bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Methylphenidate and galantamine in patients with vascular cognitive impairment–the proof-of-principle study STREAM-VCI
Authors: Leijenaar Jolien F. , Groeneveld Geert Jan , Klaassen Erica S. , Leeuwis Anna E. , Scheltens Philip , Weinstein Henry C. , van Gerven Joop M. A. , Barkhof Frederik , van der Flier Wiesje M. , Prins Niels D. 
Published: January 2020

Abstract
Background
To date, no symptomatic treatment is available for patients with vascular cognitive impairment (VCI). In the proof-of-principle study Symptomatic Treatment of Vascular Cognitive Impairment (STREAM-VCI), we investigated whether a single dose of a monoaminergic drug (methylphenidate) improves executive functioning and whether a single dose of a cholinergic drug (galantamine) improves memory in VCI patients.

Methods
STREAM-VCI is a single-center, double-blind, three-way crossover trial. We included 30 VCI patients (Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) ≥ 16 and Clinical Dementia Rating score 0.5–1.0) with cerebrovascular pathology on MRI. All patients received single doses of methylphenidate (10 mg), galantamine (16 mg), and placebo in random order on three separate study visits. We used the NeuroCart®, a computerized test battery, to assess drug-sensitive cognitive effects. Predefined main outcomes, measured directly after a single dose of a study drug, were (i) change in performance on the adaptive tracker for executive functioning and (ii) performance on the Visual Verbal Learning Test-15 (VVLT-15) for memory, compared to placebo. We performed mixed model analysis of variance.

Results
The study population had a mean age of 67 ± 8 years and MMSE 26 ± 3, and 9 (30%) were female. Methylphenidate improved performance on the adaptive tracker more than placebo (mean difference 1.40%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.56–2.25; p = 0.002). In addition, methylphenidate led to better memory performance on the VVLT-15 compared to placebo (mean difference in recalled words 0.59; 95% CI 0.03–1.15; p = 0.04). Galantamine did not improve performance on the adaptive tracker and led to worse performance on delayed recall of the VVLT-15 (mean difference − 0.84; 95% CI − 1.65, − 0.03; p = 0.04). Methylphenidate was well tolerated while galantamine produced gastrointestinal side effects in a considerable number of patients.

Conclusions
In this proof-of-principle study, methylphenidate is well tolerated and improves executive functioning and immediate recall in patients with VCI. Galantamine did not improve memory or executive dysfunction. Results might be influenced by the considerable amount of side effects seen.

Trial registration
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Registration number: NCT02098824. Registration date: March 28, 2014.
Neurovascular effects of umbilical cord blood-derived stem cells in growth-restricted newborn lambs
Authors: Malhotra Atul , Castillo-Melendez Margie , Allison Beth J. , Sutherland Amy E. , Nitsos Ilias , Pham Yen , McDonald Courtney A. , Fahey Michael C. , Polglase Graeme R. , Jenkin Graham , Miller Suzanne L. 
Published: January 2020

Abstract
Background
Neonatal ventilation exacerbates brain injury in lambs with fetal growth restriction (FGR), characterized by neuroinflammation and reduced blood-brain barrier integrity, which is normally maintained by the neurovascular unit. We examined whether umbilical cord blood stem cell (UCBC) treatment stabilized the neurovascular unit and reduced brain injury in preterm ventilated FGR lambs.

Methods
Surgery was performed in twin-bearing pregnant ewes at 88 days’ gestation to induce FGR in one fetus. At 127 days, FGR and appropriate for gestational age (AGA) lambs were delivered, carotid artery flow probes and umbilical lines inserted, lambs intubated and commenced on gentle ventilation. Allogeneic ovine UCBCs (25 × 106 cells/kg) were administered intravenously to lambs at 1 h of life. Lambs were ventilated for 24 h and then euthanized.

