LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Separation of a subspace-sparse signal: Algorithms and conditions

In this paper, we show how two classical sparse recovery algorithms, Orthogonal Matching Pursuit and Basis Pursuit, can be naturally extended to recover block-sparse solutions for subspace-sparse signals. A subspace-sparse signal is sparse with respect to a set of subspaces, instead of atoms. By generalizing the notion of mutual incoherence to the set of subspaces, we show that all classical sufficient conditions remain exactly the same for these algorithms to work for subspace-sparse signals, in both noiseless and noisy cases. The sufficient conditions provided are easy to verify for large systems. We conduct simulations to compare the performance of the proposed algorithms.
Estrogens and the skin.

OBJECTIVE
A review of the medical literature concerning the effect of the menopause and its hormonal treatment on the skin.


METHODS
An extensive Medline and Pubmed internet search utilizing the key words: collagen, elastin, estrogen, hormone replacement therapy, skin and aging.


RESULTS
The literature review demonstrated a wide array of research ranging from basic science work to clinical implications of the effects of the menopause and its treatment on the skin.


CONCLUSION
Estrogen loss at menopause has a profound influence on skin. Estrogen treatment in postmenopausal women has been repeatedly shown to increase collagen content, dermal thickness and elasticity, and data on the effect of estrogen on skin water content are also promising. Further, physiologic studies on estrogen and wound healing suggest that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may play a beneficial role in cutaneous injury repair. Results on the effect of HRT on other physiologic characteristics of skin, such as elastin content, sebaceous secretions, wrinkling and blood flow, are discordant. Given the responsiveness of skin to estrogen, the effects of HRT on aging skin require further examination, and careful molecular studies will likely clarify estrogen's effects at the cellular level.
First-in-human phase I dose escalation study of a second-generation non-ansamycin HSP90 inhibitor, AT13387, in patients with advanced solid tumors.

PURPOSE
AT13387 is a potent second-generation, fragment-derived HSP90 inhibitor. This phase I study investigated the maximum tolerated dose (MTD)/recommended phase II dose (RP2D) and safety, pharmacokinetic, and pharmacodynamic profiles of two AT13387 regimens in a refractory solid tumor population.


EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN
Standard 3+3 dose escalation was used. MTD and RP2D determinations were based on the occurrence of dose-limiting toxicities (DLT) and overall toxicity, respectively. Pharmacokinetic parameters were measured after single and multiple doses. AT13387-mediated induction of HSP70 was evaluated in plasma, peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and paired tumor biopsies.


RESULTS
Sixty-two patients were treated with doses ranging from 10 to 120 mg/m(2) twice weekly and 150 to 310 mg/m(2) once weekly (both for 3 weeks every 28 days). One DLT of visual disturbance occurred at 120 mg/m(2), which was considered the MTD and RP2D for the twice-weekly regimen. No formal DLTs occurred in the once-weekly regimen, but multiple moderately severe toxicities, including diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and systemic infusion reactions, led to selection of 260 mg/m(2) as the RP2D. Exposures of AT13387 increased proportionally with dose. Target engagement as measured by HSP70 induction occurred in plasma and tumor biopsy samples. One patient with gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) who had progressive disease on imatinib had a partial response and remained on treatment for 10 months. Twenty-one patients (34%) had stable disease, which lasted >120 days in 7 patients.


CONCLUSION
AT13387 administered once or twice weekly has an acceptable safety profile and demonstrated evidence of target engagement and preliminary antitumor activity.
Ranking university departments using the mean h-index

Ranking of universities has lately received considerable attention. However, ranking of departments would give a higher resolution picture of the distribution of quality within each university. In this work the Hirsch (h) index of each faculty in Greek Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, and Physics departments was calculated using the Web of Science and the mean value was used to rank them. This ranking refers to the research performance of each department and thus is most relevant to its doctoral program. The results seem highly meaningful. If performed on a pan-European basis, such rankings could spur healthy competition and could provide a strong motive for meritocratic hiring practices. Technical difficulties and possible extension of this approach to social science and humanities departments are discussed.
Endoscopic band ligation versus propranolol for the primary prophylaxis of variceal bleeding in cirrhotic patients with high risk esophageal varices.

