nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
A Study on the Use of Kinect Sensor in Traditional Folk Dances Recognition via Posture Analysis

In this paper, we evaluate the performance of widely applied soft computing classifiers, in folk dance recognition problems, emphasizing on posture identification. In particular, the goal is to identify postures which are characteristic for the dance performed, based on exploiting simultaneously the information of 24 body joints, acquired by a Kinect II sensor. The data sets described 6 folk dances, and their variations, originating from Greece.
Effectiveness of a multi-level asthma intervention in increasing controller medication use: a randomized control trial.

Poor self-management by families is an important factor in explaining high rates of asthma morbidity in Puerto Rico, and for this reason we previously tested a family intervention called CALMA that was found effective in improving most asthma outcomes, but not effective in increasing the use of controller medications. CALMA-plus was developed to address this issue by adding to CALMA, components of provider training and screening for asthma in clinics.



Study participants were selected from claims Medicaid data in San Juan, Puerto Rico. After screening, 404 children in eight clinics were selected after forming pairs of clinics and randomizing the clinics) to CALMA-only or CALMA-plus.



For all three primary outcomes at 12 months, the mean differences between treatment arms were small but in the predicted direction. However, after adjusting for clinic variation, the study failed to demonstrate that the CALMA-plus intervention was more efficacious than the CALMA-only intervention for increasing controller medication use, or decreasing asthma symptoms. Both groups had lower rates of asthma symptoms and service utilization, consistent with previous results of the CALMA-only intervention.



Compliance of providers with the intervention and training, small number of clinics available and the multiple barriers experienced by providers for medicating may have been related to the lack of difference observed between the groups. Future interventions should respond to the limitations of the present study design and provide more resources to providers that will increase provider participation in training and implementation of the intervention.
Phase II study of Vigil ® DNA engineered immunotherapy asmaintenance in advanced stage ovarian cancer

Phase II study of Vigil® DNA engineered immunotherapy asmaintenance in advanced stage ovarian cancer Jonathan Oh , Minal Barve , Carolyn M. Matthews , E. Colin Koon , Thomas P. Heffernan , Bruce Fine , Elizabeth Grosen , Melanie K. Bergman , Evelyn L Fleming , Leslie R. DeMars , Loyd West , Daniel L. Spitz , Howard Goodman , Kenneth C. Hancock , Gladice Wallraven , Padmasini Kumar , Ernest Bognar , Luisa Manning , Beena O. Pappen , Ned Adams , Neil Senzer , John Nemunaitis a,b,c,d,⁎
A randomised trial of supine versus prone breast radiotherapy (SuPr study): comparing set-up errors and respiratory motion.

To test a prone position against the international-standard supine position in women undergoing whole-breast-radiotherapy (WBRT) after wide-local-excision (WLE) of early breast cancer (BC) in terms of feasibility, set-up errors, and respiratory motion.



Following WLE of BC with insertion of tumour-bed clips, patients underwent 4D-CT for WBRT-planning in supine and prone positions (the latter using an in-house-designed platform). Patients were randomised to undergo WBRT fractions 1-7 in one position, switching to the alternate position for fractions 8-15 (40Gy/15-fractions total). Cone-beam CT-images (CBCT) were acquired prior to fractions 1, 4, 7, 8, 11 and 14. CBCT data were matched to planning-CT data using (i) chest-wall and (ii) clips. Systematic and random errors were calculated. Maximal displacement of chest-wall and clips with respiration was measured on 4D-CT. Clinical- to planning-target-volume (CTV-PTV) margins were calculated. Patient-comfort-scores and treatment-times were evaluated.



Twenty-five patients were randomized. 192/192 (100%) planned supine fractions and 173/192 (90%) prone fractions were completed. 3D population systematic errors were 1.3-1.9mm (supine) and 3.1-4.3mm (prone) (p=0.02) and random errors 2.6-3.2mm (supine) and 3.8-5.4mm (prone) (p=0.02). Prone positioning reduced chest-wall and clip motion (0.5±0.2mm (prone) versus 2.7±0.5mm (supine) (p<0.001)) with respiration. Calculated CTV-PTV margins were greater for prone (12-16mm) than for supine treatment (10mm). Patient-comfort-scores and treatment times were comparable (p=0.06).