Results
FGR (n = 6) and FGR+UCBC (n = 6) lambs were growth restricted compared to AGA (n = 6) and AGA+UCBC (n = 6) lambs (combined weight, FGR 2.3 ± 0.4 vs. AGA 3.0 ± 0.3 kg; p = 0.0002). UCBC therapy did not alter mean arterial blood pressure or carotid blood flow but decreased cerebrovascular resistance in FGR+UCBC lambs. Circulating TNF-α cytokine levels were lower in FGR+UCBC vs. FGR lambs (p < 0.05). Brain histopathology showed decreased neuroinflammation and oxidative stress, increased endothelial cell proliferation, pericyte stability, and greater integrity of the neurovascular unit in FGR+UCBC vs. FGR lambs.

Conclusions
Umbilical cord blood stem cell therapy mitigates perinatal brain injury due to FGR and ventilation, and the neuroprotective benefits may be mediated by stabilization of the neurovascular unit.
Classification, positioning, and tracking of drones by HMM using acoustic circular microphone array beamforming
Authors: Guo Junfeng , Ahmad Ishtiaq , Chang KyungHi 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThis paper addresses issues with monitoring systems that identify and track illegal drones. The development of drone technologies promotes the widespread commercial application of drones. However, the ability of a drone to carry explosives and other destructive materials may pose serious threats to public safety. In order to reduce these threats, we propose an acoustic-based scheme for positioning and tracking of illegal drones. Our proposed scheme has three main focal points. First, we scan the sky with switched beamforming to find sound sources and record the sounds using a microphone array; second, we perform classification with a hidden Markov model (HMM) in order to know whether the sound is a drone or something else. Finally, if the sound source is a drone, we use its recorded sound as a reference signal for tracking based on adaptive beamforming. Simulations are conducted under both ideal conditions (without background noise and interference sounds) and non-ideal conditions (with background noise and interference sounds), and we evaluate the performance when tracking illegal drones.
Mapping the evidence on health equity considerations in economic evaluations of health interventions: a scoping review protocol
Authors: Besar Sa’aid Hafizah , Mathew Sharon , Richardson Marina , Bielecki Joanna M. , Sander Beate 
Published: January 2020

Abstract
Background
Equity in health has become an important policy agenda around the world, prompting health economists to advance methods to enable the inclusion of equity in economic evaluations. Among the methods that have been proposed to explicitly include equity are the weighting analysis, equity impact analysis, and equity trade-off analysis. This is a new development and a comprehensive overview of trends and concepts of health equity in economic evaluations is lacking. Thus, our objective is to map the current state of the literature with respect to how health equity is considered in economic evaluations of health interventions reported in the academic and gray literature.

Methods
We will conduct a scoping review to identify and map evidence on how health equity is considered in economic evaluations of health interventions. We will search relevant electronic, gray literature and key journals. We developed a search strategy using text words and Medical Subject Headings terms related to health equity and economic evaluations of health interventions. Articles retrieved will be uploaded to reference manager software for screening and data extraction. Two reviewers will independently screen the articles based on their titles and abstracts for inclusion, and then will independently screen a full text to ascertain final inclusion. A simple numerical count will be used to quantify the data and a content analysis will be conducted to present the narrative; that is, a thematic summary of the data collected.

Discussion
The results of this scoping review will provide a comprehensive overview of the current evidence on how health equity is considered in economic evaluations of health interventions and its research gaps. It will also provide key information to decision-makers and policy-makers to understand ways to include health equity into the prioritization of health interventions when aiming for a more equitable distribution of health resources.

Systematic review registration
This protocol was registered with Open Science Framework (OSF) Registry on August 14, 2019 (https://osf.io/9my2z/registrations).
Systematic review and meta-analysis protocol for efficacy and safety of Momordica charantia L. on animal models of type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Peter Emanuel L. , Mtewa Andrew G. , Nagendrappa Prakash B. , Kaligirwa Anita , Sesaazi Crispin Duncan 
Published: January 2020

