LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Intake of partially defatted Brazil nut flour reduces serum cholesterol in hypercholesterolemic patients- a randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVE
Thyroid hormones can lower levels of atherogenic lipoproteins, and selenium is important in thyroid hormone homeostasis. We aimed to investigate the effects of a healthy diet associated with the Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa) in dyslipidemic and hypertensive patients.


METHODS
This study was a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial. Seventy-seven dyslipidemic and hypertensive patients already receiving lipid-lowering drugs received either a dietary treatment associated with partially defatted Brazil nut flour (13 g/day providing 227,5 μg of selenium/day),or with dyed cassava flour as a placebo. All patients received a personalized dietary guideline with nutritional recommendations for dyslipidemia and hypertension and were followed for 90 days.


RESULTS
The Brazil nut group showed reductions in total cholesterol (-20.5 ± 61.2 mg/dL, P = 0.02), non HDL-cholesterol (-19.5 ± 61.2 mg/dL, P = 0.02) and Apo A-1 (-10.2 ± 26.7 mg/dL, P = 0.03) without significant alterations in the Apo B/Apo A-1 ratio. The placebo group showed a reduction in FT3 levels (-0.1 ± 0.4, P = 0.03) and increased Lp(a) levels (5.9 ± 18.0 mg/dL, P = 0.02). There were no statistical differences in blood pressure and serum lipids between Brazil nut and placebo group.


CONCLUSIONS
Supplementation with Brazil nuts seems to favor the maintenance of FT3 levels and contributes to lipemia reduction in hypercholesterolemic and euthyroid patients.


TRIAL REGISTRATION
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT01990391.
Inhibition of Glycine Transporter-I as a Novel Mechanism for the Treatment of Depression

BACKGROUND
Antidepressants, aiming at monoaminergic neurotransmission, exhibit delayed onset of action, limited efficacy, and poor compliance. Glutamatergic neurotransmission is involved in depression. However, it is unclear whether enhancement of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) subtype glutamate receptor can be a treatment for depression.


METHODS
We studied sarcosine, a glycine transporter-I inhibitor that potentiates NMDA function, in animal models and in depressed patients. We investigated its effects in forced swim test, tail suspension test, elevated plus maze test, novelty-suppressed feeding test, and chronic unpredictable stress test in rats and conducted a 6-week randomized, double-blinded, citalopram-controlled trial in 40 patients with major depressive disorder. Clinical efficacy and side effects were assessed biweekly, with the main outcomes of Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Global Assessment of Function, and remission rate. The time course of response and dropout rates was also compared.


RESULTS
Sarcosine decreased immobility in the forced swim test and tail suspension test, reduced the latency to feed in the novelty-suppressed feeding test, and reversed behavioral deficits caused by chronic unpredictable stress test, which are characteristics for an antidepressant. In the clinical study, sarcosine substantially improved scores of Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Clinical Global Impression, and Global Assessment of Function more than citalopram treatment. Sarcosine-treated patients were much more likely and quicker to remit and less likely to drop out. Sarcosine was well tolerated without significant side effects.


CONCLUSIONS
Our preliminary findings suggest that enhancing NMDA function can improve depression-like behaviors in rodent models and in human depression. Establishment of glycine transporter-I inhibition as a novel treatment for depression waits for confirmation by further proof-of-principle studies.
Analysis of a circular waveguide loaded with thick annular metal discs for wide-band gyro-TWTs

The cold (beam-absent) analysis of an all-metal structure consisting of a circular waveguide loaded with axially periodic annular discs was developed in the fast-wave regime for potential application in wide-band gyro-traveling-wave tubes (TWTs) in the millimeter-wave frequency range. The analysis includes the effect of higher order standing-wave modes in the disc-occupied region, as well as higher order space harmonic propagating modes in the disc-free region of the structure. The analysis also takes into account the effect of the finite disc thickness. The dispersion characteristics of the structure obtained by the analysis have been validated against those reported elsewhere using an alternative coupled-integral-equation technique and also against those obtained using commercial simulation code HFSS. The dependence of the eigenvalue and dispersion characteristics of the structure on the disc parameters, namely, the disc hole radius, periodicity, and thickness was studied. The optimum disc parameters corresponding to the widest frequency band over which the dispersion curve can be straightened were suggested for widening the bandwidth of coalescence between the waveguide-mode and beam-mode dispersion characteristics for wide-band gyro-TWT performance. The optimum disc parameters for wide device bandwidths and high device gains were also predicted with the help of the small-signal gain equation of a gyro-TWT.
Demographic, clinical and antibody characteristics of patients with digital ulcers in systemic sclerosis: data from the DUO Registry

OBJECTIVES
The Digital Ulcers Outcome (DUO) Registry was designed to describe the clinical and antibody characteristics, disease course and outcomes of patients with digital ulcers associated with systemic sclerosis (SSc).


