LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Kinetic Oscillation Stimulation as Treatment of Acute Migraine: A Randomized, Controlled Pilot Study

OBJECTIVE
To assess the relief of migraine pain, especially in the acute phase, by comparing active treatment, ie, kinetic oscillation stimulation (KOS) in the nasal cavity, with placebo.


BACKGROUND
Exploratory trials testing the efficacy of KOS on migraine patients indicated that this treatment could be a fast-acting remedy for acute migraine pain.


METHOD
Thirty-six patients were randomized 1:1 using a placebo module to active or placebo treatment in this double-blinded parallel design study. Treatment was administered with a minimally invasive inflatable tip oscillating catheter. Symptom scores (0-10 visual analog scale) were obtained before treatment, every 5 minutes during treatment, at 15 minutes, 2, and 24 hours post-treatment, as well as daily (0-3 migraine pain scale) from 30 days pretreatment until Day 60 post. Thirty-five patients were evaluated (active n=18, placebo n=17). The primary end-point was the change in average pain score from before treatment to 15 minutes after treatment.


RESULTS
Patients who received active treatment reported reduced pain, eg, average visual analog scale pain scores fell from 5.5 before treatment to 1.2 15 minutes after, while the corresponding scores for recipients of placebo fell from 4.9 to 3.9. The changes in pain scores differed between the 2 treatments by 3.3 points (95% confidence interval: 2.3, 4.4), P<.001. Already 5 minutes into the treatment, the difference (1.9 points) was significant (P=.007). The difference was likewise significant at 2 hours post-treatment (3.7 points, P<.001). One patient experienced an adverse event (a vasovagal reaction with full spontaneous recovery) during placebo treatment.


CONCLUSION
KOS is an effective and safe treatment for acute migraine pain.
Interpretive review of conceptual frameworks and research models that inform Australia's agricultural vulnerability to climate change

Agriculture in Australia is highly vulnerable to climate change. Understanding the sector’s vulnerability is critical to developing immediate policy for the future of the agricultural industries and their communities. This review aims to identify research priorities (frameworks and models) for assessing vulnerability of the Australian agriculture sector to climate change. It achieves this through three objectives: (i) review frameworks for conceptualising vulnerability in agriculture; (ii) document operational models that may contribute to the immediate analysis of vulnerability in Australian agriculture; and (iii) identify gaps in frameworks and models capacity for analysing the vulnerability of Australian agriculture to climate change. These were achieved by undertaking a literature review and organising a workshop of Australian agricultural climate change modelling experts. Current understanding of agricultural vulnerability uses the outcome vulnerability conceptual framework, it is linear and dependant on the biophysical models which have been developed. Three priorities for biophysical modelling research were identified: expansion to cover all major agricultural industries; address spatial gaps (e.g. south-west Australia); and develop scenarios for shifting between landuses. However, there is little known on the contextual vulnerability of the Australian agricultural sector, therefore strategic investment into contextual vulnerability frameworks is necessary, i.e. open systems, multiple exogenous impacts, use qualitative methods, and generate spatially specific outcomes. Crown Copyright 2010 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Choledochal cyst due to anomalous pancreatobiliary junction in the adult: sonographic findings

Background: Adult cases of choledochal cyst due to anomalous pancreaticobiliary duct junction have been rarely reported. At present, sonography (US) is the first tool for diagnosing biliary disorders. The aim of this study was to reevaluate the US findings of choledochal cysts due to anomalous pancreaticobiliary duct junction in adults. Methods: We reviewed the clinical manifestations and US findings of 12 such adult cases confirmed by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatic ductography (ERCP). Patients were assigned to three groups: (a) associated with biliary carcinoma (two cases), (b) associated with choledocholithiasis (one case), and (c) not associated with other abdominal diseases (nine cases). Results: Patients in group c were asymptomatic, and the lesions were detected incidentally detected by US. In contrast, patients in group a sought medical care because of symptoms such as jaundice and those in group b sought medical attention because of abdominal pain. The diameter of a dilated bile duct on US was considerably less than that of ERCP (ERCP: 26–58 mm, mean = 37.6 mm; US: 13–32 mm, mean = 21.8 mm). Its diameter changed significantly under probe compression when the dilated bile duct took a purely cystic form but changed very little when it took a tubular form. Conclusion: Unlike cases in children, adult cases of choledochal cyst are generally asymptomatic. Careful US observation of the bile duct is thus expected to detect asymptomatic adult choledochal cysts cases. Cyst diameter can change significantly under probe compression, so it is important not to compress the bile duct during routine US examination.
Randomized clinical trial on Harmonic Focus shears versus clamp-and-tie technique for total thyroidectomy.

