LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Forces and moments generated by removable thermoplastic aligners: incisor torque, premolar derotation, and molar distalization.

INTRODUCTION
The exact force systems as well as their progressions generated by removable thermoplastic appliances have not been investigated. Thus, the purposes of this experimental study were to quantify the forces and moments delivered by a single aligner and a series of aligners (Invisalign; Align Technology, Santa Clara, Calif) and to investigate the influence of attachments and power ridges on the force transfer.


METHODS
We studied 970 aligners of the Invisalign system (60 series of aligners). The aligners came from 30 consecutive patients, of which 3 tooth movements (incisor torque, premolar derotation, molar distalization) with 20 movements each were analyzed. The 3 movement groups were subdivided so that 10 movements were supported with an attachment and 10 were not. The patients' ClinCheck (Align Technology, Santa Clara, Calif) was planned so that the movements to be investigated were performed in isolation in the respective quadrant. Resin replicas of the patients' intraoral situation before the start of the investigated movement were taken and mounted in a biomechanical measurement system. An aligner was put on the model, the force systems were measured, and the calculated movements were experimentally performed until no further forces or moments were generated. Subsequently, the next aligners were installed, and the measurements were repeated.


RESULTS
The initial mean moments were about 7.3 N·mm for maxillary incisor torque and about 1.0 N for distalization. Significant differences in the generated moments were measured in the premolar derotation group, whether they were supported with an attachment (8.8 N·mm) or not (1.2 N·mm). All measurements showed an exponential force change.


CONCLUSIONS
Apart from a few maximal initial force systems, the forces and moments generated by aligners of the Invisalign system are within the range of orthodontic forces. The force change is exponential while a patient is wearing removable thermoplastic appliances.
Practicing Safe Computing: A Multimedia Empirical Examination of Home Computer User Security Behavioral Intentions

By: Catherine L. Anderson Decision, Operations, and Information Technologies Department Robert H. Smith School of Business University of Maryland Van Munching Hall College Park, MD 20742-1815 U.S.A. Catherine_Anderson@rhsmith.umd.edu Ritu Agarwal Center for Health Information and Decision Systems University of Maryland 4327 Van Munching Hall College Park, MD 20742-1815 U.S.A. ragarwal@rhsmith.umd.edu
Stable Stair Climbing in a Simple Hexapod Robot

RHex is a hexapod robot with compliant legs and only six actuated degrees of freedom. Its ability to traverse highly fractured and unstable terrain has already been documented. In this paper, we describe open loop controllers for our small robot to climb and descend regular stairs. The reliability is 90% (9/10) for climbing and 100% (10/10) for descending, based on ten successive trials. Specific resistance, a measure of energy efficiency, during stair climbing is 10.9, and 4.5 during descent.
Handwritten English Word Recognition Based on Convolutional Neural Networks

This paper presents a novel segmentation-based and lexicon-driven handwritten English recognition systems. For the segmentation, a modified online segmentation method based on rules are applied. Then, convolutional neural networks are introduced for offline character recognition. Experiments are evaluated on UNIPEN lowercase data sets, with the word recognition rate of 92.20%.
Hybrid E-learning platform based on cloud architecture model: A proposal

Education is to be affordable and able to reach the mass at an affordable cost. An E-learning platform based on open standards with minimum initial cost of investment, will be able to educate people to achieve knowledge based economy. The current E-learning platforms require high initial cost on the infrastructure and software applications. Adoption of cloud computing can help, educational institutions to reduce expenditure on infrastructure, software and human resources to a considerable extent. The authors focus on the current e-learning architecture model and issues in current e-learning applications. The paper also discusses cloud computing concepts, and analyse advantages for adopting cloud computing. A model for e-learning applications based on cloud computing is proposed.
Calibrated Lazy Associative Classification

Article history: Received 10 February 2009 Received in revised form 7 March 2010 Accepted 10 March 2010 Available online 20 March 2010
Wheat grass juice in the treatment of active distal ulcerative colitis: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND
The use of wheat grass (Triticum aestivum) juice for treatment of various gastrointestinal and other conditions had been suggested by its proponents for more than 30 years, but was never clinically assessed in a controlled trial. A preliminary unpublished pilot study suggested efficacy of wheat grass juice in the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC).