METHODS
The DUO Registry is a European, prospective, multicentre, observational, registry of SSc patients with ongoing digital ulcer disease, irrespective of treatment regimen. Data collected included demographics, SSc duration, SSc subset, internal organ manifestations, autoantibodies, previous and ongoing interventions and complications related to digital ulcers.


RESULTS
Up to 19 November 2010 a total of 2439 patients had enrolled into the registry. Most were classified as either limited cutaneous SSc (lcSSc; 52.2%) or diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc; 36.9%). Digital ulcers developed earlier in patients with dcSSc compared with lcSSc. Almost all patients (95.7%) tested positive for antinuclear antibodies, 45.2% for anti-scleroderma-70 and 43.6% for anticentromere antibodies (ACA). The first digital ulcer in the anti-scleroderma-70-positive patient cohort occurred approximately 5 years earlier than the ACA-positive patient group.


CONCLUSIONS
This study provides data from a large cohort of SSc patients with a history of digital ulcers. The early occurrence and high frequency of digital ulcer complications are especially seen in patients with dcSSc and/or anti-scleroderma-70 antibodies.
The role of domain knowledge in requirements elicitation via interviews: an exploratory study

Requirements elicitation is the first activity in the requirements engineering process. It includes learning, surfacing, and discovering the requirements of the stakeholders of the developed system. Various elicitation techniques exist to help analysts elicit the requirements from the different stakeholders; the most commonly used technique is the interview. Analysts may have domain knowledge prior to the elicitation process. Such knowledge is commonly assumed to have positive effects on requirements engineering processes, in that it fosters communication, and a mutual understanding of the needs. However, to a minor extent, some negative effects have also been reported. This paper presents an empirical study in which the perceived and actual effects of prior domain knowledge on requirements elicitation via interviews were examined. The results indicate that domain knowledge affects elicitation via interview in two main aspects: communication with the customers and understanding their needs. The findings provide insights as to both the positive and negative effects of domain knowledge on requirements elicitation via interview, as perceived by participants with and without domain knowledge, and show the existence of an actual effect on the course of the interviews. Furthermore, these insights can be utilized in practice to support analysts in the elicitation process and to form requirements analysis teams. They highlight the different contributions that can be provided by analysts with different levels of domain knowledge in requirements analysis teams and the synergy that can be gained by forming heterogeneous teams of analysts.
HPC Containers in Use

Linux containers in the commercial world are changing the landscape for application development and deployments. Container technologies are also making inroads into HPC environments, as exemplified by NERSC’s Shifter and LBL’s Singularity. While the first generation of HPC containers offers some of the same benefits as the existing open container frameworks, like CoreOS or Docker, they do not address the cloud/commercial feature sets such as virtualized networks, full isolation, and orchestration. This paper will explore the use of containers in the HPC environment and summarize our study to determine how best to use these technologies in the HPC environment at scale. KeywordsShifter; HPC; Cray; container; virtualization; Docker; CoreOS
Artificial Intelligence in Hypertension Diagnosis : A Review

Artificial Intelligence methods are becoming very popular in medical applications due to high reliability and ease. From the past decades, Artificial Intelligence techniques such as Artificial Neural Networks, Fuzzy Expert Systems, Robotics etc have found an increased usage in disease diagnosis, patient monitoring, disease risk evaluation, predicting effect of new medicines and robotic handling of surgeries. This paper presents an introduction and survey on different artificial intelligence methods used by researchers for the application of diagnosing or predicting Hypertension. Keywords-Hypertension, Artificial Neural Networks, Fuzzy Systems.
APATE: A novel approach for automated credit card transaction fraud detection using network-based extensions

In the last decade, the ease of online payment has opened up many new opportunities for e-commerce, lowering the geographical boundaries for retail. While e-commerce is still gaining popularity, it is also the playground of fraudsters who try to misuse the transparency of online purchases and the transfer of credit card records. This paper proposes APATE, a novel approach to detect fraudulent credit card ∗NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Decision Support Systems in May 8, 2015, published online as a self-archive copy after the 24 month embargo period. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. Please cite this paper as follows: Van Vlasselaer, V., Bravo, C., Caelen, O., Eliassi-Rad, T., Akoglu, L., Snoeck, M., Baesens, B. (2015). APATE: A novel approach for automated credit card transaction fraud detection using network-based extensions. Decision Support Systems, 75, 38-48. Available Online: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167923615000846
Synthesis of Conformal Arrays With Optimized Polarization