Set-up errors were greater using our prone technique than for our standard supine technique, resulting in the need for larger CTV-PTV margins in the prone position. Further work is required to optimize the prone treatment-platform and technique before it can become a standard treatment option at our institution.
Contribution of Human Prefrontal Cortex to Delay Performance

Neurological patients with focal lesions in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and age-matched control subjects were tested on an auditory version of the delayed-match-to-sample task employing environmental sounds. Subjects had to indicate whether a cue (S1) and a subsequent target sound (S2) were identical. On some trials, S1 and S2 were separated by a silent period of 5 sec. On other trials, the 5-sec delay between S1 and S2 was filled with irrelevant tone pips that served as distractors. Behaviorally, frontal patients were impaired by the presence of distractors. Electrophysiologically, patients generated enhanced primary auditory cortex-evoked responses to the tone pips, supporting a failure in inhibitory control of sensory processing after prefrontal damage. Intrahemispheric reductions of neural activity generated in the auditory association cortex and additional intrahemispheric reductions of attention-related frontal activity were also observed in the prefrontal patients. Together, these findings suggest that the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is crucial for gating distracting information as well as maintaining distributed intrahemispheric neural activity during auditory working memory.
A pilot study testing the feasibility of skin temperature monitoring to reduce recurrent foot ulcers in patients with diabetes – a randomized controlled trial

Although monitoring foot skin temperatures has been associated with diabetic foot ulcer recurrence, no studies have been carried out to test the feasibility among European Caucasians. Moreover, the educational and/or motivational models that promote cognitive or psychosocial processes in these studies are lacking. Thus, we conducted a pilot randomized controlled trial to test the feasibility of monitoring foot skin temperatures in combination with theory-based counselling to standard foot care to reduce diabetic foot ulcer recurrence.



In a single-blinded nurse-led 1-year controlled trial, conducted at a hospital setting in Norway, 41 patients with diabetic neuropathy and previous foot ulcer were randomized to the intervention (n = 21) or control groups (n = 20). All participants were instructed in foot care and recording observations daily. Additionally, the intervention group was taught how to monitor and record skin temperature at baseline, and received counselling every third month supporting them to use the new treatment. Subjects observing temperature differences > 2.0 °C between corresponding sites on the left and right foot on two consecutive days were asked to contact the study nurse and reduce physical activity. Fisher exact test was used to evaluate the effect of the intervention on the proportion of subjects with a foot ulcer. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed to compare the two groups in regard to the time to development of a foot ulcer.



In the intervention group, 67 % (n = 14/21) monitored and recorded skin temperatures ≥ 80 % of the time while 70 % (n = 14/20) of the controls recorded foot inspections. Foot ulcer incidence was 39 % (7/21) vs. 50 % (10/20) in the intervention and control groups, respectively (ns).



This feasibility study showed that the addition of counselling to promote self-monitoring of skin temperature to standard care to prevent recurrence of foot ulcer is feasible in patients with diabetes in Norway. Home skin temperature monitoring was performed as frequently by the intervention group as usual foot observations in the controls despite the extra effort required. We did not detect a difference in foot ulcer recurrence between groups, but our study may inform future full scale studies.
A Dynamic Voltage Scaling Algorithm for Sporadic Tasks

Dynamic voltage scaling (DVS) algorithms save energy by scaling down the processor frequency when the processor is not fully loaded. Many algorithms have been proposed for periodic and aperiodic task models but none support the canonical sporadic task model. A DVS algorithm, called DVSST, is presented that can be used with sporadic tasks in conjunction with the preemptive EDF scheduling algorithm. The algorithm is proven to guarantee each task meets its deadline while saving the maximum amount of energy possible with processor frequency scaling when tasks execute with their worst-case execution times. DVSST was implemented in the μC/OS-II real-time operating system for embedded systems and its overhead was measured using a stand-alone Rabbit 2000 test board. Though theoretically optimal, the actual power savings realized with DVSST is a function of the sporadic task set and the processor’s DVS support. It is shown that the DVSST algorithm achieves 83% of the theoretical power savings for a Robotic Highway Safety Marker real-time application. The difference between the theoretical power savings and the actual power savings is due to the limited number of frequency levels the Rabbit 2000 processor supports.
Dietary consumption of advanced glycation end products and pancreatic cancer in the prospective NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study.

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are a heterogeneous group of compounds present in uncooked foods as well as in foods cooked at high temperatures. AGEs have been associated with insulin resistance, oxidative stress, and chronic inflammation in patients with diabetes. Dietary AGEs are an important contributor to the AGE pool in the body. N(ϵ)-(carboxymethyl)lysine (CML) AGE is one of the major biologically and chemically well-characterized AGE markers. The consumption of red meat, which is CML-AGE rich, has been positively associated with pancreatic cancer in men.



With the use of a published food CML-AGE database, we estimated the consumption of CML AGE in the prospective NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study and evaluated the association between CML-AGE consumption and pancreatic cancer and the mediating effect of CML AGE on the association between red meat consumption and pancreatic cancer.



Multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to estimate HRs and 95% CIs for pancreatic cancer.