AbstractBackgroundStudies on several preclinical models of type 2 diabetes mellitus have been conducted to establish the hypoglycemic activity ofMomordica charantiaL. Concerned with appropriateness of these models, we designed a systematic review to establish the efficacy and safety ofM. charantiaL. in preclinical models of type 2 diabetes mellitus.MethodsReview authors will search without language restriction in MEDLINE/PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Scopus, and CINAHL databases through April 2019. Search filters will be applied to enhance search efficiency. The authors will search for gray literature in Google and Google Scholar, OpenGrey, and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses. Two authors will evaluate full texts, extract data, and asses risk of bias independently. The review will include randomized or non-randomized studies that assessed the efficacy or safety ofM. charantiaL. with vehicle control group. The primary endpoint will be fasting blood glucose level. We will use Egger’s test to assess publication biases. Chi-square test andI2will be used to assess heterogeneity in effect size of the primary outcome. Using RevMan software version 5.3, the authors will perform a meta-analysis of quantitative data.DiscussionThe strength of evidence will be rated as high, moderate, low, or very low using GRADE framework for animal studies. This systematic review will potentially improve research practice by identifying risks of bias and design features that compromise translatability and contribute to evidence-based clinical trial design.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO CRD42019119181
Arbitrary-order economic production quantity model with and without deterioration: generalized point of view
Authors: Rahaman Mostafijur , Mondal Sankar Prasad , Shaikh Ali Akbar , Ahmadian Ali , Senu Norazak , Salahshour Soheil 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThe key objective of this paper is to study and discuss the application of fractional calculus on an arbitrary-order inventory control problem. Using the concepts of fractional calculus followed by fractional derivative, we construct different possible models like generalized fractional-order economic production quantity (EPQ) model with the uniform demand and production rate and generalized fractional-order EPQ model with the uniform demand and production rate and deterioration. Also, we show that the classical EPQ model is the particular case of the corresponding generalized fractional EPQ model. This greatly facilitates the researcher a novel tactic to analyse the solution of the EPQ model in the presence of fractional index. Furthermore, this attempt also provides the solution obtained through the optimization techniques after using the real distinct poles rational approximation of the generalized Mittag-Leffler function.
Intelligent video interview agent used to predict communication skill and perceived personality traits
Authors: Suen Hung-Yue , Hung Kuo-En , Lin Chien-Liang 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThe prediction of individual interpersonal communication skills and personality traits is a critical issue in both industrial and organizational psychology and affective computing. In this study, we invited 114 participants, including 57 interviewers and 57 interviewees, to collect the ground truth of interviewees’ communication skills and personality traits as perceived by real human interviewers in a structured behavioral interview setting. We develop an asynchronous video interview (AVI) platform with an artificial intelligence (AI) decision agent based on a TensorFlow convolutional neural network (CNN), called AVI-AI, that can be used to partially displace human raters’ work in the initial stage of employment screening and to successfully predict a job candidate’s communication skills and personality traits. The experimental results show that AVI-AI can predict not only a candidate’s interpersonal communication skills but also his or her openness, agreeableness, and neuroticism, as perceived by experienced human resource professionals. The interrater reliability values were all acceptable to support the ground truth assumption. However, our AVI-AI could not predict the conscientiousness and extraversion as perceived by the real human raters in this study.
What is security worth to consumers? Investigating willingness to pay for secure Internet of Things devices
Authors: Blythe John M. , Johnson Shane D. , Manning Matthew 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThe Internet of Things (IoT) is considered the next technological revolution. IoT devices include once everyday objects that are now internet connected, such as smart locks and smart fridges, but also new types of devices to include home assistants. However, while this increased interconnectivity brings considerable benefits, it can and does increase people’s exposure to crime risk. This is particularly the case as most devices are developed without security in mind. One reason for this is that there is little incentive for manufacturers to make devices secure by design, and the costs of so doing do not encourage it. The principle aim of the current paper was to estimate the extent to which consumers are willing to pay for improved security in internet connected products. The second aim was to examine whether this is conditioned by their exposure to security-related information. Using an experimental design, and a contingent valuation method, we find that people are willing to pay for improved security and that for some devices, this increases if they are exposed to information about security prior to stating their willingness to pay. The implications of our findings for industry and the secure by design agenda are discussed.
Graphical Flow-based Spark Programming
Authors: Mahapatra Tanmaya , Prehofer Christian 
Published: January 2020