BACKGROUND
Gastroesophageal variceal bleeding is a common complication of portal hypertension. Current guidelines recommend thorn-blockers for primary prophylaxis. However, evidence suggests that endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL) reduce bleeding episodes.


AIMS
To compare endoscopic EVL with propranolol (PPL) for primary prophylaxis of variceal bleeding.


METHODS
We conducted a randomized controlled trial. Over a 9-year period, 75 patients with cirrhosis and high-risk esophageal varices (HREV) were recruited and allocated to EVL (n=39) or PPL (n=36). Primary outcome was variceal bleeding. Secondary outcomes were survival, source of bleeding and serious adverse events. Analyses were made by intention-to-treat.


RESULTS
Baseline characteristics were similar. Medium follow-up was 1647+/-1096 days. complete follow-up was achieved in 85% of patients. Variceal bleeding occurred in 12% of EVL and in 25% of PPL group (p=0.17). The actuarial risks of bleeding after 2 years were similar in both groups. Overall mortality was 51% in EVL and 33% in PPL group (p=0.17). Patients in the EVL group showed a lower rate of esophageal variceal bleeding (5.1% v/s 25%, p=0.027) and a higher rate of subcardial variceal bleeding compared with PPL group (7.7% v/s 0%, p=0.027). Serious adverse events related to EVL occurred in 2 patients, including 1 death.


CONCLUSIONS
The present study supports that PPL should be considered the first choice in primary prophylaxis of variceal bleeding offering similar effects and lower severe adverse events compared with EVL.
Effect of Depot Medoxyprogesterone Acetate on Immune Functions and Inflammatory Markers of HIV-Infected Women.

OBJECTIVES
Depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) was associated with increased HIV transmission and accelerated disease progression in untreated women. The potential underlying mechanisms include immune modulation. We evaluated the effect of a single DMPA injection on cell-mediated immunity (CMI), T-cell activation, T-cell regulation (Treg), and inflammation in HIV-infected women on combination antiretroviral regimen (cART).


METHODS
Women with HIV plasma RNA ≤ 400 copies per milliliter on stable cART received DMPA and had immunologic and medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) measurements at baseline, 4 weeks [peak MPA concentration (Cmax)], and 12 weeks [highest MPA area under the concentration curve].


RESULTS
At baseline, among 24 women with median age of 32 years and 622 CD4(+) cells per microliter, ≥ 68% had HIV, varicella-zoster virus, phytohemagglutinin A and CD3/CD28 CMI measured by lymphocyte proliferation, and/or IFNγ/IL2 dual-color fluorospot. CMI did not significantly change after DMPA administration except for a 1.4-fold increase in IL2/IFNγ varicella-zoster virus fluorospot at week 12. T-cell activation decreased after DMPA administration, reaching statistical significance at week 12 for CD4(+)CD25+%. Treg behaved heterogeneously with an increase in CD8+FOXP3+% at week 4 and a decrease in CD4+IL35+% at week 12. There was a decrease in TGFβ at week 12 and no other changes in plasma biomarkers. Correlation analyses showed that high MPA Cmax and/or area under the concentration curve were significantly associated with increases of IFNγ HIV enzyme-linked ImmunoSpot, CD4+IL35+%, and CD4+TGFβ+% Treg and decreases of plasma IL10 from baseline to weeks 4 and/or 12.