During an average of 10.5 y of follow-up, we identified 2193 pancreatic cancer cases (1407 men and 786 women) from 528,251 subjects. With the comparison of subjects in the fifth and the first quintiles of CML-AGE consumption, we observed increased pancreatic cancer risk in men (HR: 1.43; 95% CI: 1.06, 1.93, P-trend = 0.003) but not women (HR: 1.14; 95% CI: 0.76, 1.72, P-trend = 0.42). Men in the highest quintile of red meat consumption had higher risk of pancreatic cancer (HR: 1.35; 95% CI: 1.07, 1.70), which attenuated after adjustment for CML-AGE consumption (HR: 1.20; 95% CI: 0.95, 1.53).



Dietary CML-AGE consumption was associated with modestly increased risk of pancreatic cancer in men and may partially explain the positive association between red meat and pancreatic cancer.
Bronchoscopic administration of bovine natural surfactant in ARDS and septic shock: impact on biophysical and biochemical surfactant properties.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the impact of bronchoscopic surfactant administration, on the biochemical and biophysical surfactant properties, in patients with severe and early acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and septic shock. A total number of 27 ARDS patients received 300-500 mg x kg x body x weight(-1) of a natural bovine surfactant extract (Alveofact) via a flexible bronchoscope. Bronchoalveolar lavages were performed 3 h prior to, and 15-18 h and 72 h after surfactant administration. A comparison to healthy volunteers, undergoing an identical lavage procedure, was made (control, n=12). Severe biophysical and biochemical surfactant abnormalities were encountered throughout in the ARDS patients. These included a massive alveolar protein load, a reduced percentage of large surfactant aggregates (LA), a loss of palmitoylated phosphatidylcholine species and a significant reduction of surfactant apoprotein (SP)-A, SP-B and SP-C in the LA fraction. Both minimum (gammamin) and adsorption (gammaads) surface tension values (pulsating bubble surfactometer) were dramatically increased. Surfactant treatment resulted in a marked increase in the lavagable phospholipid (PL) pool, but predominance of the alveolar surfactant-inhibitory protein load was still encountered. Far-reaching or even complete normalization of the PL profile, the LA fraction and its SP-B and SP-C (but not SP-A) content as well as the fatty acid composition of the phosphatidylcholine class was noted. Surface tension lowering properties (gammamin and gammaads) significantly improved, but were still not fully normalized. Bronchoscopic administration of large quantities of natural bovine surfactant in severe acute respiratory distress syndrome causes far-reaching restoration of biochemical surfactant properties and significant improvement, however not full normalization, of biophysical surfactant function.
Differential effect of fenofibrate and atorvastatin on in vivo kinetics of apolipoproteins B-100 and B-48 in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus with marked hypertriglyceridemia.

The specific impact of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibitors and fibrates on the in vivo metabolism of apolipoprotein (apo) B has not been systematically investigated in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus with high plasma triglyceride (TG) levels. Therefore, the objective of this 2-group parallel study was to examine the differential effects of a 6-week treatment with atorvastatin or fenofibrate on in vivo kinetics of apo B-48 and B-100 in men with type 2 diabetes mellitus with marked hypertriglyceridemia. Apolipoprotein B kinetics were assessed at baseline and at the end of the intervention using a primed constant infusion of [5,5,5-D(3)]-l-leucine for 12 hours in the fed state. Fenofibrate significantly decreased plasma TG levels with no significant change in plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and apo B levels. On the other hand, atorvastatin significantly reduced plasma levels of TG, LDL-C, and apo B. After treatment with fenofibrate, very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) apo B-100 pool size (PS) was decreased because of an increase in the fractional catabolic rate (FCR) of VLDL apo B-100. No significant change was observed in the kinetics of LDL apo B-100. Moreover, fenofibrate significantly decreased TG-rich lipoprotein (TRL) apo B-48 PS because of a significant increase in TRL apo B-48 FCR. After treatment with atorvastatin, VLDL and IDL apo B-100 PSs were significantly decreased because of significant elevations in the FCR of these subfractions. Low-density lipoprotein apo B-100 PS was significantly lowered because of a tendency toward decreased LDL apo B-100 production rate (PR). Finally, atorvastatin reduced TRL apo B-48 PS because of a significant decrease in the PR of this subfraction. These results indicate that fenofibrate increases TRL apo B-48 as well as VLDL apo B-100 clearance in men with type 2 diabetes mellitus with marked hypertriglyceridemia, whereas atorvastatin increases both VLDL and IDL apo B-100 clearance and decreases TRL apo B-48 and LDL apo B-100 PR.
Deep sedation during catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation in elderly patients

