LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Nonsubsampled shearlet based CT and MR medical image fusion using biologically inspired spiking neural network

This paper presents a new fusion scheme for the CT and MR medical images that utilizes both the features of the nonsubsampled shearlet transform (NSST) and spiking neural network. As a new image representation with the different features, the NSST is utilized to provide an effective representation of the image coefficients. Firstly, the source CT and MR images are decomposed by the NSST into several subimages. The regional energy is used to fuse the low frequency coefficients. High frequency coefficients are also fused using a pulse coupled neural network model that is used as a biologically inspired type neural network. It also retains the edges and detail information from the source images. Finally, the inverse NSST is agnetic resonance (MR) onsubsampled shearlet transform (NSST) ulse coupled neural network used to produce the fused image. The performance of the proposed fusion method is evaluated by conducting several experiments on the different CT and MR medical image datasets. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method does not only produce better results by successfully fusing the different CT and MR images, but also ensures an improvement in the various quantitative parameters as compared to other existing methods. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Cultural influences on leadership and organizations: Project GLOBE.

Add list of 170 authors and their institutions here. * The authors are indebted to Markus Hauser, University of Zurich, for his thoughtful comments and suggestions relevant to this monograph. 2 ABSTRACT GLOBE is both a research program and a social entity. The GLOBE social entity is a network of 170 social scientists and management scholars from 61 cultures throughout the world, working in a coordinated long-term effort to examine the interrelationships between societal culture, organizational culture and practices, and organizational leadership. The meta-goal of the Global Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness (GLOBE) Research Program is to develop an empirically based theory to describe, understand, and predict the impact of cultural variables on leadership and organizational processes and the effectiveness of these processes. This monograph presents a description of the GLOBE research program and some initial empirical findings resulting from GLOBE research. A central question in this part of the research concerns the extent to which specific leadership attributes and behaviors are universally endorsed as contributing to effective leadership and the extent to which the endorsement of leader attributes and behaviors is culturally contingent. We identified six global leadership dimensions of culturally endorsed implicit theories of leadership (CLTs). Preliminary evidence indicates that these dimensions are significantly correlated with isomorphic dimensions of societal and organizational culture. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that selected cultural differences strongly influence important ways in which people think about leaders and norms concerning the status, influence, and privileges granted to leaders. The hypothesis that charismatic/value-based leadership would be universally endorsed is strongly supported. Team-oriented leadership is strongly correlated with charismatic/value-based leadership, and also universally endorsed. Humane and participative leadership dimensions are nearly universally endorsed. The endorsement of the remaining global leadership dimensions-self-protective and autonomous leadership vary by culture. 3 We identified 21 specific leader attributes and behaviors that are universally viewed as contributing to leadership effectiveness. Eleven of the specific leader characteristics composing the global charismatic/value-based leadership dimension were among these 21 attributes. Eight specific leader characteristics were universally viewed as impediments to leader effectiveness. We also identified 35 specific leader characteristics that are viewed as contributors in some cultures and impediments in other cultures. We present these, as well as other findings, in more detail in this monograph. A particular strength of the GLOBE research design is the combination of quantitative and qualitative data. Elimination of common method and common source variance is also …
PRISONERS IN THE COLD WAR: HOSTAGE ACTORS IN LOYALTY PLAYS,

Abstract : This paper was prepared in connection with a conference on captivity behavior held in 1963. The writer presents her personal interpretation of detainees in a cold-war situation as comparable to hostage actors in an international loyalty play.
Visual screening for malignant melanoma: a cost-effectiveness analysis.

OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of various melanoma screening strategies proposed in the United States.


DESIGN
We developed a computer simulation Markov model to evaluate alternative melanoma screening strategies.


PARTICIPANTS
Hypothetical cohort of the general population and siblings of patients with melanoma. Intervention We considered the following 4 strategies: background screening only, and screening 1 time, every 2 years, and annually, all beginning at age 50 years. Prevalence, incidence, and mortality data were taken from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program. Sibling risk, recurrence rates, and treatment costs were taken from the literature.


MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Outcomes included life expectancy, quality-adjusted life expectancy, and lifetime costs. Cost-effectiveness ratios were in dollars per quality-adjusted life year (US dollars/QALY) gained.


RESULTS
In the general population, screening 1 time, every 2 years, and annually saved 1.6, 4.4, and 5.2 QALYs per 1000 persons screened, with incremental cost-effectiveness ratios of US dollars 10,100/QALY, US dollars 80,700/QALY, and US dollars 586,800/QALY, respectively. In siblings of patients with melanoma (relative risk, 2.24 compared with the general population), 1-time, every-2-years, and annual screenings saved 3.6, 9.8, and 11.4 QALYs per 1000 persons screened, with incremental cost-effectiveness ratios of US dollars 4000/QALY, US dollars 35,500/QALY, and US dollars 257,800/QALY, respectively. In higher risk siblings of patients with melanoma (relative risk, 5.56), screening was more cost-effective. Results were most sensitive to screening cost, melanoma progression rate, and specificity of visual screening.


CONCLUSIONS
One-time melanoma screening of the general population older than 50 years is very cost-effective compared with other cancer screening programs in the United States. Screening every 2 years in siblings of patients with melanoma is also cost-effective.
Broccoli regulates protein alterations and cataractogenesis in selenite models.

PURPOSE
To study the efficacy of Brassica oleracea var. italica (Broccoli) in the prevention of selenite induced biochemical changes and the incidence of cataractogenesis in vivo.


METHODS
Eight day old Sprague-Dawley rat pups were divided into four groups: I-Control; II-Sodium selenite (4 mg/kg body weight) administered; III-Sodium selenite + quercetin; and IV-Sodium selenite + flavonoid fraction of broccoli (FFB). Treatment groups III and IV received quercetin and FFB intraperitoneally from 8th to 15th day at a concentration (2.0 mg/kg body weight). The development of cataract was assessed and graded by slit-lamp examination. Some relevant biochemical parameters-such as activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, Ca(2+)ATPase, calpains, concentration of reduced glutathione (GSH), levels of calcium, lipid peroxidation product-thiobarbituric acid reacting substances (TBARS) and SDS-PAGE analysis of lens water soluble proteins (WSF) were analyzed.


RESULTS
FFB modulates selenite-induced biochemical changes in albino rats. Lenses of Group I rats were clear but in Group II, all lenses developed dense opacification (grade 5 and 6), whereas mild opacifications were observed in Group III and Group IV (grade 2). Group III and Group IV lenses exhibited significantly higher values of antioxidant enzymes, Ca(2+)ATPase, and GSH, whereas lower values were obtained for TBARS, calcium, and calpains compared to Group II. Lens protein profile of water soluble proteins showed normal levels of Group III and Group IV compared to Group II lenses.


CONCLUSION
FFB prevents selenite-induced cataractogenesis in albino rat pups, possibly by maintaining antioxidant status and ionic balance through Ca(2+) ATPase pump, inhibition of lipid peroxidation, calpain activation, and protein insolubilization, which have been reported in this article for the first time.
Soluble receptor activator of nuclear factor κB ligand/osteoprotegerin ratio is increased in systemic lupus erythematosus patients

INTRODUCTION
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients have lower bone mineral density and increased fracture risk when compared with healthy individuals, due to distinct factors and mechanisms. Bone remodeling is a tightly orchestrated process dependent on several factors, including the balance between receptor activator of nuclear factor κB ligand (RANKL) and osteoprotegerin (OPG). Our aim was to assess serum OPG and soluble RANKL (sRANKL) levels as well as sRANKL/OPG ratio in female SLE patients and compare it with female controls.


