LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Part I: The application of the h-index to groups of individuals and departments in academic neurosurgery.

OBJECTIVE
The h-index was introduced as a means of quantifying the contribution a researcher makes to the scientific literature. We evaluated the h-index for academic neurosurgeons to assess the various methods of calculation and to determine whether the h-index can be used to differentiate groups of individuals by various classifications.


METHODS
The h-index was calculated for all neurosurgeons from 10 institutions ranked highly by 2012 U.S. News & World Report plus the authors' institution via Scopus. The h-index also was calculated manually to evaluate its accuracy. The average h-index was calculated for groups on the basis of sex, academic rank, years in practice, institution, and subspecialty. Cumulative and mean h-indices were calculated for each department.


RESULTS
The median h-index for the 188 neurosurgeons was 16 (mean, 19.71; range, 0-61). There was a positive association between the h-index, academic rank, and years posttraining. There was a significant difference between the "manually calculated" and automated h-indices, particularly for more senior physicians. The difference in h-index between men and women was not statistically significant. Among subspecialties, vascular surgeons had the greatest average h-index and general neurosurgeons had the lowest. There were significant shifts in departmental rankings when the cumulative or mean departmental indices were compared with the U.S. News & World Report rankings.


CONCLUSION
Application of the h-index as a bibliometric in neurosurgery can distinguish academic productivity on the basis of academic rank, years posttraining, and neurosurgical subspecialties. The application of the h-index to compare departments is problematic and, at this time, not reliable.
The Theoretical Foundations of Knowledge Management

Received: 15 April 2005 Accepted: 31 March 2006 Abstract Knowledge management has emerged as an important field for practice and research in information systems. This field is building on theoretical foundations from information economics, strategic management, organizational culture, organizational behavior, organizational structure, artificial intelligence, quality management, and organizational performance measurement. These theories are being used as foundations for new concepts that provide a rationale for managing knowledge, define the process of managing knowledge, and enable us to evaluate the results of this process. Based on articles published between 1995 and 2005, new concepts are emerging, including knowledge economy, knowledge alliance, knowledge culture, knowledge organization, knowledge infrastructure, and knowledge equity. An analysis of the theoretical foundations of knowledge management reveals a healthy arena with a strong foundation and clear directions for future work. Knowledge Management Research & Practice (2006) 4, 83–105. doi:10.1057/palgrave.kmrp.8500090
Thermal conductivity of individual silicon nanowires

The thermal conductivities of individual single crystalline intrinsic Si nanowires with diameters of 22, 37, 56, and 115 nm were measured using a microfabricated suspended device over a temperature range of 20–320 K. Although the nanowires had well-defined crystalline order, the thermal conductivity observed was more than two orders of magnitude lower than the bulk value. The strong diameter dependence of thermal conductivity in nanowires was ascribed to the increased phonon-boundary scattering and possible phonon spectrum modification. © 2003 American Institute of Physics.@DOI: 10.1063/1.1616981 #
PHYSICAL AND COMBUSTION PROPERTIES OF BRIQUETTES PRODUCED FROM SAWDUST OF THREE HARDWOOD SPECIES AND DIFFERENT ORGANIC BINDERS

The study was undertaken to assess the calorific va lue of briquettes produced from mixed sawdust of three tropical hardwood species (Afzelia africana, Terminalia superba, Melicia elcelsa) bonded with different binding agents (star ch, cow dung and wood ash). Sawdust from each of the species was mixed with the binder in ra tio of 70:30 for cow dung and wood ash and 70:15 of starch. The sawdust where mixed in a ratio 50:50 for each briquette combination produced. Combustion related properties namely perc entage volatile matter, percentage ash content, percentage fixed carbon and calorific valu e of the briquettes where determined. All processing variables assessed in this study were no t significantly different except for percentage fixed carbon at five percent level of probability. The result shows that briquette produced from sample of Afzelia africana and Terminalia superba c ombination bonded with starch had the highest calorific value of 33116kcal/kg while briqu ette produced from sample of Afzelia Africana and Terminalia superba bonded with ash had the leas t c lorific value of 23991kcal/kg. Since the aim of briquetting is to produce briquette that wil l serve as good source of fuel and support combustion, the best briquette was produced when sa wdust was mixed with starch. Also the use of mixed wood residue from the selected species and other hardwood species for briquette production should be encouraged as this will provid e an alternative to firewood for household cheap energy source.
Characterization of wetland hydrology using hydrogeomorphic classification