METHODS
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. One gastroenterology unit in a tertiary hospital and three study coordinating centers in three major cities in Israel. Twenty-three patients diagnosed clinically and sigmoidoscopically with active distal UC were randomly allocated to receive either 100 cc of wheat grass juice, or a matching placebo, daily for 1 month. Efficacy of treatment was assessed by a 4-fold disease activity index that included rectal bleeding and number of bowel movements as determined from patient diary records, a sigmoidoscopic evaluation, and global assessment by a physician.


RESULTS
Twenty-one patients completed the study, and full information was available on 19 of them. Treatment with wheat grass juice was associated with significant reductions in the overall disease activity index (P=0.031) and in the severity of rectal bleeding (P = 0.025). No serious side effects were found. Fresh extract of wheat grass demonstrated a prominent tracing in cyclic voltammetry methodology, presumably corresponding to four groups of compounds that exhibit anti-oxidative properties.


CONCLUSION
Wheat grass juice appeared effective and safe as a single or adjuvant treatment of active distal UC.
Premature termination of nursing secondary to Serratia marcescens breast pump contamination.

BACKGROUND
Serratia marcescens, a known pathogen associated with postpartum mastitis, may be identified by its characteristic pigmentation.


CASE
A 36-year-old P0102 woman presented postpartum and said that her breast pump tubing had turned bright pink. S marcescens was isolated, indicating colonization. She was started on antibiotics. After viewing an Internet report in which a patient nearly died from a Serratia infection, she immediately stopped breastfeeding.


CONCLUSION
Serratia colonization may be noted before the development of overt infection. Because this pathogen can be associated with mastitis, physicians should be ready to treat and should encourage patients to continue nursing after clearance of the organism. Exposure to sensational Internet reports may make treatment recommendations difficult.
Painterly rendering techniques: a state-of-the-art review of current approaches

In this publication we will look at the different methods presented over the past few decades which attempt to recreate digital paintings. While previous surveys concentrate on the broader subject of non-photorealistic rendering, the focus of this paper is firmly placed on painterly rendering techniques. We compare different methods used to produce different output painting styles such as abstract, colour pencil, watercolour, oriental, oil and pastel. Whereas some methods demand a high level of interaction using a skilled artist, others require simple parameters provided by a user with little or no artistic experience. Many methods attempt to provide more automation with the use of varying forms of reference data. This reference data can range from still photographs, video, 3D polygonal meshes or even 3D point clouds. The techniques presented here endeavour to provide tools and styles that are not traditionally available to an artist. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A combination of levobupivacaine and lidocaine for paravertebral block in breast cancer patients undergoing quadrantectomy causes greater hemodynamic oscillations than levobupivacaine alone

AIM
To test for differences in hemodynamic and analgesic properties in patients with breast cancer undergoing quadrantectomy with paravertebral block (PVB) induced with a solution of either one or two local anesthetics.


METHOD
A prospective, single-center, randomized, double-blinded, controlled trial was conducted from June 2014 until September 2015. A total of 85 women with breast cancer were assigned to receive PVB with either 0.5% levobupivacaine (n=42) or 0.5% levobupivacaine with 2% lidocaine (n=43). Hemodynamic variables of interest included intraoperative stroke volume variation (SVV), mean arterial pressure, heart rate, cardiac output, episodes of hypotension, use of crystalloids, and use of inotropes. Analgesic variables of interest were time to block onset, duration of analgesia, and postoperative serial pain assessment using a visual analogue scale.


RESULTS
Although the use of 0.5% levobupivacaine with 2% lidocaine solution for PVB decreased the mean time-to-block onset (14 minutes; P<0.001), it also caused significantly higher SVV values over the 60 minutes of monitoring (mean difference: 4.33; P<0.001). Furthermore, the patients who received 0.5% levobupivacaine with 2% lidocaine experienced shorter mean duration of analgesia (105 minutes; P=0.006) and more episodes of hypotension (17.5%; P=0.048) and received more intraoperative crystalloids (mean volume: 550 mL; P<0.001).