METHODS
We have evaluated 103 SLE patients and 114 healthy controls, all Caucasian females. All participants underwent a clinical and laboratory evaluation. sRANKL and OPG were quantified in serum by ELISA based methods. sRANKL, OPG and sRANKL/OPG ratio levels were compared between SLE patients and age, sex and race matched healthy controls. For SLE patients, a multivariate analysis was performed, to find the possible predictors of the changes in sRANKL, OPG and sRANKL/OPG ratio levels.


RESULTS
Although sRANKL levels did not differ between the two groups, serum OPG was lower in SLE patients (P < 0.001). This led to an increased sRANKL/OPG ratio (P = 0.010) in the patients' group.The multivariate analysis was performed considering age and other clinical and laboratorial potential confounders for these variations in the SLE patients group. We have showed that age (P = 0.001) and levels of anti-Sm antibodies (P = 0.016) were independent predictors of sRANKL/OPG ratio variations in SLE patients. No relationship with therapy or disease activity measured by SLEDAI2K was found.


CONCLUSIONS
These results are suggestive of increased osteoclastic stimuli driven by the SLE disease mechanisms.
The Effect of Vestibular Stimulation Exercises on Balance, Coordination, and Agility in Children with Down Syndrome

Background. Children with Down syndrome (DS) demonstrate vestibular, sensory, motor and perceptual impairments which manifests as decreased levels of balance, strength, and motor coordination. Together these issues may decrease functional ability leading to more sedentary lifestyles. Use of vestibular stimulation therapy has been attempted to assist in improving motor control and balance in this population. Objective. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of a vestibular stimulation exercise program on balance, coordination and agility in children with DS. Methods. Seventeen children with DS were recruited from two summer enrichment programs and were divided into two groups based on age (group 1: 9.9 yrs ±2.8; group 2: 18.4 yrs. ±1.7). Assessments were completed using BOT2 subtests for balance, bilateral and upper limb coordination, and agility prior to and after six weeks of twice weekly vestibular stimulation exercises. Results. Both groups showed improvement in upper limb coordination and agility, while group 2 demonstrated improvement in one of the balance subtests. Conclusion. These results suggest a vestibular stimulation exercise program could increase balance and agility in children with DS and possibly assist in increasing their functional ability.
Early detection of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in Chagas' disease

BACKGROUND
Chagas' disease may cause left ventricular diastolic dysfunction and its early detection in asymptomatic patients would allow to stratify the risk and to optimize medical treatment. The aim of this study is to investigate if transmitral Doppler flow can detect early abnormalities of the diastolic left ventricular function in patients during the indeterminate phase of Chagas' disease, in which the electrocardiogram (ECG), chest x-ray and 2-D echocardiogram (2D-echo) are normal.


METHODS
a group of 54 patients with Chagas' disease was studied and compared to a control group of 27 subjects of similar age. All were assessed with an ECG, chest X-ray, 2-D echo, and transmitral Doppler flow.


RESULTS
both groups had similar values in the 2D-echo. In patients with Chagas' disease, the transmitral Doppler showed a higher peak A velocity (control group: 0.44 m/sec, Chagas group: 0.55 m/sec, p = 0.001), a lower E/A ratio (control group: 1.45, Chagas group: 1.22, p < 0.05), and a lengthening of the deceleration time of early diastolic filling (control: 138.7 +/- 26.8 msec, Chagas group: 167.9 +/- 34.6 msec, p = 001), thus revealing an early disorder of the diastolic left ventricular function in patients with Chagas' disease.


CONCLUSION
in patients with Chagas' disease who are in the indeterminate phase, transmitral Doppler flow allowed to identify early abnormalities of the left ventricular diastolic function, which provide useful clinical information for prognostic stratification and treatment.
Risk management in projects: peculiarities of Lithuanian construction companies / Rizikos valdymas projektuose: Lietuvos statybos įmonių savitumai

risk analysis and management is nowadays a critical factor to successful construction project management, as construction projects tend to be more complex, dynamic, always unique, and competition increasingly tougher. risk management helps the project participants – client, contractor or developer, consultant, and supplier – to meet their commitments and minimize negative impacts on construction project scope, cost, schedule (and quality, as a result). The benefits of the risk management process include identifying and analyzing risks, and improvement of construction project management processes and effective use of resources. This paper reports the research that aims to discover how construction companies perceive the significance of the construction projects risks they face and the extent to which they employ potential risk responses. keywords: risk analysis; risk management; Construction companies; Project management
Coping strategies of parents facing child diabetes mellitus.