BACKGROUND
The Harmonic Focus is the last ultrasonic device designed for thyroid surgery. The aim is to assess its efficacy and safety compared with traditional dissection in a prospective randomized trial of total thyroidectomy procedures.


METHODS
Total thyroidectomy was performed in 34 patients using the Harmonic Focus, and in 34 patients using the clamp-and-tie technique.


RESULTS
In the Harmonic Focus group, relative reductions of 29% and 46% were observed in surgical time and blood loss, respectively. The number of intraoperative instrument exchanges also decreased by 70%, and use of specific materials required to achieve hemostasis decreased significantly. Safety was found to be similar in both patient groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Our study showed beneficial effects of Harmonic Focus use in thyroid surgery. Further studies therefore are needed to evaluate cost in the light of savings made in surgical time, materials needed for hemostasis, and human resources.
Evaluation of seismic deformation demands using non-linear procedures in multistory steel and concrete moment frames

A key component of performance-based seismic evaluation is the estimation of seismic demands. In FEMA-356 (FEMA, 2000b), which is now recognized as the model for future performance-based seismic codes in the US, these demands are evaluated at the component level in terms of ductility demands or plastic rotations when using non-linear procedures. Since acceptance criteria for various performance objectives are assessed in terms of local component demands, it is essential that a rational basis be established for determining such demands. Of the non-linear procedures advocated in FEMA-356, pushover procedures are becoming increasingly popular in engineering practice. However, there are still several unresolved issues in identifying appropriate lateral load patterns to be used in a pushover procedure. This paper investigates the correlation between demand estimates for various lateral load patterns used in non-linear static analysis. It also examines the rationale for using component demands over story and system demands. Results reported in the paper are based on a comprehensive set of pushover and non-linear time-history analyses carried out on eightand twelve-story steel and concrete moment frames. Findings from this study point to inconsistencies in the demands predicted by different lateral load patterns when using pushover analysis and also highlight some issues in the current understanding of local demand estimates using FEMA-based procedures.
Optimization of interpolation method for nitrate pollution in groundwater and assessing vulnerability with IPNOA and IPNOC method in Qazvin plain

Background
The presence of nitrate is one of the factors limiting the quality of groundwater resources, particularly in arid and semi-arid climates. Therefore, the knowledge about the distribution of nitrate in groundwater and its source has an effective role in protecting health. The study aimed to optimize an interpolation method to predict the nitrate concentration and assessment of aquifer vulnerability in Qazvin plain.


Methods
One hundred sixty-two deep wells in Qazvin plain aquifer were randomly selected and nitrate concentration was analyzed in four different lands including agricultural, residential, steppe and mixed-use areas. Interpolation was done by IDW, Spline, Kriging and National neighbor methods using ArcGIS software. To select the best interpolation method, errors of predicted values were determined by Mean Relative Error (RME) and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE). For analysis of potential vulnerability of aquifer to nitrate pollution due to agricultural activity and sewage leaks, hazard factors and control factors were used for identification of hazard indexes (HI) using IPNOA and IPNOC model.


Results
The results showed that in 8.82% and 18.52% of samples in agricultural and residential areas, the detected nitrate was above the acceptable level at 50 mg/L. National neighbor method with the lowest RME and Spline method with the lowest RMSE were provided the most accurate estimates of nitrates in the aquifer. The highest hazard was obtained in agricultural areas (HI = 6.11). Also, the most influential parameters on aquifer vulnerability were mineral fertilizer (HFf = 3), organic fertilizers (HFm = 3), irrigation systems (CFi = 1.04) and tillage patterns (CFap = 1.04).