CONCLUSION
The use of 0.5% levobupivacaine in comparison with 0.5% levobupivacaine with 2% lidocaine solution for PVB had a longer time-to-block onset, but it also reduced hemodynamic disturbances and prolonged the analgesic effect.
Advertising , Learning , and Consumer Choice in Experience Good Markets

This paper empirically analyzes di erent e ects of advertising in a nondurable, experience good market. A dynamic learning model of consumer behavior is presented in which we allow both \informative" e ects of advertising and \prestige" or \image" e ects of advertising. This learning model is estimated using consumer level panel data tracking grocery purchases and advertising exposures over time. Empirical results suggest that in this data, advertising's primary e ect was that of informing consumers. The estimates are used to quantify the value of this information to consumers and evaluate welfare implications of an alternative advertising regulatory regime. JEL Classi cations: D12, M37, D83 ' Economics Dept., Boston University, Boston, MA 02115 (ackerber@bu.edu). This paper is a revised version of the second and third chapters of my doctoral dissertation at Yale University. Many thanks to my advisors: Steve Berry and Ariel Pakes, as well as Lanier Benkard, Russell Cooper, Gautam Gowrisankaran, Sam Kortum, Mike Riordan, John Rust, Roni Shachar, and many seminar participants, including most recently those at the NBER 1997Winter IO meetings, for advice and comments. I thank the Yale School of Management for gratefully providing the data used in this study. Financial support from the Cowles Foundation in the form of the Arvid Anderson Dissertation Fellowship is acknowledged and appreciated. All remaining errors in this paper are my own.
Bacteremia is an independent risk factor for mortality in nosocomial pneumonia: a prospective and observational multicenter study

INTRODUCTION
Since positive blood cultures are uncommon in patients with nosocomial pneumonia (NP), the responsible pathogens are usually isolated from respiratory samples. Studies on bacteremia associated with hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) have reported fatality rates of up to 50%. The purpose of the study is to compare risk factors, pathogens and outcomes between bacteremic nosocomial pneumonia (B-NP) and nonbacteremic nosocomial pneumonia (NB-NP) episodes.


METHODS
This is a prospective, observational and multicenter study (27 intensive care units in nine European countries). Consecutive patients requiring invasive mechanical ventilation for an admission diagnosis of pneumonia or on mechanical ventilation for > 48 hours irrespective of admission diagnosis were recruited.


RESULTS
A total of 2,436 patients were evaluated; 689 intubated patients presented with NP, 224 of them developed HAP and 465 developed ventilation-acquired pneumonia. Blood samples were extracted in 479 (69.5%) patients, 70 (14.6%) being positive. B-NP patients had higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) II score (51.5 ± 19.8 vs. 46.6 ± 17.5, P = 0.03) and were more frequently medical patients (77.1% vs. 60.4%, P = 0.01). Mortality in the intensive care unit was higher in B-NP patients compared with NB-NP patients (57.1% vs. 33%, P < 0.001). B-NP patients had a more prolonged mean intensive care unit length of stay after pneumonia onset than NB-NP patients (28.5 ± 30.6 vs. 20.5 ± 17.1 days, P = 0.03). Logistic regression analysis confirmed that medical patients (odds ratio (OR) = 5.72, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.93 to 16.99, P = 0.002), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) etiology (OR = 3.42, 95% CI = 1.57 to 5.81, P = 0.01), Acinetobacter baumannii etiology (OR = 4.78, 95% CI = 2.46 to 9.29, P < 0.001) and days of mechanical ventilation (OR = 1.02, 95% CI = 1.01 to 1.03, P < 0.001) were independently associated with B-NP episodes. Bacteremia (OR = 2.01, 95% CI = 1.22 to 3.55, P = 0.008), diagnostic category (medical patients (OR = 3.71, 95% CI = 2.01 to 6.95, P = 0.02) and surgical patients (OR = 2.32, 95% CI = 1.10 to 4.97, P = 0.03)) and higher SAPS II score (OR = 1.02, 95% CI = 1.01 to 1.03, P = 0.008) were independent risk factors for mortality.