This study identified differences in strategies used by mothers and fathers (N = 60) in coping with their child's insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. The Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WCQ) was administered during a home interview. Results showed that both parents used planful problem solving, exercised positive reappraisal, and sought social support frequently, with mothers using more planful problem-solving strategies than fathers. Within the family, analyses showed that fathers were more likely to use distancing, independent of the child's sex, whereas mothers were more likely to frequently use all the coping strategies when the child was a girl. The implications of the results for nursing are discussed.
The Effects of Skin-to-Skin Contact on Temperature and Breastfeeding Successfulness in Full-Term Newborns after Cesarean Delivery

Background. The skin-to-skin contact (SSC) of mother and newborn is uncommon full-term newborns after delivering via cesarean section due to the possibility of hypothermia in the infants. The aim of this study was to compare mothers' and infant's temperatures after delivering via cesarean section. Material and Methods. In this randomized clinical trial, 90 infant/mothers dyads delivered via cesarean section were randomized to SSC (n = 46) and routine care (n = 44). In experimental group, skin-to-skin contact was performed for one hour and in the routine group the infant was dressed and put in the cot according to hospital routine care. The newborns' mothers' temperatures in both groups were taken at half-hour intervals. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, and chi-square tests. Results. The means of the newborns' temperatures immediately after SSC (P = 0.86), half an hour (P = 0.31), and one hour (P = 0.52) after the intervention did not show statistically significant differences between the two groups. The mean scores of the infants' breastfeeding assessment in SSC (8.76±3.63) and routine care (7.25±3.5) groups did not show significant differences (P = 0.048). Conclusion. Mother and infant's skin-to-skin contact is possible after delivering via cesarean section and does not increase the risk of hypothermia.
List decoding Reed-Muller codes over small fields

The list decoding problem for a code asks for the maximal radius up to which any ball of that radius contains only a constant number of codewords. The list decoding radius is not well understood even for well studied codes, like Reed-Solomon or Reed-Muller codes. Fix a finite field F. The Reed-Muller code RMF(n, d) is defined by n-variate degree-d polynomials over F. In this work, we study the list decoding radius of Reed-Muller codes over a constant prime field F = Fp, constant degree d and large n. We show that the list decoding radius is equal to the minimal distance of the code. That is, if we denote by δ(d) the normalized minimal distance of RMF(n, d), then the number of codewords in any ball of radius δ(d) − ε is bounded by c = c(p, d, ε) independent of n. This resolves a conjecture of Gopalan-Klivans-Zuckerman [STOC 2008], who among other results proved it in the special case of F = F2; and extends the work of Gopalan [FOCS 2010] who proved the conjecture in the case of d = 2. We also analyse the number of codewords in balls of radius exceeding the minimal distance of the code. For e ≤ d, we show that the number of codewords of RMF(n, d) in a ball of radius δ(e) − ε is bounded by exp(c · n), where c = c(p, d, ε) is independent of n. The dependence on n is tight. This extends the work of Kaufman-Lovett-Porat [IEEE Inf. Theory 2012] who proved similar bounds over F2. The proof relies on several new ingredients: an extension of the Frieze-Kannan weak regularity to general function spaces, higher-order Fourier analysis, and an extension of the SchwartzZippel lemma to compositions of polynomials. Research supported in part by NSF Grant CCF-1218723. Supported by NSF CAREER award 1350481
Exfoliative Cheilitis a male patient - a case report