CONCLUSIONS
A single dose of DMPA did not have immune-suppressive or pro-inflammatory effects in HIV-infected women on cART. Additional studies need to assess the effect of multiple doses.
Using bus-based connections to improve field-programmable gate-array density for implementing datapath circuits

As the logic capacity of field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) increases, they are increasingly being used to implement large arithmetic-intensive applications, which often contain a large proportion of datapath circuits. Since datapath circuits usually consist of regularly structured components (called bit-slices) which are connected together by regularly structured signals (called buses), it is possible to utilize datapath regularity in order to achieve significant area savings through FPGA architectural innovations. This paper describes such an FPGA routing architecture, called the multibit routing architecture, which employs bus-based connections in order to exploit datapath regularity. It is experimentally shown that, compared to conventional FPGA routing architectures, the multibit routing architecture can achieve 14% routing area reduction for implementing datapath circuits, which represents an overall FPGA area savings of 10%. This paper also empirically determines the best values of several important architectural parameters for the new routing architecture including the most area efficient granularity values and the most area efficient proportion of bus-based connections.
Marketing capabilities and innovation-based strategies for environmental sustainability: An exploratory investigation of B2B firms

Abstract While emerging literature on sustainability shows that environmentally responsible strategies can contribute to competitive advantage and enhanced financial performance, little is known about specific marketing capabilities that lead to sustainable consumption behavior, and whether implementing such strategies leads to firm competitive advantage. Using the case method approach, this study explores marketing-related strategies and practices pertaining to sustainable consumption as reported by leading sustainable firms in the B2B context. We examine case studies of forty seven B2B firms and identify key marketing capabilities that tie to innovation-based sustainability strategies, sustainable consumption behavior and firm performance. We use our findings to develop a conceptual framework linking marketing capabilities to innovation strategies for firm sustainability, sustainable consumption behavior and firm competitive advantage, and put forward propositions for future research.
A phase II study of temozolomide in hormone-refractory prostate cancer

Introduction: Hormone-refractory disseminated prostate cancer is a major oncological problem. Preclinical studies with temozolomide, an oral alkylating agent, in prostate cancer have shown encouraging results. In phase I studies the safety of temozolomide in non-prostate cancer patients has been demonstrated. Based on these results, a phase II study of temozolomide in patients with metastatic disease who had developed progressive symptomatic disease while on antiandrogen therapy, was initiated. Methods: A group of 18 patients started a 5-day temozolomide regimen, with a 28-day treatment cycle. Response parameters (prostate-specific antigen, bone scan, quality of life questionnaire) and toxicity (common toxicity criteria for international studies) were recorded at regular intervals. Results: Of the 18 patients, 16 were evaluable by completing two or three cycles. All patients developed progressive disease within two cycles, except one who had progressive disease at the end of cycle 3. Of the 16 evaluable patients, 11 developed new bone metastases (bone scan), 1 developed lung metastases, 4 had progressive disease as reflected by a 25% increase in serum PSA together with subjective progression, and 7 and 5 had progressive disease as reflected by decreased quality of life and increased pain score, respectively. Toxicity was limited to nausea and vomiting, which was effectively treated with antiemetic medication, and anemia and thrombocytopenia, which returned to normal values within 1 week. Discussion: Treatment with temozolomide was generally well tolerated, with occasionally moderate toxicity. As all patients developed progressive disease the results are rather discouraging. Temozolomide is ineffective for the treatment of patients with symptomatic progressive hormone-refractory prostate cancer.
Exposing some important barriers to health care access in the rural USA.

OBJECTIVES
To review research published before and after the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (2010) examining barriers in seeking or accessing health care in rural populations in the USA.


STUDY DESIGN
This literature review was based on a comprehensive search for all literature researching rural health care provision and access in the USA.


METHODS
Pubmed, Proquest Allied Nursing and Health Literature, National Rural Health Association (NRHA) Resource Center and Google Scholar databases were searched using the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) 'Rural Health Services' and 'Rural Health.' MeSH subtitle headings used were 'USA,' 'utilization,' 'trends' and 'supply and distribution.' Keywords added to the search parameters were 'access,' 'rural' and 'health care.' Searches in Google Scholar employed the phrases 'health care disparities in the USA,' inequalities in 'health care in the USA,' 'health care in rural USA' and 'access to health care in rural USA.' After eliminating non-relevant articles, 34 articles were included.