AbstractIncreased sensing data in the context of the Internet of Things (IoT) necessitates data analytics. It is challenging to write applications for Big Data systems due to complex, highly parallel software frameworks and systems. The inherent complexity in programming Big Data applications is also due to the presence of a wide range of target frameworks, with different data abstractions and APIs. The paper aims to reduce this complexity and its ensued learning curve by enabling domain experts, that are not necessarily skilled Big Data programmers, to develop data analytics applications via domain-specific graphical tools. The approach follows the flow-based programming paradigm used in IoT mashup tools. The paper contributes to these aspects by (i) providing a thorough analysis and classification of the widely used Spark framework and selecting suitable data abstractions and APIs for use in a graphical flow-based programming paradigm and (ii) devising a novel, generic approach for programming Spark from graphical flows that comprises early-stage validation and code generation of Spark applications. Use cases for Spark have been prototyped and evaluated to demonstrate code-abstraction, automatic data abstraction interconversion and automatic generation of target Spark programs, which are the keys to lower the complexity and its ensued learning curve involved in the development of Big Data applications.
Big data monetization throughout Big Data Value Chain: a comprehensive review
Authors: Faroukhi Abou Zakaria , El Alaoui Imane , Gahi Youssef , Amine Aouatif 
Published: January 2020

AbstractValue Chain has been considered as a key model for managing efficiently value creation processes within organizations. However, with the digitization of the end-to-end processes which began to adopt data as a main source of value, traditional value chain models have become outdated. For this, researchers have developed new value chain models, called Data Value Chains, to carry out data driven organizations. Thereafter, new data value chains called Big Data Value chain have emerged with the emergence of Big Data in order to face new data-related challenges such as high volume, velocity, and variety. These Big Data Value Chains describe the data flow within organizations which rely on Big Data to extract valuable insights. It is a set of ordered steps using Big Data Analytics tools and mainly built for going from data generation to knowledge creation. The advances in Big Data and Big Data Value Chain, using clear processes for aggregation and exploitation of data, have given rise to what is called data monetization. Data monetization concept consists of using data from an organization to generate profit. It may be selling the data directly for cash, or relying on that data to create value indirectly. It is important to mention that the concept of monetizing data is not as new as it looks, but with the era of Big Data and Big Data Value Chain it is becoming attractive. The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review of value creation, data value, and Big Data value chains with their different steps. This literature has led us to construct an end-to-end exhaustive BDVC that regroup most of the addressed phases. Furthermore, we present a possible evolution of that generic BDVC to support Big Data Monetization. For this, we discuss different approaches that enable data monetization throughout data value chains. Finally, we highlight the need to adopt specific data monetization models to suit big data specificities.
Towards a better understanding of the role of nectar-inhabiting yeasts in plant–animal interactions
Authors: Klaps Joon , Lievens Bart , Álvarez-Pérez Sergio 
Published: January 2020

AbstractFlowers offer a wide variety of substrates suitable for fungal growth. However, the mycological study of flowers has only recently begun to be systematically addressed from an ecological point of view. Most research on the topic carried out during the last decade has focused on studying the prevalence and diversity of flower-inhabiting yeasts, describing new species retrieved from floral parts and animal pollinators, and the use of select nectar yeasts as model systems to test ecological hypotheses. In this primer article, we summarize the current state of the art in floral nectar mycology and provide an overview of some research areas that, in our view, still require further attention, such as the influence of fungal volatile organic compounds on the foraging behavior of pollinators and other floral visitors, the analysis of the direct and indirect effects of nectar-inhabiting fungi on the fitness of plants and animals, and the nature and consequences of fungal-bacterial interactions taking place within flowers.
Custom-made 3D printed subperiosteal titanium implants for the prosthetic restoration of the atrophic posterior mandible of elderly patients: a case series
Authors: Mangano Carlo , Bianchi Andrea , Mangano Francesco Guido , Dana Jessica , Colombo Marco , Solop Ivan , Admakin Oleg 
Published: January 2020

