LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Endoscopic Subtotal Thyroidectomy: The Procedure of Choice for Graves’ disease?

The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and outcomes of endoscopic subtotal thyroidectomy for Graves’ disease. From August 1998 to April 2008, a total of 100 patients with benign thyroid diseases underwent endoscopic thyroidectomy via the breast approach. Among these patients, 42 underwent subtotal thyroidectomy for Graves’ disease. The resection was successfully completed endoscopically in 41 patients (98%). Overall, the mean operating time, mean blood loss, and mean resected thyroid weight were 277 minutes, 76 ml, and 49.9 g, respectively. As the resected thyroid weight increased, the operating time was significantly prolonged and the blood loss significantly increased. Morbidities included one permanent and one temporary case of recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy with hypocalcemia. A hypertrophic scar was seen in the right breast medial margin in three men. Thyroid function was classified as euthyroidism, hypothyroidism, and recurrent hyperthyroidism in 5, 34, and 3 patients, respectively. At 92 months of median follow-up, two patients had modest operation-associated symptoms: one with swallowing discomfort and another with paresthesia in the anterior chest wall at the time of discharge. However, both patients’ symptoms disappeared within 36 months after surgery. Young women were highly satisfied, with an overall mean satisfaction rating of 9.3 points. Although the endoscopic approach may be relatively contraindicated for large thyroid glands, endoscopic subtotal thyroidectomy via the breast approach is a safe, feasible procedure with excellent cosmetic benefits, and it may be the procedure of choice in carefully selected patients with Graves’ disease.
Privacy Games Along Location Traces: A Game-Theoretic Framework for Optimizing Location Privacy

The mainstream approach to protecting the privacy of mobile users in location-based services (LBSs) is to alter (e.g., perturb, hide, and so on) the users’ actual locations in order to reduce exposed sensitive information. In order to be effective, a location-privacy preserving mechanism must consider both the privacy and utility requirements of each user, as well as the user’s overall exposed locations (which contribute to the adversary’s background knowledge).
 In this article, we propose a methodology that enables the design of optimal user-centric location obfuscation mechanisms respecting each individual user’s service quality requirements, while maximizing the expected error that the optimal adversary incurs in reconstructing the user’s actual trace. A key advantage of a user-centric mechanism is that it does not depend on third-party proxies or anonymizers; thus, it can be directly integrated in the mobile devices that users employ to access LBSs. Our methodology is based on the mutual optimization of user/adversary objectives (maximizing location privacy versus minimizing localization error) formalized as a Stackelberg Bayesian game. This formalization makes our solution robust against any location inference attack, that is, the adversary cannot decrease the user’s privacy by designing a better inference algorithm as long as the obfuscation mechanism is designed according to our privacy games.
 We develop two linear programs that solve the location privacy game and output the optimal obfuscation strategy and its corresponding optimal inference attack. These linear programs are used to design location privacy--preserving mechanisms that consider the correlation between past, current, and future locations of the user, thus can be tuned to protect different privacy objectives along the user’s location trace. We illustrate the efficacy of the optimal location privacy--preserving mechanisms obtained with our approach against real location traces, showing their performance in protecting users’ different location privacy objectives.
Bi-directional AC-DC/DC-AC converter for power sharing of hybrid AC/DC systems

In this paper, some of the aspects related to the connectivity of DC microgrids to the main grid are investigated. A prototype system has been designed and implemented to address these aspects. The described system is dependent mainly on sustainable energy sources. Hence, a special care has been given to dealing with this kind of sources while designing different components of the system. Certain features had to be maintained in the system in order to assure efficient integration of different sources such as, efficient and reliable load-feeding capability and full controllability of voltage and power flow among various buses in the system. Two different converters have been investigated; firstly, a fully controlled rectifier has been designed to tie the DC grid with the AC one. A vector decoupling controlled sinusoidal pulse width modulation (SPWM) technique has been used to allow the designed rectifier to maintain a constant output voltage while being able to control the active and reactive power drawn from the grid independently. Hence, this controlled rectifier acts as a voltage regulator for the DC microgrid and has a uni-directional power flow capability from the AC grid to the DC microgrid. Moreover, in order to allow bi-directional power flow, a bi-directional AC-DC/DC-AC converter has also been designed. The Bi-directional AC-DC/DC-AC converter controls the active power transferred from the DC grid to the AC grid while operating at unity power factor. In addition, it controls the active power transferred from the AC grid to the DC grid while operating at unity power factor. Both simulation and experimental results verify the validity of the proposed system.
In a randomized, double-blind clinical trial, adjuvant atorvastatin improved symptoms of depression and blood lipid values in patients suffering from severe major depressive disorder.