RESULTS
Significant differences in health care access between rural and urban areas exist. Reluctance to seek health care in rural areas was based on cultural and financial constraints, often compounded by a scarcity of services, a lack of trained physicians, insufficient public transport, and poor availability of broadband internet services. Rural residents were found to have poorer health, with rural areas having difficulty in attracting and retaining physicians, and maintaining health services on a par with their urban counterparts.


CONCLUSIONS
Rural and urban health care disparities require an ongoing program of reform with the aim to improve the provision of services, promote recruitment, training and career development of rural health care professionals, increase comprehensive health insurance coverage and engage rural residents and healthcare providers in health promotion.
Actigraphy as a diagnostic aid for REM sleep behavior disorder in Parkinson’s disease

BACKGROUND
Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is a common parasomnia in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. The current International Classification of Sleep Disorders (ICSD-II) requires a clinical interview combined with video polysomnography (video-PSG) to diagnose. The latter is time consuming and expensive and not always feasible in clinical practice. Here we studied the use of actigraphy as a diagnostic tool for RBD in PD patients.


METHODS
We studied 45 consecutive PD patients (66.7% men) with and without complaints of RBD. All patients underwent one night of video-PSG and eight consecutive nights of actigraphy. Based on previous studies, the main outcome measure was the total number of bouts classified as "wake", compared between patients with (PD + RBD) and without RBD (PD- RBD).


RESULTS
23 (51.1%) patients had RBD according to the ICSD-II criteria. The total number of wake bouts was significantly higher in RBD patients (PD + RBD 73.2 ± 40.2 vs. PD-RBD 48.4 ± 23.3, p = .016). A cut off of 95 wake bouts per night resulted in a specificity of 95.5%, a sensitivity of 20.1% and a positive predictive value of 85.7%. Seven patients were suspected of RBD based on the interview alone, but not confirmed on PSG; six of whom scored below 95 wake bouts per night on actigraphy.


CONCLUSION
PD patients with RBD showed a significantly higher number of bouts scored as "wake" using actigraphy, compared to patients without RBD. In clinical practice, actigraphy has a high specificity, but low sensitivity in the diagnosis of RBD. The combination of actigraphy and previously reported RBD questionnaires may be a promising method to diagnose RBD in patients with PD.
Screening for type 2 diabetes is feasible, acceptable, but associated with increased short-term anxiety: A randomised controlled trial in British general practice

BACKGROUND
To assess the feasibility and uptake of a diabetes screening programme; to examine the effects of invitation to diabetes screening on anxiety, self-rated health and illness perceptions.


METHODS
Randomised controlled trial in two general practices in Cambridgeshire. Individuals aged 40-69 without known diabetes were identified as being at high risk of having undiagnosed type 2 diabetes using patient records and a validated risk score (n = 1,280). 355 individuals were randomised in a 2 to 1 ratio into non-invited (n = 238) and invited (n = 116) groups. A stepwise screening programme confirmed the presence or absence of diabetes. Six weeks after the last contact (either test or invitation), a questionnaire was sent to all participants, including non-attenders and those who were not originally invited. Outcome measures included attendance, anxiety (short-form Spielberger State Anxiety Inventory-STAI), self-rated health and diabetes illness perceptions.


RESULTS
95 people (82% of those invited) attended for the initial capillary blood test. Six individuals were diagnosed with diabetes. Invited participants were more anxious than those not invited (37.6 vs. 34.1 STAI, p-value = 0.015), and those diagnosed with diabetes were considerably more anxious than those classified free of diabetes (46.7 vs. 37.0 STAI, p-value = 0.031). Non-attenders had a higher mean treatment control sub-scale (3.87 vs. 3.56, p-value = 0.016) and a lower mean emotional representation sub-scale (1.81 vs. 2.68, p-value = 0.001) than attenders. No differences in the other five illness perception sub-scales or self-rated health were found.