CONCLUSIONS
B-NP episodes are more frequent in patients with medical admission, MRSA and A. baumannii etiology and prolonged mechanical ventilation, and are independently associated with higher mortality rates.
A root submergence technique for pontic site development in fixed dental prostheses in the maxillary anterior esthetic zone

PURPOSE
This case report discusses the effect of a root submergence technique on preserving the periodontal tissue at the pontic site of fixed dental prostheses in the maxillary anterior aesthetic zone.


METHODS
Teeth with less than ideal structural support for fixed retainer abutments were decoronated at the crestal bone level. After soft tissue closure, the final fixed dental prostheses were placed with the pontics over the submerged root area. Radiographic and clinical observations at the pontic sites were documented.


RESULTS
The submerged roots at the pontic sites preserved the surrounding periodontium without any periapical pathology. The gingival contour at the pontic site was maintained in harmony with those of the adjacent teeth, as well as the overall form of the arch.


CONCLUSIONS
The results of this clinical report indicate that a root submergence technique can be successfully applied in pontic site development with fixed dental prostheses, especially in the maxillary anterior esthetic zone.
Ultrasound-Guided Genicular Nerve Block for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Double-Blind, Randomized Controlled Trial of Local Anesthetic Alone or in Combination with Corticosteroid.

BACKGROUND
Recently, several studies suggested that radiofrequency (RF) ablation of the genicular nerves is a safe and effective therapeutic procedure for intractable pain associated with chronic knee osteoarthritis (OA). Diagnostic genicular nerve block (GNB) with local anesthetic has been generally conducted before making decisions regarding RF ablation. Although GNB has been recently performed together with corticosteroid, the analgesic effects of corticosteroids for treating chronic pain remain controversial.


OBJECTIVES
The current study aims to assess the effects of combining corticosteroids and local anesthesia during ultrasound-guided GNB in patients with chronic knee OA.


STUDY DESIGN
A randomized, double-blinded institutional study.


SETTING
This study took place at Asan Medical Center in Seoul, Korea.


METHODS
Forty-eight patients with chronic knee OA were randomly assigned to either the lidocaine alone group (n = 24) or lidocaine plus triamcinolone (TA) group (n = 24) before ultrasound-guided GNB. Visual analog scale (VAS), Oxford Knee Score (OKS), and global perceived effects (7-point scale) were assessed at baseline and at 1, 2, 4, and 8 weeks after the procedure.


RESULTS
The VAS scores were significantly lower in the lidocaine plus TA group than in the lidocaine alone group at both 2 (P < 0.001) and 4 (P < 0.001) weeks after GNB. The alleviation of intense pain in the lidocaine plus TA group was sustained up to 2 weeks after the procedure, in accordance with the definition of a minimal clinically important improvement. Although a similar intergroup difference in OKSs was observed at 4 weeks (P < 0.001), the clinical improvement in functional capacity lasted for only one week after the reassessment of OKSs, in accordance with a minimal important change. No patient reported any postprocedural adverse events during the follow-up period.


LIMITATIONS
The emotional state of the patients, which might affect the perception of knee pain, was not evaluated. The follow-up period was 2 months; this period might be insufficient to validate the short-term effects of GNB.


CONCLUSIONS
Ultrasound-guided GNB, when combined with a local anesthetic and corticosteroid, can provide short-term pain relief. However, the clinical benefit of corticosteroid administration was not clear in comparison with local anesthesia alone. Given the potential adverse effects, corticosteroids might not be appropriate as adjuvants during a GNB for chronic knee OA.The study protocol was approved by our institutional review board (2012-0210), and written informed consent was obtained from all patients. The trial was registered with the Clinical Research Information Service (KCT 0001139).


KEY WORDS
Chronic pain, knee osteoarthritis, genicular nerve block, ultrasound, corticosteroid, local anesthetic, visual analog scale, Oxford Knee Score.
Nonconscious processes and health.

OBJECTIVES
Health behavior theories focus on the role of conscious, reflective factors (e.g., behavioral intentions, risk perceptions) in predicting and changing behavior. Dual-process models, on the other hand, propose that health actions are guided not only by a conscious, reflective, rule-based system but also by a nonconscious, impulsive, associative system. This article argues that research on health decisions, actions, and outcomes will be enriched by greater consideration of nonconscious processes.