AbstractPurposeTo present the application of custom-made 3D-printed subperiosteal implants for fixed prosthetic restoration of the atrophic posterior mandible of elderly patients.MethodsBetween January 2017 and June 2018, all partially edentulous patients aged over 65 years, with two or more missing teeth in the posterior atrophic mandible, and who did not want to undergo bone regenerative procedures, were included in this study. These patients were rehabilitated with custom-made subperiosteal implants, designed from cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) and fabricated in titanium by means of direct metal laser sintering (DMLS). The outcome measures were fit and stability of the implants at placement, duration of the intervention, implant survival, and early and late complications. All patients were followed for 1 year after surgery.ResultsTen patients (four males, six females; mean age 69.6, SD ± 2.8, median 69, 95% CI 67.9–71.6) were included in the study. The fit of the implants was satisfactory, with a mean rating of 7 out of 10 (SD ± 1.6, median 7, 95% CI 6–8). Only two implants had insufficient fit, because of the presence of scattering in the CBCT; however, they were adapted to the sites during the interventions. The mean duration of the intervention was 44.3 min (SD ± 19.4, median 37, 95% CI 32.3–56.3). At the one-year follow-up, no implants were lost (survival rate 100%). One implant presented immediate postoperative complications with pain, discomfort and swelling, and two patients experienced late complications, having their provisional restorations fractured during the temporisation phase. All these complications were minor in nature, but the final complication rate amounted to 30% (three of ten patients).ConclusionsAlthough this study has limits (small patient sample and short follow-up), DMLS has proven to be an effective method for fabricating accurate subperiosteal implants, with high survival rates. This may represent an alternative treatment procedure in elderly patients with a severely atrophic posterior mandible, since it allows avoidance of regenerative bone therapies. Further studies are needed to confirm these outcomes.
Transcatheter arterial embolization for unruptured renal angiomyolipoma using a 1.8-Fr tip microballoon catheter with a mixture of ethanol and Lipiodol
Authors: Tomita Kosuke , Matsumoto Tomohiro , Kamei Shunsuke , Yamamoto Shota , Suda Satoshi , Zakoji Hidenori , Hasebe Terumitsu 
Published: January 2020

Abstract
Background
To evaluate the efficacy and safety of transcatheter arterial embolization for renal angiomyolipoma using a 1.8-French tip microballoon catheter and a mixture of ethanol and Lipiodol.

Methods
Seven consecutive patients with total of eight angiomyolipomas underwent this procedure between June 2014 and June 2017. A 1.8-French tip microballoon catheter was advanced to the feeding artery of the angiomyolipoma, and transcatheter arterial embolization was performed with a mixture of ethanol and Lipiodol under microballoon inflation. We retrospectively evaluated the characteristics of angiomyolipomas, technical success rate, clinical success rate, renal function, and adverse events. Technical success and clinical success were defined as complete embolization of all feeding arteries and reduction of tumor size, respectively.

Results
The median size of the angiomyolipomas was 46 mm (range, 40–64 mm). Transcatheter arterial embolization was successful in all eight angiomyolipomas. The median volume of the mixture of ethanol and Lipiodol was 6.0 ml (range, 2.0–14 ml). The median ratio of ethanol to Lipiodol was 71% (range, 71–75%). All eight angiomyolipomas shrank with a median shrinkage rate of 34% in diameter (range, 9–63%) and 77% in volume (range, 48–94%). The median follow-up period was 13 months (range, 9–54 months). Clinical success was achieved in all cases. Serum creatinine concentrations and the pre- and post-procedural estimated glomerular filtration rates did not change notably, and there were no major complications.

Conclusion
Transcatheter arterial embolization for renal angiomyolipoma using a 1.8-French tip microballoon catheter with a mixture of ethanol and Lipiodol is effective and safe.