Conclusions
According to the results, National neighbor with the lowest RME was preferable than the other spatial interpolation methods for prediction of nitrate concentration in the aquifer. This method provided similar spatial distribution maps of nitrate in groundwater and that was an efficient method for assessing water quality. Hazard index as a result of agricultural activities (IPNOA) was ranged from "very low" to "low" which was in accordance with detected and predicted nitrate concentration in the aquifer. In addition he hazard of nitrate contamination from household (IPNOC) was in very low (class 2).
The `Chicken and Egg' of Subjective and Social Factors in Desistance from Crime

It is now widely acknowledged that progression from persistent offending to desistance from crime is the outcome of a complex interaction between subjective/ agency factors and social/environmental factors. A methodological challenge for desistance researchers is to unravel the differential impacts of these internal and external factors and the sequence in which they come into play. Towards this, the present investigation draws on a prospective study of 130 male property offenders, interviewed in the 1990s (the Oxford Recidivism Study), and followed up 10 years later. The analysis supports a ‘subjective–social model’ in which subjective states measured before release have a direct effect on recidivism as well as indirect effects through their impact on social circumstances experienced after release from prison.
Non-Edible Plant Oils as New Sources for Biodiesel Production

Due to the concern on the availability of recoverable fossil fuel reserves and the environmental problems caused by the use those fossil fuels, considerable attention has been given to biodiesel production as an alternative to petrodiesel. However, as the biodiesel is produced from vegetable oils and animal fats, there are concerns that biodiesel feedstock may compete with food supply in the long-term. Hence, the recent focus is to find oil bearing plants that produce non-edible oils as the feedstock for biodiesel production. In this paper, two plant species, soapnut (Sapindus mukorossi) and jatropha (jatropha curcas, L.) are discussed as newer sources of oil for biodiesel production. Experimental analysis showed that both oils have great potential to be used as feedstock for biodiesel production. Fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) from cold pressed soapnut seed oil was envisaged as biodiesel source for the first time. Soapnut oil was found to have average of 9.1% free FA, 84.43% triglycerides, 4.88% sterol and 1.59% others. Jatropha oil contains approximately 14% free FA, approximately 5% higher than soapnut oil. Soapnut oil biodiesel contains approximately 85% unsaturated FA while jatropha oil biodiesel was found to have approximately 80% unsaturated FA. Oleic acid was found to be the dominant FA in both soapnut and jatropha biodiesel. Over 97% conversion to FAME was achieved for both soapnut and jatropha oil.
Counseling in fetal medicine: evidence-based answers to clinical questions on morbidly adherent placenta.

Although the incidence of morbidly adherent placenta (MAP) has risen progressively in the last two decades, there remains uncertainty about the diagnosis and management of this condition. The aim of this review is to provide up-to-date and evidence-based answers to common clinical questions regarding the diagnosis and management of MAP. Different risk factors have been associated with MAP; however, previous Cesarean section and placenta previa are the most frequently associated. Ultrasound is the primary method for diagnosing MAP and has a good overall diagnostic accuracy for its detection. When considering the different ultrasound signs of MAP, color Doppler seems to provide the best diagnostic performance. Magnetic resonance imaging has the same accuracy in diagnosing MAP as does ultrasound examination; its use should be considered when a resective procedure, such as hysterectomy, is planned as it can provide detailed information about the topography of placental invasion and predict difficulties that may arise in surgery. The optimal gestational age for delivery in pregnancies with MAP is yet to be established; planning surgery between 34 and 36 weeks of gestation provides the best balance between fetal maturity and the risk of unexpected episodes of heavy bleeding, which are more likely to occur with delivery after this timepoint, especially in severe cases of MAP. The optimal surgical approach to MAP depends on multiple factors, including availability of an experienced team, specific surgical skills and hospital resources. Copyright © 2015 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Incidence of central nervous system metastases in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer treated with pertuzumab, trastuzumab, and docetaxel: results from the randomized phase III study CLEOPATRA

BACKGROUND
Results from the phase III trial CLEOPATRA in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive first-line metastatic breast cancer demonstrated significant improvements in progression-free and overall survival with pertuzumab, trastuzumab, and docetaxel over placebo, trastuzumab, and docetaxel. We carried out exploratory analyses of the incidence and time to development of central nervous system (CNS) metastases in patients from CLEOPATRA.