METHODS
A narrative review is presented that delineates research on implicit cognition, implicit affect, and implicit motivation. In each case, we describe the key ideas, how they have been taken up in health psychology, and the possibilities for behavior change interventions, before outlining directions that might profitably be taken in future research.


RESULTS
Correlational research on implicit cognitive and affective processes (attentional bias and implicit attitudes) has recently been supplemented by intervention studies using implementation intentions and practice-based training that show promising effects. Studies of implicit motivation (health goal priming) have also observed encouraging findings. There is considerable scope for further investigations of implicit affect control, unconscious thought, and the automatization of striving for health goals.


CONCLUSION
Research on nonconscious processes holds significant potential that can and should be developed by health psychologists. Consideration of impulsive as well as reflective processes will engender new targets for intervention and should ultimately enhance the effectiveness of behavior change efforts.
CommunitySourcing: engaging local crowds to perform expert work via physical kiosks

Online labor markets, such as Amazon's Mechanical Turk, have been used to crowdsource simple, short tasks like image labeling and transcription. However, expert knowledge is often lacking in such markets, making it impossible to complete certain classes of tasks. In this work we introduce an alternative mechanism for crowdsourcing tasks that require specialized knowledge or skill: communitysourcing --- the use of physical kiosks to elicit work from specific populations. We investigate the potential of communitysourcing by designing, implementing and evaluating Umati: the communitysourcing vending machine. Umati allows users to earn credits by performing tasks using a touchscreen attached to the machine. Physical rewards (in this case, snacks) are dispensed through traditional vending mechanics. We evaluated whether communitysourcing can accomplish expert work by using Umati to grade Computer Science exams. We placed Umati in a university Computer Science building, targeting students with grading tasks for snacks. Over one week, 328 unique users (302 of whom were students) completed 7771 tasks (7240 by students). 80% of users had never participated in a crowdsourcing market before. We found that Umati was able to grade exams with 2% higher accuracy (at the same price) or at 33% lower cost (at equivalent accuracy) than traditional single-expert grading. Mechanical Turk workers had no success grading the same exams. These results indicate that communitysourcing can successfully elicit high-quality expert work from specific communities.
The combination of four molecular markers improves thyroid cancer cytologic diagnosis and patient management

Papillary thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine malignancy. The most sensitive and specific diagnostic tool for thyroid nodule diagnosis is fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy with cytological evaluation. Nevertheless, FNA biopsy is not always decisive leading to “indeterminate” or “suspicious” diagnoses in 10 %–30 % of cases. BRAF V600E detection is currently used as molecular test to improve the diagnosis of thyroid nodules, yet it lacks sensitivity. The aim of the present study was to identify novel molecular markers/computational models to improve the discrimination between benign and malignant thyroid lesions. We collected 118 pre-operative thyroid FNA samples. All 118 FNA samples were characterized for the presence of the BRAF V600E mutation (exon15) by pyrosequencing and further assessed for mRNA expression of four genes (KIT, TC1, miR-222, miR-146b) by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Computational models (Bayesian Neural Network Classifier, discriminant analysis) were built, and their ability to discriminate benign and malignant tumors were tested. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed and principal component analysis was used for visualization purposes. In total, 36/70 malignant samples carried the V600E mutation, while all 48 benign samples were wild type for BRAF exon15. The Bayesian neural network (BNN) and discriminant analysis, including the mRNA expression of the four genes (KIT, TC1, miR-222, miR-146b) showed a very strong predictive value (94.12 % and 92.16 %, respectively) in discriminating malignant from benign patients. The discriminant analysis showed a correct classification of 100 % of the samples in the malignant group, and 95 % by BNN. KIT and miR-146b showed the highest diagnostic accuracy of the ROC curve, with area under the curve values of 0.973 for KIT and 0.931 for miR-146b. The four genes model proposed in this study proved to be highly discriminative of the malignant status compared with BRAF assessment alone. Its implementation in clinical practice can help in identifying malignant/benign nodules that would otherwise remain suspicious.