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia. AF incidence increases with age. AF ablation procedures are routinely performed under deep sedation with propofol. The purpose of the study was to evaluate if propofol deep sedation during AF ablation is safe in elderly patients. Four hundred one consecutive patients (mean age, 61.4 ± 11.1 years; range, 20–82; 66.3 % men) who were presented to our institution for ablation of symptomatic AF were enrolled. Patients were divided into three groups: Patients in group A were ≤50 years old; patients in group B were 51–74 years old; and patients in group C were ≥75 years old. Procedures were performed under deep sedation with propofol, midazolam, and piritramide. SaO2, electrocardiogram, arterial blood pressure, and arterial blood gas were monitored throughout the procedure. Sedation-related complications, intraprocedural complications, and other adverse events were evaluated. Fisher exact or χ 2 tests were used for comparison of adverse events and complications among groups. Analysis of variance was used to compare sedation- and procedure-related parameters. Fifty-three (13.2 %) elderly patients were in group C and were compared to 73 (18.2 %) patients in group A and 275 (68.8 %) in group B. No significant differences in sedation-related or intraprocedural complications were seen (group A, 1.4 %; group B, 1.1 %; group C, 3.7 %; p = 0.336). Despite a significantly greater drop in systolic blood pressure in under sedation in group C (group A, 15.5 ± 9.5 mmHg; group B, 18.9 ± 16.3 mmHg; group C, 32.3 ± 15.5 mmHg; p < 0.001), no prolonged hypotension was observed. The rate of other adverse events (delirium, respiratory infection, renal failure) was significantly higher in group C (9.4 %), compared to group A (0 %) and group B (2.2 %; p = 0.004). Deep sedation with propofol and midazolam during AF ablation did not result in an increased rate in sedation-related complications in elderly patients. Similarly, the rate of procedural complications was not significantly different among the study groups. The rate of respiratory infections and renal failure was significantly higher in the elderly. All adverse events were treated successfully without any remaining sequelae.
A randomized, placebo-controlled trial of selenium supplementation in patients with type 2 diabetes: effects on glucose homeostasis, oxidative stress, and lipid profile.

Selenium is an antioxidant trace element. Patients with diabetes are shown to have increased oxidative stress together with decreased selenium concentrations. Whether raising serum selenium will improve blood glucose management in diabetes is largely unknown. In this randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial, we assessed the effects of selenium on blood glucose, lipid profile, and oxidative stress in 60 patients with type 2 diabetes. Selenium 200 µg/d or placebo was administered orally for 3 months. Serum concentrations of fasting plasma glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), insulin, and lipid profile, as well as ferric-reducing ability of plasma and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances were determined in the fasting state at baseline and after 3 months. Mean (SD) serum selenium at baseline was 42.69 (29.47) µg/L and 47.11 (42.86) µg/L in selenium and placebo groups, respectively. At endpoint, selenium concentration reached to 71.98 (45.08) µg/L in selenium recipients compared with 45.38 (46.45) µg/L in placebo recipients (P<0.01). Between-group comparison showed that fasting plasma glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin A1c, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were statistically significantly higher in the selenium recipient arm. Other endpoints changes during the course of trial were not statistically different across the 2 treatment arms. This study suggests that selenium supplementation in patients with type 2 diabetes may be associated with adverse effects on blood glucose homeostasis, even when plasma selenium concentration is raised from deficient status to the optimal concentration of antioxidant activity. Until results of further studies become available, indiscriminate use of selenium supplements in patients with type 2 diabetes warrants caution.
Effects of a probiotic fermented milk on functional constipation: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Evidence suggests that probiotics reduce certain constipation-related symptoms. Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota has never been tested as treatment for functional constipation in otherwise-healthy subjects. To evaluate the efficacy of this probiotic among adults with functional constipation was aimed.



Subjects with functional constipation (Rome II-defined) were randomized to intake L.  casei strain Shirota fermented milk or placebo once daily for 4 weeks under double-blind condition. Primary outcomes were constipation severity and stool frequency; secondary outcomes were stool consistency and quantity.



In intent-to-treat population, compared with baseline, constipation severity and stool frequency improved in both probiotic (n = 47) and control groups (n = 43), but improvements were comparable in both groups at week 4 (α = 5% level). In probiotic group, stool consistency and quantity at week 4 improved significantly versus baseline but not versus control. Considering that the study agent is non-pharmaceutical and the purpose of supplementation is for long-term effect, re-evaluation at α = 10% was conducted, which showed significant improvement in constipation severity at week 4 (P = 0.058). Magnitude of the probiotic effect on stool consistency was small but grew over time, d = 0.19, 95% confidence interval 0.00-0.35 (Week 4), d = 0.29, 95% confidence interval 0.11-0.52 (postintervention). Post-hoc exploratory analysis suggests incomplete evacuation may decrease with probiotic intake.



Four-week administration of L.  casei strain Shirota did not alleviate constipation severity or stool frequency, consistency, and quantity when compared with control. With re-evaluation at α = 10% level, improvement in constipation severity was significant at week 4. To obtain conclusive results, further studies with longer intervention are warranted.