CONCLUSION
Screening for type 2 diabetes in primary care is feasible but may be associated with higher levels of short-term anxiety among invited compared with non-invited participants.
Efficacy of renal replacement therapy in critically ill patients: a propensity analysis

INTRODUCTION
Although renal replacement therapy (RRT) is a common procedure in critically ill patients with acute kidney injury (AKI), its efficacy remains uncertain. Patients who receive RRT usually have higher mortality rates than those who do not. However, many differences exist in severity patterns between patients with and those without RRT and available results are further confounded by treatment selection bias since no consensus on indications for RRT has been reached so far. Our aim was to account for these biases to accurately assess RRT efficacy, with special attention to RRT timing.


METHODS
We performed a propensity analysis using data of the French longitudinal prospective multicenter Outcomerea database. Two propensity scores for RRT were built to match patients who received RRT to controls who did not despite having a close probability of receiving the procedure. AKI was defined according to RIFLE criteria. The association between RRT and hospital mortality was examined through multivariate conditional logistic regression analyses to control for residual confounding. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to examine the impact of RRT timing.


RESULTS
Among the 2846 study patients, 545 (19%) received RRT. Crude mortality rates were higher in patients with than in those without RRT (38% vs 17.5%, P < 0.001). After matching and adjustment, RRT was not associated with a reduced hospital mortality. The two propensity models yielded concordant results.


CONCLUSIONS
In our study population, RRT failed to reduce hospital mortality. This result emphasizes the need for randomized studies comparing RRT to conservative management in selected ICU patients, with special focus on RRT timing.
Enhanced biosynthesis of bioactive abietane diterpenes by overexpressing AtDXS or AtDXR genes in Salvia sclarea hairy roots

Diterpenoids are important compounds for plant survival and have beneficial properties for humans. Bioactive abietanic diterpenes are synthesized in roots of Salvia sclarea (e.g. aethiopinone, 1-oxoaethiopinone, salvipisone, and ferruginol), but at a very low level (about 1 % of root dry weight). To enhance the biosynthesis of this interesting class of compounds, heterologous AtDXS (d-xylulose 5-phosphate synthase) or AtDXR (1-deoxy-d-xylulose 5 phosphate reductoisomerase) genes, encoding the up-stream enzymes of the plastidial 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP)-dependent terpenoid pathway, were ectopically expressed in S. sclarea hairy roots. Quantitative targeted metabolic analysis (HPLC–DAD) revealed that three independent root lines, expressing different levels of DXS or DXR transcripts and proteins, synthesized a significant higher content of abietanic diterpenes, compared to the control hairy root line transformed with the empty vector. The increase was gene-dependent, since the overexpression of the AtDXR triggered a 4.4-fold increase in aethiopinone, an abietane quinone-type tricyclic diterpene. In addition, aethiopinone was proved to be cytotoxic to different solid tumor cell lines, with the highest effect on human melanoma A375 cell line (IC50 11.4 µM). Overall these results show that it is possible to boost the metabolic flow towards the synthesis of abietanic diterpenes in S. sclarea hairy roots by overexpressing genes involved in the first steps of the MEP-pathway and provide new insights for the large-scale production of this class of compounds, with potential application in cancer treatment.
Predictors of female urinary incontinence at midlife and beyond.

Urinary incontinence (UI) is an important middle age health issue and approximately 20% of women over 40 years of age have problems with continence. Urinary incontinence poses a significant negative impact on social functioning and quality of life to many individuals. It is estimated that around three million people are regularly incontinent in the UK with a prevalence of about 40 per 1000 adults. There are various factors which can cause incontinence such as pregnancy, childbirth, obesity, menopause, or just inherent connective-tissue weakness. All of these factors can cause pathophysiology changes in the muscular and fascial structures of the pelvic floor and lead to pelvic support defects and possibly pelvic floor dysfunction. We aim with this review article to highlight predictors or predisposing factors of incontinence; in order to help clinicians during their decisions and put in place a policy of a preventive strategy to decrease the incontinence rate in the general population.
Return On Security Investment (ROSI) - A Practical Quantitative Modell

Organizations need practical security benchmarking tools in order to plan effective security strategies. This paper explores a number of techniques that can be used to measure security within an organization. It proposes a benchmarking methodology that produces results that are of strategic importance to both decision makers and technology implementers.