Hydrologic data are essential for understanding relationships between wetland morphology and function and for characterizing landscape-scale patterns of wetland occurrence. We monitored water levels in 45 wetlands for three years to characterize the hydrology of wetlands in the vicinity of Portland, Oregon, USA and classified wetlands by hydrogeomorphic (HGM) class to determine whether hydrologic regimes differed in wetlands in different HGM classes. We also compared hydrologic regimes in naturally occurring wetlands (NOWs) and mitigation wetlands (MWs) and in wetlands with/without a human-made water-retention structure to determine whether and how human modifications are changing the hydrology of wetlands. We found no relationship between hydrologic attributes and land use, soil association, or wetland area. We did find significant differences related to presence of a water-retention structure and to wetland type (NOW or MW). Water levels were higher and had less temporal variability and more extensive inundation (as % wetland area) in MWs and in wetlands modified to include a retention structure. HGM class was very effective for characterizing wetland hydrology, with significant differences among, HGM classes for water level and for extent and duration of inundation. For three regional classes, we found the lowest water levels and lowest extent/duration of inundation in slope wetlands, intermediate conditions in riverine wetlands, and the highest water levels and greatest extent and duration of inundation in depressions. In “atypical” classes (Gwin et al. 1999), average water level and extent of inundation were similar to conditions in depressions, but the within-site variability in water levels in depressions-in-slope-setting and in-stream-depressions was significantly smaller than in the regional classes (p ≤ 0.001). Results highlight the importance of both geomorphic setting and wetland structure in defining wetland hydrology and support the use of HGM for wetland classification. Because hydrology is an important determinant of many wetland functions, resource managers using restoration and mitigation to offset wetland losses should strive for project design and siting that re-establish the hydrogeomorphology of natural wetlands to improve the likelihood of replacing wetland functions.
Preoperative Cognitive Intervention Reduces Cognitive Dysfunction in Elderly Patients after Gastrointestinal Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND
Preoperative conditions may play a significant role in postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) development in elderly patients. We aimed to investigate whether preoperative cognitive training could lower the incidence of POCD one week after surgery.


MATERIAL AND METHODS
A total of 141 ASA I-III elderly patients who underwent gastrointestinal surgery were enrolled into the study. Patients were randomized into either the Intervention group (69 analyzed) or the Control group (72 analyzed). Patients in the intervention group were instructed and trained in a cognition mnemonic skill for a total of three 1-hour sessions with the method of loci (MoL). Controls did not receive any cognitive training during hospitalization. All patients were tested using neuropsychological battery tests (NPTs) on admission and one week after surgery.


RESULTS
The incidence of POCD in the intervention group (15.9%) was significantly lower than in the controls (36.1%) (P<0.05). Patients' performance in Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised and Symbol-Digit Modalities Test were improved by the cognitive training. Increasing age, longer length of anesthesia and surgery, and lack of cognitive training were associated with a significantly higher risk of POCD (P<0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Cognitive training with MoL can reduce the decline of early postoperative cognitive function in elderly patients undergoing major gastrointestinal surgery.
Gender differences in itch and pain-related sensations provoked by histamine, cowhage and capsaicin.

Cowhage, capsaicin and histamine, all applied via spicules, were used to induce itch and pain-related sensations in 15 male and 15 female subjects. Sensory qualities were assessed by questionnaire; intensities and time courses of the "itching" and "burning" sensation were measured alternately, but continuously on a VAS. In addition, axon reflexes were assessed. Only histamine and capsaicin produced a clear axon reflex flare (histamine > capsaicin, male = female). The 3 types of spicules caused mixed burning and itching sensations with different time courses. In the beginning burning prevailed, in the following minutes histamine induced mostly itching, capsaicin predominantly burning, cowhage both sensory components equally. Female subjects experienced more pain-related sensations (questionnaire), and their ratings leaned more toward burning than those of males. These findings indicate that the mixed itching and burning sensations are differentially processed by both genders. No indications were found for gender specific differential processing in the primary afferents as reflected by nearly identical flare responses.
Comparison of Leaf Recognition by Moments and Fourier Descriptors

We test various features for recognition of leaves of wooden species. We compare Fourier descriptors, Zernike moments, Legendre moments and Chebyshev moments. All the features are computed from the leaf boundary only. Experimental evaluation on real data indicates that Fourier descriptors slightly outperform the other tested features.
How real should virtual characters be?

In recent years 3D virtual characters have become more common in desktop interfaces, particularly in gaming and entertainment applications. In this paper we describe how augmented reality (AR) technology can be used to bring virtual characters into the real world and compare AR characters to other types of virtual characters. We have developed a handheld AR educational application in which a virtual character teaches users about art history. We present results from a user study that explores how realistic the character needs to be for it to be an effective and engaging educational tool and if augmented reality offers benefits for this type of application.
The role of surgical debridement in healing of diabetic foot ulcers.