BACKGROUND
The administration of statins seems to be a promising new avenue in the treatment of patients suffering from major depressive disorder (MDD), though patients suffering from severe MDD remain unstudied in this respect. The aim of the present study was therefore to investigate, in a randomized double-blind clinical trial, the influence of adjuvant atorvastatin on symptoms of depression in patients with MDD.


METHODS
A total of 60 patients suffering from MDD (mean age: 32.25 years; 53% males) received a standard medication of 40 mg/d citalopram. Next, patients were randomly assigned either to the atorvastatin group (20 mg/d) or to the placebo group. Blood lipid values were assessed at baseline and on completion of the study 12 weeks later. Experts rated depressive symptoms via Hamilton Depression Rating Scales (HDRS) at baseline and 3, 6 and 12 weeks later.


RESULTS
HDRS scores decreased over time; the significant Time by Group interaction showed that symptoms of depression decreased more in the atorvastatin than in the placebo group. Compared to the placebo group, in the atorvastatin group cholesterol, triglyceride, and Low Density Lipids (LDL) significantly decreased, and High Density Lipids (HDL) significantly increased over time. HDRS scores and blood lipid values were generally not associated.


CONCLUSIONS
The pattern of results suggests that adjuvant atorvastatin favorably influences symptoms of depression among patients with severe MDD. Given that after 12 weeks of monotherapy and adjuvant atorvastatin patients were still moderately to severely depressed, more powerful treatment algorithms such as augmentation and change of medication are highly recommended.
Grasses : systematics and evolution

Phylogeny systematics and classifications morpholgy and anatomy developmental and evolutionary processes reproductive biology biochemical diversity macromolecular studies biogeography.
Modelling bird communities/landscape patterns relationships in a rural area of South-Western France

The new trends in agricultural policy in Western Europe conduct to new management problems in maintaining and utilizing biological resources. In the South-Western France, the evolution of agricultural practices occurs in two opposite ways. On one hand, the intensification of agriculture leads to simplify the landscape by hedgerows removal, grasslands ploughing and drainage for corn cultivation. On the other hand, the decreasing numbers of cattle and sheep conduct the less fertile parts of the territory to evolve into fallow. These two processes are closely linked on a same territory and important interactions exist between intensive agricultural areas and semi-natural communities. To understand the importance of these interactions and their role in ecological stability of landscapes, we use passerine bird communities as an ecological indicator. We modelized the relationships between birds and landscape structure from 256 relevés. Each relevé includes a bird count point of 20 mn and a description of the landscape feature on the surrounding 6.25 ha. An ordination of the relevés along the main ecological gradients was realized using Correspondence Analysis. Then, these ordinations where related to the landscape structure with Stepwise and Multiple Regression Analysis. The rate of woody area, the hedgerow network complexity and the rate of fallow land are the main ecological gradients. We have used this model to measure the importance of the changes induced on landscape by a range of management practices differing in intensity. To achieve this aim we compare the displacement of 116 relevés along the ecological gradients between 1983 and 1988. The changes occurring both in bird composition and landscape structure reveal the ecological impacts of the different management practices (hedgerow removal, drainage, ploughing, decreasing grazing pressure). We examine the behaviour of ecological diversity of landscape units differing in structure and use.
HRCT of interstitial lung disease (ILD): The basic ingredients of the alphabet soup

Any information contained in this pdf file is automatically generated from digital material submitted to EPOS by third parties in the form of scientific presentations. References to any names, marks, products, or services of third parties or hypertext links to thirdparty sites or information are provided solely as a convenience to you and do not in any way constitute or imply ECR's endorsement, sponsorship or recommendation of the third party, information, product or service. ECR is not responsible for the content of these pages and does not make any representations regarding the content or accuracy of material in this file. As per copyright regulations, any unauthorised use of the material or parts thereof as well as commercial reproduction or multiple distribution by any traditional or electronically based reproduction/publication method ist strictly prohibited. You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold ECR harmless from and against any and all claims, damages, costs, and expenses, including attorneys' fees, arising from or related to your use of these pages. Please note: Links to movies, ppt slideshows and any other multimedia files are not available in the pdf version of presentations. www.myESR.org
SPECIFIC AND CROSS-OVER EFFECTS OF FOAM ROLLING ON ANKLE DORSIFLEXION RANGE OF MOTION.