Adaptive array theory is applied to a conformal antenna array to synthesize a main beam with optimized polarization employing dual polarized patch antennas as radiators. The required polarization in the main beam region of the array is realized by combining the weighted individual feeding ports of the patch antennas before the beam forming optimization is performed. This significantly reduces the number of unknowns in the beam forming optimization problem compared to previous optimization schemes for conformal arrays with optimized polarization properties. A numerical example for an array of dual fed linear patch antennas conformal to a spherical surface is presented. Measured pattern data for the patches are used to synthesize a main beam with specific linear polarization.
Game Theory and Strategy

Frequency: The course will be offered annually beginning in the Spring 2011 semester. Points and prerequisites: The course will carry four points. The prerequisites for this course are Economic Principles II (V31.0002) and Calculus I (V63.0121). The lectures will focus mainly on conceptual material and applications. Properties: The course will meet two times each week for one hour and fifteen minutes each. No unusual audiovisual or technological aids will be used. This course serves as an introduction to game theory as the study of incentives and strategic behavior in collective and interdependent decision making. The course will develop the necessary theoretical tools for the study of game theory, while concurrently introducing applications in areas such as bargaining, competition, auction theory and strategic voting. This is a course indicated for any student with interest in learning how to apply game theoretical analysis to a variety of disciplines. The aim of the course is to provide a mostly applied overview of game theoretical concepts and emphasize their use in real world situations. By the end of the course, the student should have developed tools which will allow her/him to formally analyze outcomes in strategic situations. There will be one midterm and one final exam and approximately 8 problem sets for this class. The midterm and final exam scores count for 30%, and 60% respectively, of your course grade. The problem set score will be calculated ignoring your lowest score during the semester and will count for 10% of the final grade.
SWITCHED CAPACITOR BASED LOG - ANTILOG AMPLIFIER USING CDTA (A CURRENT MODE IMPLEMENTATION)

The paper presents Log and Antilog Amplifier using Current Differencing Transconductance Amplifier (CDTA).The proposed circuit configuration consists of a single CDTA. Owing to its current mode operation it consumes less power. Furthermore, the instability problem found in OpAmp based log-antilog amplifiers due to the presence of an active element in the feedback loop is absent in the CDTA log-antilog amplifier. It provides the advantage of using switched capacitor instead of a resistor that is beneficial to IC implementation in terms of space consideration. The simulation results confirm the logarithmic and anti-logarithmic behavior with very low-error.
Reducing Friction in Software Development

Software is being produced so fast that its growth hinders its sustainability. Technical debt, which encompasses internal software quality, evolution and maintenance, reengineering, and economics, is growing such that its management is becoming the dominant driver of software engineering progress. It spans the software engineering life cycle, and its management capitalizes on recent advances in fields such as source code analysis, quality measurement, and project management. Managing technical debt will become an investment activity applying economic theories. It will effectively address the architecture level and will offer specific processes and tools employing data science and analytics to support decision making. It will also be an essential part of the software engineering curriculum. Getting ahead of the software quality and innovation curve will inevitably involve establishing technical-debt management as a core software engineering practice. This article is part of a special issue on the Future of Software Engineering.
Catholic schools or school quality? The effects of Catholic schools on labor market outcomes

This paper studies the effects of attending a Catholic high school on students’ labor market outcomes. Using data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, I find that Catholic schooling is significantly associated with higher wages over the careers even after taking into account possible selection into Catholic schools with instruments. Using matched school quality data for public and Catholic schools, I further find that Catholic and public schools are different in various aspects of school quality measures and that these differences explain most of Catholic school effects. Among the school quality variables, teacher quality and the number of math courses taken are estimated to matter the most for students’ later earnings
Exponentiated Weibull-Poisson distribution: Model, properties and applications

In this paper we propose a new four-parameters distribution with increasing, decreasing, bathtubshaped and unimodal failure rate, called as the exponentiated Weibull-Poisson (EWP) distribution. The new distribution arises on a latent complementary risk problem base and is obtained by compounding exponentiated Weibull (EW) and Poisson distributions. This distribution contains several lifetime sub-models such as: generalized exponential-Poisson (GEP), complementary Weibull-Poisson (CWP), complementary exponential-Poisson (CEP), exponentiated RayleighPoisson (ERP) and Rayleigh-Poisson (RP) distributions. We obtain several properties of the new distribution such as its probability density function, its reliability and failure rate functions, quantiles and moments. The maximum likelihood estimation procedure via a EM-algorithm is presented in this paper. Sub-models of the EWP distribution are studied in details. In the end, Applications to two real data sets are given to show the flexibility and potentiality of the new distribution.
HE4 and CA125 as a diagnostic test in ovarian cancer: prospective validation of the Risk of Ovarian Malignancy Algorithm