An estimated 15% of patients with diabetes mellitus will develop a foot ulcer during their lifetime. Debridement is included in multiple guidelines and algorithms for the care of patients with diabetic neuropathic foot ulcers, and it has long been considered an essential step in the protocol for treating diabetic foot ulcers. In addition to altering the environment of the chronic wound, debridement is a technique aimed at removing nonviable and necrotic tissue, thought to be detrimental to healing. This is accomplished by removing abnormal wound bed and wound edge tissue, such as hyperkeratotic epidermis (callus) and necrotic dermal tissue, foreign debris, and bacteria elements known to have an inhibitory effect on wound healing. While the rationale for surgical debridement seems logical, the evidence for its role in enhancing healing is deficient. In this paper, we systematically review five published clinical trials, which met the criteria and investigated surgical debridement of diabetic foot ulcers to enhance healing. Most existing studies are not randomized clinical trials optimized to test the relationship between debridement of diabetic foot ulcers and wound healing. Therefore, a focused, well-designed study is needed to elucidate the effect of surgical debridement on the healing status of chronic wounds.
Long-term follow-up of women who underwent surgical correction for imperforate hymen

The aim of this study was to demonstrate the clinical results of postoperative evaluation for a consecutive series of cases of imperforate hymen presenting at a tertiary medical center during an over 14-year period. We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of 15 patients with imperforate hymen that had undergone hymenectomy between 1987 and 1998. After completing a questionnaire via a telephone interview regarding sexuality, fertility, menstrual problems, micturition and defecation after surgical correction, those patients were persuaded to come back to the hospital for further gynecological surveys during 2002. The mean postoperative follow-up was 8.5 years (range, 4–14 years). The mean age at diagnosis was 13.2 years (range, 11–16). The most common clinical symptom was cryptomenorrhea (15), followed by pelvic pain (11), palpable abdominal mass (9), urinary retention and other voiding problems (8) and problems of defecation (4). None admitted intercourse attempts before. Two patients also had uterine anomalies, but none had urinary tract or bowel anomalies. During the follow-up period, we found that the majority of patients had irregular menstrual cycles and were worried about their future fertility. Six patients suffered from dysmenorrhea; of 11 patients who began having intercourse two later delivered babies, and none complained of sexual dysfunction. After hymenectomy, the women with imperforate hymen were markedly relieved of cryptomenorrhea, and problems of micturition and defecation also greatly improved. Although complaints of irregular menstruation and dysmenorrhea gradually evolved as the center of attention during follow-up, most patients fared well in terms of fertility and sexual function.
Provably secure length-saving public-key encryption scheme under the computational Diffie-Hellman Assumption

A design of secure and eecient public-key encryption schemes under weaker computational assumptions has been regarded as an important and challenging task. As far as ElGamal-type encryption schemes are concerned, some variants of the original ElGamal encryption scheme based on the weaker computational assumption have been proposed. For instance, security of the ElGamal variant of Fujisaki-Okamoto public-key encryption scheme and Cramer and Shoup's encryption scheme is based on the decisional Diie-Hellman assumption (DDH-A). However, security of the recent scheme, such as Pointcheval's ElGamal encryption variant, is based on the computational Diie-Hellman assumption (CDH-A), which is weaker than DDH-A. In this paper, we propose new ElGamal encryption variants whose security is based on CDH-A and EC-CDH-A (the elliptic curve computational Diie-Hellman assumption). Also, we show that the proposed variants are secure against the adaptive chosen-ciphertext attack in the random oracle model. An important feature of the proposed variants is a length-eeciency which provide shorter ciphertexts than those of other proposed schemes.
Biophysics: for HTS hit validation, chemical lead optimization, and beyond.

INTRODUCTION
There are many challenges to the drug discovery process, including the complexity of the target, its interactions, and how these factors play a role in causing the disease. Traditionally, biophysics has been used for hit validation and chemical lead optimization. With its increased throughput and sensitivity, biophysics is now being applied earlier in this process to empower target characterization and hit finding. Areas covered: In this article, the authors provide an overview of how biophysics can be utilized to assess the quality of the reagents used in screening assays, to validate potential tool compounds, to test the integrity of screening assays, and to create follow-up strategies for compound characterization. They also briefly discuss the utilization of different biophysical methods in hit validation to help avoid the resource consuming pitfalls caused by the lack of hit overlap between biophysical methods. Expert opinion: The use of biophysics early on in the drug discovery process has proven crucial to identifying and characterizing targets of complex nature. It also has enabled the identification and classification of small molecules which interact in an allosteric or covalent manner with the target. By applying biophysics in this manner and at the early stages of this process, the chances of finding chemical leads with novel mechanisms of action are increased. In the future, focused screens with biophysics as a primary readout will become increasingly common.
Altered Nitric Oxide Bioavailability Contributes to Diesel Exhaust Inhalation‐Induced Cardiovascular Dysfunction in Man

BACKGROUND
Diesel exhaust inhalation causes cardiovascular dysfunction including impaired vascular reactivity, increased blood pressure, and arterial stiffness. We investigated the role of nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability in mediating these effects.