BACKGROUND
Flexibility is an important physical quality. Self-myofascial release (SMFR) methods such as foam rolling (FR) increase flexibility acutely but how long such increases in range of motion (ROM) last is unclear. Static stretching (SS) also increases flexibility acutely and produces a cross-over effect to contralateral limbs. FR may also produce a cross-over effect to contralateral limbs but this has not yet been identified.


PURPOSE
To explore the potential cross-over effect of SMFR by investigating the effects of a FR treatment on the ipsilateral limb of 3 bouts of 30 seconds on changes in ipsilateral and contralateral ankle DF ROM and to assess the time-course of those effects up to 20 minutes post-treatment.


METHODS
A within- and between-subject design was carried out in a convenience sample of 26 subjects, allocated into FR (n=13) and control (CON, n=13) groups. Ankle DF ROM was recorded at baseline with the in-line weight-bearing lunge test for both ipsilateral and contralateral legs and at 0, 5, 10, 15, 20 minutes following either a two-minute seated rest (CON) or 3 3 30 seconds of FR of the plantar flexors of the dominant leg (FR). Repeated measures ANOVA was used to examine differences in ankle DF ROM.


RESULTS
No significant between-group effect was seen following the intervention. However, a significant within-group effect (p<0.05) in the FR group was seen between baseline and all post-treatment time-points (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 minutes). Significant within-group effects (p<0.05) were also seen in the ipsilateral leg between baseline and at all post-treatment time-points, and in the contralateral leg up to 10 minutes post-treatment, indicating the presence of a cross-over effect.


CONCLUSIONS
FR improves ankle DF ROM for at least 20 minutes in the ipsilateral limb and up to 10 minutes in the contralateral limb, indicating that FR produces a cross-over effect into the contralateral limb. The mechanism producing these cross-over effects is unclear but may involve increased stretch tolerance, as observed following SS.


LEVELS OF EVIDENCE
2c.
Seroprevalence Study of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 among Pregnant Women in Germany Using a Type-Specific Enzyme Immunoassay

 In a German seroepidemiological study to determine the proportion of pregnant women infected with herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) and at risk of transmitting the infection to the newborn during delivery, IgG antibodies to HSV-2 in 1999 sera collected from pregnant women in 1996–1997 were measured using an automated type-specific enzyme immunoassay (Cobas Core HSV-2 IgG EIA; Roche Diagnostics, Switzerland). The seroprevalence of HSV-2 was 8.9%, and control studies with a type-common HSV assay measuring antibodies to HSV-1 and HSV-2 revealed that 20.7% of pregnant women were seronegative for HSV antibodies and are therefore at risk of acquiring primary genital HSV infection of either type.
Runtime Verification in Erlang by Using Contracts

During its lifetime, a program suffers several changes that seek to improve or to augment some parts of its functionality. However, these modifications usually also introduce errors that affect the alreadyworking code. There are several approaches and tools that help to spot and find the source of these errors. However, most of these errors could be avoided beforehand by using some of the knowledge that the programmers had when they were writing the code. This is the idea behind the design-by-contract approach, where users can define contracts that can be checked during runtime. In this paper, we apply the principles of this approach to Erlang, enabling, in this way, a runtime verification system in this language. We define two types of contracts. One of them can be used in any Erlang program, while the second type is intended to be used only in concurrent programs. We provide the details of the implementation of both types of contracts. Moreover, we provide an extensive explanation of each contract as well as examples of their usage. All the ideas presented in this paper have been implemented in a contract-based runtime verification system named EDBC. Its source code is available at GitHub as an open-source and free project.
Trunk muscle activity during lumbar stabilization exercises on both a stable and unstable surface.

STUDY DESIGN
Controlled laboratory study.


OBJECTIVES
To clarify whether differences in surface stability influence trunk muscle activity.


BACKGROUND
Lumbar stabilization exercises on unstable surfaces are performed widely. One perceived advantage in performing stabilization exercises on unstable surfaces is the potential for increased muscular demand. However, there is little evidence in the literature to help establish whether this assumption is correct.


METHODS
Nine healthy male subjects performed lumbar stabilization exercises. Pairs of intramuscular fine-wire or surface electrodes were used to record the electromyographic signal amplitude of the rectus abdominis, the external obliques, the transversus abdominis, the erector spinae, and lumbar multifidus. Five exercises were performed on the floor and on an unstable surface: elbow-toe, hand-knee, curl-up, side bridge, and back bridge. The EMG data were normalized as the percentage of the maximum voluntary contraction, and data between doing each exercise on the stable versus unstable surface were compared using a Wilcoxon signed-rank test.