Background:Recently, a Risk of Ovarian Malignancy Algorithm (ROMA) utilising human epididymis secretory protein 4 (HE4) and CA125 successfully classified patients as presenting a high or low risk for epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). We validated this algorithm in an independent prospective study.Methods:Women with a pelvic mass, who were scheduled to have surgery, were enrolled in a prospective study. Preoperative serum levels of HE4 and CA125 were measured in 389 patients. The performance of each of the markers, as well as that of ROMA, was analysed.Results:When all malignant tumours were included, ROMA (receiver operator characteristic (ROC)-area under curve (AUC)=0.898) and HE4 (ROC-AUC)=0.857) did not perform significantly better than CA125 alone (ROC–AUC=0.877). Using a cutoff for ROMA of 12.5% for pre-menopausal patients, the test had a sensitivity of 67.5% and a specificity of 87.9%. With a cutoff of 14.4% for post-menopausal patients, the test had a sensitivity of 90.8% and a specificity of 66.3%. For EOC vs benign disease, the ROC–AUC of ROMA increased to 0.913 and for invasive EOC vs benign disease to 0.957.Conclusion:This independent validation study demonstrated similar performance indices to those recently published. However, in this study, HE4 and ROMA did not increase the detection of malignant disease compared with CA125 alone. Although the initial reports were promising, measurement of HE4 serum levels does not contribute to the diagnosis of ovarian cancer.
A Double-Blind Sham-Controlled Study of the Effect of Radiofrequency Energy on Symptoms and Distensibility of the Gastro-Esophageal Junction in GERD

OBJECTIVES:Several studies have reported symptom relief in gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) patients treated with radiofrequency delivery (Stretta procedure) at the gastro-esophageal junction (GEJ), but the mechanism underlying this improvement is unclear. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that Stretta alters GEJ resistance.METHODS:We conducted a double-blind randomized cross-over study of Stretta and sham treatment. Consecutive GERD patients were included in the study. The study was conducted in a tertiary care center. Patients underwent two upper gastrointestinal endoscopies with 3 months interval, during which active or sham Stretta treatment was performed in a randomized double-blind manner. Symptom assessment, endoscopy, manometry, 24-h esophageal pH monitoring, and a distensibility test of the GEJ were done before the start of the study and after 3 months.RESULTS:Barostat distensibility test of the GEJ before and after administration of sildenafil was the main outcome measure. In all, 22 GERD patients (17 females, mean age 47±12 years) participated in the study; 11 in each group. Initial sham treatment did not affect any of the parameters studied. Three months after initial Stretta procedure, no changes were observed in esophageal acid exposure and lower esophageal sphincter (LES) pressure. In contrast, symptom score was significantly improved and GEJ compliance was significantly decreased. Administration of sildenafil, an esophageal smooth muscle relaxant, normalized GEJ compliance again to pre-Stretta level, arguing against GEJ fibrosis as the underlying mechanism.CONCLUSIONS:The limitation of this study was reflux evaluation did not include impedance monitoring. In this sham-controlled study, Stretta improved GERD symptoms and decreased GEJ compliance. Decreased GEJ compliance, which reflects altered LES neuromuscular function, may contribute to symptomatic benefit by decreasing refluxate volume.
A Swedish national twin study of lifetime major depression.

OBJECTIVE
Substantial evidence supports the heritability of lifetime major depression. Less clear is whether genetic influences in major depression are more important in women than in men and whether genetic risk factors are the same in the two sexes. It is not known whether genetic effects on major depression are constant across historical cohorts.


METHOD
Lifetime major depression was assessed at personal interview by modified DSM-IV criteria in 42,161 twins, including 15,493 complete pairs, from the national Swedish Twin Registry. Twin models were evaluated by using the program Mx.


RESULTS
Model fitting indicated that the heritability of liability to major depression was significantly higher in women (42%) than men (29%) and the genetic risk factors for major depression were moderately correlated in men and women. No significant differences were seen in the etiologic roles of genetic and environmental factors in major depression in three cohorts spanning birth years 1900-1958.


CONCLUSIONS
In the largest sample to date, lifetime major depression was moderately heritable, with estimates similar to those in prior studies. In accord with some but not other previous investigations, this study suggests both that the heritability of major depression is higher in women than in men and that some genetic risk factors for major depression are sex-specific in their effect. No evidence was found for differences in the roles of genetic and environmental risk factors in major depression in birth cohorts spanning nearly six decades.