PATIENTS AND METHODS
Patients received pertuzumab/placebo: 840 mg in cycle 1, then 420 mg; trastuzumab: 8 mg/kg in cycle 1, then 6 mg/kg; docetaxel: initiated at 75 mg/m(2). Study drugs were administered i.v. every 3 weeks. The log-rank test was used for between-arm comparisons of time to CNS metastases as first site of disease progression and overall survival in patients with CNS metastases as first site of disease progression. The Kaplan-Meier approach was used to estimate median time to CNS metastases as first site of disease progression and median overall survival.


RESULTS
The incidence of CNS metastases as first site of disease progression was similar between arms; placebo arm: 51 of 406 (12.6%), pertuzumab arm: 55 of 402 (13.7%). Median time to development of CNS metastases as first site of disease progression was 11.9 months in the placebo arm and 15.0 months in the pertuzumab arm; hazard ratio (HR) = 0.58, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.39-0.85, P = 0.0049. Overall survival in patients who developed CNS metastases as first site of disease progression showed a trend in favor of pertuzumab, trastuzumab, and docetaxel; HR = 0.66, 95% CI 0.39-1.11. Median overall survival was 26.3 versus 34.4 months in the placebo and pertuzumab arms, respectively. Treatment comparison of the survival curves was not statistically significant for the log-rank test (P = 0.1139), but significant for the Wilcoxon test (P = 0.0449).


CONCLUSIONS
While the incidence of CNS metastases was similar between arms, our results suggest that pertuzumab, trastuzumab, and docetaxel delays the onset of CNS disease compared with placebo, trastuzumab, and docetaxel.


CLINICALTRIALSGOV
NCT00567190.
EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR INDIVIDUAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL GROWTH

Organizational performance and its resultant efficiency and effectiveness can only be achieved when individuals are continuously appraised and evaluated. The inability of organization to install an effective performance appraisal strategy has hindered them from achieving competitive advantage which they require more now than ever before. Appraisal processes are not systematic and regular and often characterized by personal influences occasioned by organizations preoccupation to use confidential appraisal system which hinders objectivity and fairness. Often organizations ignore management by objectives, critical incidents to personal prejudices. This is retrogressive as it affects the overall performance of the individual. 360 degrees appraisal method whereby superiors and the appraise their subordinates, subordinates appraise their superior and the appraisee appraise himself or herself and the average of all the appraisal taken to arrive at the final appraisal outcome should be now be considered by organizations. Also post appraisal counseling whereby the appraisal outcomes are analyzed to explain strengths and weaknesses and set agenda for better future performance. Organizations should stop giving less attention to the evaluation of their employees and recognize that organizational training needs can only be identified from performance appraisal outcomes. It is an invaluable tool but in the hands of human resource management officers to continuously evaluates and audits the performance of its employees in other to help organizations win competitive advantage.
Percutaneous lumbar pedicle screw placement aided by computer-assisted fluoroscopy-based navigation: perioperative results of a prospective, comparative, multicenter study.

STUDY DESIGN
Institutional review board-approved, prospective, multicenter, comparative study.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the accuracy and utility of a computer-assisted fluoroscopic navigation method for percutaneous placement of lumbar pedicle screws compared with conventional fluoroscopic placement.


SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA
Recent reports indicate that cortical breaches during percutaneous pedicle screw placement can exceed 15%. Computed tomography (CT)- and fluoroscopy-based navigation systems may facilitate increased placement accuracy with reduced radiation exposure and operative times.