RESULTS
With the elbow-toe exercise, the activity level for all muscles was enhanced when performed on the unstable surface. When performing the hand-knee and side bridge exercises, activity level of the more global muscles was enhanced when performed on an unstable surface. Performing the curl-up exercise on an unstable surface, increased the activity of the external obliques but reduced transversus abdominis activation.


CONCLUSION
This study indicates that lumbar stabilization exercises on an unstable surface enhanced the activities of trunk muscles, except for the back bridge exercise.
A high performance 180 nm generation logic technology

A 180 nm generation logic technology has been developed with high performance 140 nm L/sub GATE/ transistors, six layers of aluminum interconnects and low-/spl epsi/ SiOF dielectrics. The transistors are optimized for a reduced 1.3-1.5 V operation to provide high performance and low power. The interconnects feature high aspect ratio metal lines for low resistance and fluorine doped SiO/sub 2/ inter-level dielectrics for reduced capacitance. 16 Mbit SRAMs with a 5.59 /spl mu/m/sup 2/ 6-T cell size have been built on this technology as a yield and reliability test vehicle.
Social media interventions for diet and exercise behaviours: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

OBJECTIVES
To conduct a systematic review of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) examining the use of social media to promote healthy diet and exercise in the general population.


DATA SOURCES
MEDLINE, CENTRAL, ERIC, PubMed, CINAHL, Academic Search Complete, Alt Health Watch, Health Source, Communication and Mass Media Complete, Web of Knowledge and ProQuest Dissertation and Thesis (2000-2013).


STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
RCTs of social media interventions promoting healthy diet and exercise behaviours in the general population were eligible. Interventions using social media, alone or as part of a complex intervention, were included.


STUDY APPRAISAL AND SYNTHESIS
Study quality was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool. We describe the studies according to the target populations, objectives and nature of interventions, outcomes examined, and results and conclusions. We extracted data on the primary and secondary outcomes examined in each study. Where the same outcome was assessed in at least three studies, we combined data in a meta-analysis.


RESULTS
22 studies were included. Participants were typically middle-aged Caucasian women of mid-to-high socioeconomic status. There were a variety of interventions, comparison groups and outcomes. All studies showed a decrease in programme usage throughout the intervention period. Overall, no significant differences were found for primary outcomes which varied across studies. Meta-analysis showed no significant differences in changes in physical activity (standardised mean difference (SMD) 0.13 (95% CI -0.04 to 0.30), 12 studies) and weight (SMD -0.00 (95% CI -0.19 to 0.19), 10 studies); however, pooled results from five studies showed a significant decrease in dietary fat consumption with social media (SMD -0.35 (95% CI -0.68 to -0.02)).


CONCLUSIONS
Social media may provide certain advantages for public health interventions; however, studies of social media interventions to date relating to healthy lifestyles tend to show low levels of participation and do not show significant differences between groups in key outcomes.
The Impact of an Enhanced Interpreter Service Intervention on Hospital Costs and Patient Satisfaction

Many health care providers do not provide adequate language access services for their patients who are limited English-speaking because they view the costs of these services as prohibitive. However, little is known about the costs they might bear because of unaddressed language barriers or the costs of providing language access services. To investigate how language barriers and the provision of enhanced interpreter services impact the costs of a hospital stay. Prospective intervention study. Public hospital inpatient medicine service. Three hundred twenty-three adult inpatients: 124 Spanish-speakers whose physicians had access to the enhanced interpreter intervention, 99 Spanish-speakers whose physicians only had access to usual interpreter services, and 100 English-speakers matched to Spanish-speaking participants on age, gender, and admission firm. Patient satisfaction, hospital length of stay, number of inpatient consultations and radiology tests conducted in the hospital, adherence with follow-up appointments, use of emergency department (ED) services and hospitalizations in the 3 months after discharge, and the costs associated with provision of the intervention and any resulting change in health care utilization. The enhanced interpreter service intervention did not significantly impact any of the measured outcomes or their associated costs. The cost of the enhanced interpreter service was $234 per Spanish-speaking intervention patient and represented 1.5% of the average hospital cost. Having a Spanish-speaking attending physician significantly increased Spanish-speaking patient satisfaction with physician, overall hospital experience, and reduced ED visits, thereby reducing costs by $92 per Spanish-speaking patient over the study period. The enhanced interpreter service intervention did not significantly increase or decrease hospital costs. Physician–patient language concordance reduced return ED visit and costs. Health care providers need to examine all the cost implications of different language access services before they deem them too costly.