Introduction: Exfoliative cheilitis, one of a spectrum of diseases that affect the vermilion border of the lips, is uncommon and has no known cause. It is a chronic superficial inflammatory disorder of the vermilion borders of the lips characterized by persistent scaling; it can be a difficult condition to manage. The diagnosis is now restricted to those few patients whose lesions cannot be attributed to other causes, such as contact sensitization or light. Case Report: We present a 17 year-old male presented to the out clinic in Baghdad with the chief complaint of a persistent scaly on his lower lips. The patient reported that the skin over the lip thickened gradually over a 3 days period and subsequently became loose, causing discomfort. Once he peeled away the loosened layer, a new layer began to form again. Conclusion: The lack of specific treatment makes exfoliative cheilitis a chronic disease that radically affects a person’s life. The aim of this paper is to describe a case of recurrent exfoliative cheilitis successfully treated with intralesional corticosteroids and to present possible hypotheses as to the cause.
ACS Surgery: Principles and Practice

No wonder you activities are, reading will be always needed. It is not only to fulfil the duties that you need to finish in deadline time. Reading will encourage your mind and thoughts. Of course, reading will greatly develop your experiences about everything. Reading acs surgery principles and practice is also a way as one of the collective books that gives many advantages. The advantages are not only for you, but for the other peoples with those meaningful benefits.
Finite Subgroups of Arithmetic Lattices in U (2, 1)

The principle result of this article is the determination of the possible finite subgroups of arithmetic lattices in U (2, 1).
Intra-Articular, Single-Shot Hylan G-F 20 Hyaluronic Acid Injection Compared with Corticosteroid in Knee Osteoarthritis: A Double-Blind, Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND
The treatment of knee osteoarthritis with hyaluronic acid or corticosteroid injection has been widely used. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of hyaluronic acid (hylan G-F 20) with triamcinolone acetonide as a single intra-articular injection for knee osteoarthritis.


METHODS
This study was a prospective, randomized, double-blind clinical trial. Participants with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis were recruited. They were randomized to receive a single-shot, intra-articular injection of either 6 mL of hylan G-F 20 or 6 mL of a solution comprising 1 mL of 40-mg triamcinolone acetonide and 5 mL of 1% lidocaine with epinephrine. The primary outcomes were knee pain severity, knee function, and range of motion at 6 months. Ninety-nine patients were assessed before injection and underwent a 6-month follow-up. Patients and evaluators were blinded. Multilevel regression models were used to estimate differences between the groups.


RESULTS
At the 6-month follow-up, compared with patients who took hylan G-F 20, patients who took triamcinolone acetonide had similar improvement in knee pain, knee function, and range of motion. The difference in mean outcome scores between groups was, with regard to knee pain, a visual analog scale (VAS) score of 3 points (95% confidence interval [95% CI], -6 to 11 points); with regard to knee function, a modified Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) score of 0 points (95% CI, -8 to 6 points); and, with regard to range of motion, flexion of -1° (95% CI, -5° to 2°) and extension of 0° (95% CI, -0.5° to 0.5°). However, patients who took triamcinolone acetonide had better pain improvement from 24 hours until 1 week after injection; the mean difference between groups with regard to the VAS score was 12 points (95% CI, 5 to 20 points; p = 0.002) at 24 hours and 9 points (95% CI, 1 to 15 points; p = 0.018) at 1 week. At 2 weeks after injection, patients who took triamcinolone acetonide also had better knee functional improvement; the mean difference between groups for the modified WOMAC score was 6 points (95% CI, 0.7 to 12 points; p = 0.03). Both groups had improvement in pain, knee function, and range of motion during the 6-month follow-up (p < 0.0001).


CONCLUSIONS
Triamcinolone acetonide provided similar improvement in knee pain, function, and range of motion compared with hylan G-F 20 at the 6-month follow-up, with better pain control in the first week and better knee functional improvement in the second week.


LEVEL OF EVIDENCE
Therapeutic Level I. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.