METHODS
Patients were alternately assigned to either the Guidance or Control group. The Guidance group underwent lumbar pedicle screw placement using the oblique visualization technique and computer-assisted fluoroscopic navigation. The Control group underwent lumbar pedicle screw placement per standard percutaneous technique aided by fluoroscopy alone. Baseline demographics, visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores, and American Spinal Injury Association scores were obtained preoperatively and in the immediate postoperative period. Fluoroscopy times and guidewire insertion times were recorded intraoperatively. All postoperative CT scans were reviewed by an independent spine surgeon to grade screw placement accuracy.


RESULTS
Forty-two patients (210 screws) were assigned to the Guidance group and 34 patients (152 screws) were assigned to the Control group. Use of Guidance resulted in reduced average fluoroscopy usage per pedicle [6.6 sec (SD = 5.1) vs. 9.6 sec (SD 6.2), P < 0.001] and more expedient placement of guidewires per pedicle [3.65 min (SD = 2.31) vs. 4.43 min (SD = 2.56), P = 0.003]. The Guidance group experienced less than half of the breach rate of the Control group (3.0% vs. 7.2%, P = 0.055) and reduced breach magnitudes. None of the breaches resulted in a corresponding neurological deficit or required revision. All patient-reported outcomes were significantly improved after surgery and there were no significant differences in average postoperative VAS scores between treatment groups.


CONCLUSION
Use of Guidance reduces fluoroscopy and insertion times with increased accuracy compared with conventional fluoroscopic methods of percutaneous pedicle screw insertion.
Bandwidth estimation: metrics, measurement techniques, and tools

In a packet network, the terms “bandwidth” or “throughput” often characterize the amount of data that the network can transfer per unit of time. Bandwidth estimation is of interest to users wishing to optimize end-to-end transport performance, overlay network routing, and peer-to-peer file distribution. Techniques for accurate bandwidth estimation are also important for traffic engineering and capacity planning support. Existing bandwidth estimation tools measure one or more of three related metrics: capacity, available bandwidth, and bulk transfer capacity (BTC). Currently available bandwidth estimation tools employ a variety of strategies to measure these metrics. In this survey we review the recent bandwidth estimation literature focusing on underlying techniques and methodologies as well as open source bandwidth measurement tools.
Plastics Completely Synthesized by Bacteria: Polyhydroxyalkanoates

Abstract Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) produced by many bacteria have been investigated by microbiologists, molecular biologists, biochemists, chemical engineers, chemists, polymer experts, and medical researchers over the past many years. Applications of PHA as bioplastics, fine chemicals, implant biomaterials, medicines, and biofuels have been developed. Companies have been established or involved in PHA-related R&D as well as large-scale production. PHA synthesis has been found to improve the robustness of non-PHA-producing microorganisms and to regulate bacterial metabolism, leading to yield improvement for some bacterial fermentation products. In addition, amphiphilic proteins related to PHA synthesis including PhaP, PhaZ, and PhaC have been found to be useful for achieving protein
Generating Paraphrases from DBPedia using Deep Learning

Recent deep learning approaches to Natural Language Generation mostly rely on sequence-to-sequence models. In these approaches, the input is treated as a sequence whereas in most cases, input to generation usually is either a tree or a graph. In this paper, we describe an experiment showing how enriching a sequential input with structural information improves results and help support the generation of paraphrases.
TextOntoEx: Automatic ontology construction from natural English text

Most of existing ontologies construction tools support construction of ontological relations (e.g., taxonomy, equivalence, etc.) but they do not support construction of domain relations, non-taxonomic conceptual relationships (e.g., causes, caused by, treat, treated by, has-member, contain, material-of, operated-by, controls, etc.). Domain relations are found mainly in text sources. TextOntoEx constructs ontology from natural domain text using semantic pattern-based approach. TextOntoEx is a chain between linguistic analysis and ontology engineering. TextOntoEx analyses natural domain text to extract candidate relations and then maps them into meaning representation to facilitate constructing ontology. The paper explains this approach in more details and discusses some experiments on deriving ontology from natural text. 2007 Published by Elsevier Ltd.