METHODS AND RESULTS
In 2 randomized double-blind crossover studies, healthy nonsmokers were exposed to diesel exhaust or filtered air. Study 1: Bilateral forearm blood flow was measured during intrabrachial infusions of acetylcholine (ACh; 5 to 20 μg/min) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP; 2 to 8 μg/min) in the presence of the NO clamp (NO synthase inhibitor N(G)-monomethyl-l-arginine (l-NMMA) 8 μg/min coinfused with the NO donor SNP at 90 to 540 ng/min to restore basal blood flow). Study 2: Blood pressure, arterial stiffness, and cardiac output were measured during systemic NO synthase inhibition with intravenous l-NMMA (3 mg/kg). Following diesel exhaust inhalation, plasma nitrite concentrations were increased (68±48 versus 41±32 nmol/L; P=0.006) despite similar l-NMMA-induced reductions in basal blood flow (-20.6±14.7% versus -21.1±14.6%; P=0.559) compared to air. In the presence of the NO clamp, ACh and SNP caused dose-dependent vasodilatation that was not affected by diesel exhaust inhalation (P>0.05 for both). Following exposure to diesel exhaust, l-NMMA caused a greater increase in blood pressure (P=0.048) and central arterial stiffness (P=0.007), but reductions in cardiac output and increases in systemic vascular resistance (P>0.05 for both) were similar to those seen with filtered air.


CONCLUSIONS
Diesel exhaust inhalation disturbs normal vascular homeostasis with enhanced NO generation unable to compensate for excess consumption. We suggest the adverse cardiovascular effects of air pollution are, in part, mediated through reduced NO bioavailability.


CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION
URL: http://www.ClinicalTrials.gov. Unique identifiers: NCT00845767 and NCT01060930.
Feasibility analysis of low-cost GNSS receivers for achieving required positioning performance in CAV applications

For Connected and Autonomous Vehicle (CAV) applications, the location solution is desired to provide better than 0.1m real-time positioning accuracy. This level of accuracy can only be achieved by using geodetic GNSS receivers under an open sky observation condition, and each unit costs around £20,000. This kind of geodetic GNSS receiver is not a good option for mass market use in terms of price and ubiquity aspects. Therefore, using low-cost receiver to achieve real-time, high accuracy and ubiquitous positioning performance could be a future trend. This paper will first establish a framework of assessing low-cost receivers based on required navigation performance (RNP) concept in aviation and required accuracy categories in ITS. Then adynamic test that was conducted to simulate the future CAV driving environment will be introduced. Under the guidance of the former established framework, the collected data was post-processed to explore the real positioning performance of both two grades receivers. By comparing real-time/post-processed results and high-end/low-cost receivers, the limitations and technical gaps between two types of receivers, as well as current positioning solution and required positioning performance will be identified.
OCL Constraints Generation from Natural Language Specification

Object Constraint Language (OCL) plays a key role in Unified Modeling Language (UML). In the UML standards, OCL is used for expressing constraints such as well-definedness criteria. In addition OCL can be used for specifying constraints on the models and pre/post conditions on operations, improving the precision of the specification. As a result, OCL has received considerable attention from the research community. However, despite its key role, there is a common consensus that OCL is the least adopted among all languages in the UML. It is often argued that, software practitioners shy away from OCL due to its unfamiliar syntax. To ensure better adoption of OCL, the usability issues related to producing OCL statement must be addressed. To address this problem, this paper aims to preset a method involving using Natural Language expressions and Model Transformation technology. The aim of the method is to produce a framework so that the user of UML tool can write constraints and pre/post conditions in English and the framework converts such natural language expressions to the equivalent OCL statements. As a result, the approach aims at simplifying the process of generation of OCL statements, allowing the user to benefit form the advantages provided by UML tools that support OCL. The suggested approach relies on Semantic Business Vocabulary and Rules (SBVR) to support formulation of natural language expressions and their transformations to OCL. The paper also presents outline of a prototype tool that implements the method.
Sustainable governance for small desert settlements: Combining single settlement localism and multi-settlement regionalism

Deserts are, by their nature, sparsely populated areas. On one recent reckoning undertaken for the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre by Taylor, Brown and Bell, the Australian desert accounted for 45 per cent of the continental land mass but contained just one per cent of the population: i.e. about 180,000 people out of just over 18 million people Australia-wide at the time of the 2001 Census.1 About half these desert dwelling Australians lived in just five urban settlements with populations of over 10,000 people. Another quarter lived in 17 smaller urban settlements of between 1,000 and 3,500 people. And the last quarter lived in about 400 small desert settlements with average populations of just 100 or so (Taylor, Brown and Bell 2006: 38).