permeability measurements to oil from organic shale core samples are not commercially available today. However, permeability to oil is believed to be a function of pore throat size, wettability, and water saturation, the same as a conventional reservoir. This work investigates pore size, wettability, and expelled hydrocarbon volumes using log and core-based nuclear magnetic resonance data from the Eagle Ford Shale focused on the comprehensive evaluation of one well. Comparisons with core porosity measurements, scanning electron microscope images (SEM) and mercury injection capillary pressure tests (MICP) are compared with the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) interpretation for calibration and validation. The NMR T2 distribution is partitioned into regions of bound and producible free fluid. Two types of pore systems are present in the Eagle Ford Shale; kerogen-hosted (OM) and inter/intra particle (IP). Bore hole logs indicate the upper Eagle Ford Shale is dominated by IP porosity, and the lower Eagle Ford Shale is dominated by OM porosity. Core NMR indicates OM pores are hydrocarbon wet while IP pores have mixed wettability. Core pore fluids are not representative of in-situ conditions as the lighter portion of the hydrocarbons have been expelled during core recovery. Comparison between log and core measured NMR allows the quantification of the expelled hydrocarbon those zones with the “best” producibility. Understanding which portion of a shale reservoir contains producible fluids impacts target zone selection.
Glycemic control with insulin glargine plus insulin glulisine versus premixed insulin analogues in real-world practices: a cost-effectiveness study with a randomized pragmatic trial design.

BACKGROUND
Cost can be an important consideration, along with safety and efficacy, in deciding the most appropriate treatment for patients with type 2 diabetes. Both basal-bolus and premixed insulin analogue regimens are widely used in clinical practice; however, limited information is available regarding cost-effectiveness.


OBJECTIVE
The goal of this study was to compare glycemic control, cost-effectiveness, and quality of life effects of insulin glargine plus insulin glulisine (glargine/glulisine) versus premixed insulin analogues in real-world clinical practice.


METHODS
Adults with type 2 diabetes (glycosylated hemoglobin [HbA(1c)] ≥7.0%) at 3 US endocrinology centers were randomly assigned to receive either glargine/glulisine or premixed insulin analogues and continued treatment following the centers' usual practice. HbA(1c), weight, insulin dose, concomitant oral antidiabetic drug (OAD) usage, and hypoglycemia were evaluated at baseline and 3, 6, and 9 months. Medication costs, including costs for all insulin or OAD regimens, were estimated using published wholesale acquisition costs.


RESULTS
A total of 197 patients were randomized to receive glargine/glulisine therapy (n = 106) or premixed analogue therapy (n = 91). Overall, the mean age was 56 years, the mean duration of diabetes was 13 years, with a mean HbA(1c) of 9.25% and mean BMI of 35.8 kg/m(2) at baseline. Patients randomized to receive glargine/glulisine had a greater mean HbA(1c) reduction from baseline (-2.3%) than patients receiving a premixed analogue regimen (-1.7%). Adjusted mean follow-up HbA(1c) was 6.9% versus 7.5%, respectively (difference, -0.59%; P < 0.01). The glargine/glulisine group also used a lower mean number of OADs (0.86 vs 1.14; difference, -0.28; P = 0.04) but had a higher weight (240 vs 235 lb; difference, 4.55 lb; P = 0.03) than the premixed analogue group at follow-up. There were no significant differences in daily insulin dose and rates of hypoglycemia. Overall medication costs per 1.0% reduction in HbA(1c) were $841 with glargine/glulisine and $1308 with premixed analogues.


CONCLUSIONS
Overall, treatment with glargine/glulisine provided greater improvement in glycemic control and may represent a more cost-effective treatment option than premixed regimens for patients with type 2 diabetes in real-world clinical practice. However, due to the pragmatic trial design, the study concluded before follow-up assessments were available for all randomized patients.
Why do creative industries cluster? An analysis of the determinants of clustering of creative industries

Creative industries tend to concentrate mainly around largeand medium-sized cities, forming creative local production systems. The text analyses the forces behind clustering of creative industries to provide the first empirical explanation of the determinants of creative employment clustering following a multidisciplinary approach based on cultural and creative economics, evolutionary geography and urban economics. A comparative analysis has been performed for Italy and Spain. The results show different patterns of creative employment clustering in both countries. The small role of historical and cultural endowments, the size of the place, the average size of creative industries, the productive diversity and the concentration of human capital and creative class have been found as common factors of clustering in both countries.
On active contour models and balloons

The use.of energy-minimizing curves, known as “snakes,” to extract features of interest in images has been introduced by Kass, Witkhr & Terzopoulos (Znt. J. Comput. Vision 1, 1987,321-331). We present a model of deformation which solves some of the problems encountered with the original method. The external forces that push the curve to the edges are modified to give more stable results. The original snake, when it is not close enough to contours, is not attracted by them and straightens to a line. Our model makes the curve behave like a balloon which is inflated by an additional force. The initial curve need no longer be close to the solution to converge. The curve passes over weak edges and is stopped only if the edge is strong. We give examples of extracting a ventricle in medical images. We have also made a first step toward 3D object reconstruction, by tracking the extracted contour on a series of successive cross sections.