LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Is serum leptin related to physical function and is it modifiable through weight loss and exercise in older adults with knee osteoarthritis?

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of weight loss and exercise interventions on serum leptin and to investigate the relationship of physical function and osteoarthritis (OA) severity with serum leptin in older overweight and obese adults with knee OA. In addition, the study examined if serum leptin predicts weight loss.DESIGN: Longitudinal, controlled clinical trial of weight loss and exercise interventions.SUBJECTS: Community dwelling, older, overweight and obese adults (n=316; >60 years of age; body mass index ≥28.0 kg m−2) with symptomatic knee OA and self-reported difficulty in performing selected physical activities were recruited.INTERVENTIONS: Participants were randomized into one of four groups for the 18-month study duration: Healthy Lifestyle Controls, Dietary Weight Loss (Diet), Exercise Training (Exercise), and a combination of Dietary Weight Loss and Exercise Training (Diet+Exercise). The weight loss goal for the two Diet groups was 5% from baseline at 18 months. Participants in the Exercise groups were trained for 3 days week−1, 60 min day−1.MEASUREMENTS: Body weight, body mass index, serum leptin, physical function, and OA severity were measured at baseline, 6 months, and 18 months.RESULTS: Diet and Diet+Exercise groups lost 5.3 and 6.1% of their weight, respectively, at 18 months with the Exercise group losing 2.9%. There was a significant main effect of weight loss on serum leptin with a decrease in serum leptin averaged across the 6- and 18-month time points for the Diet and Diet+Exercise groups compared to the other two groups (β=0.245; P<0.01). No main effect for exercise training was observed. Serum leptin was related to self-reported physical function. In all participants, a mixed model analysis demonstrated that lower levels of baseline serum leptin predict larger weight loss (β=−2.779; P=0.048).CONCLUSION: Decreases in serum leptin may be one mechanism by which weight loss improves physical function and symptoms in OA patients.
Embracing the Kobayashi Maru: Why You Should Teach Your Students to Cheat

Every day, security professionals face off against adversaries who don't play by the rules. Traditional information security education programs further compound the problem by forcing students to behave in a flawlessly ethical manner. As an alternative, this article suggests techniques for fostering creativity and an adversary mindset in information security students through carefully structured classroom cheating exercises.
An Australian View of the Rent Gap Hypothesis

Abstract Of the several competing theories of gentrification on offer, Neil Smith's rent gap hypothesis has attracted the most attention, probably because it is the most formal and ambitious in its claims. The three key aspects of the theory include: (1) the proposition that gentrification must be preceded by the formation of a rent gap in the inner city property market, (2) the “capital switching”hypothesis, and, (3) the claim that the beginnings of gentrification and coincided with a capitalist crisis of overproduction. Each of these propositions is evaluated with data assembled for metropolitan Adelaide, the state capital of South Australia. Shifts in matched land and house price gradients between 1970–85 reveal the existence of a well-formed rent gap in Adelaide by the late 1960s and its steady contraction thereafter. Because of the stratagems adopted by the South Australian and local governments for closing the rent gap, gentrification represented the third-best response so far as capital was concern...
Robust Audio-Visual Speech Recognition Based on Late Integration

Audio-visual speech recognition (AVSR) using acoustic and visual signals of speech has received attention because of its robustness in noisy environments. In this paper, we present a late integration scheme-based AVSR system whose robustness under various noise conditions is improved by enhancing the performance of the three parts composing the system. First, we improve the performance of the visual subsystem by using the stochastic optimization method for the hidden Markov models as the speech recognizer. Second, we propose a new method of considering dynamic characteristics of speech for improved robustness of the acoustic subsystem. Third, the acoustic and the visual subsystems are effectively integrated to produce final robust recognition results by using neural networks. We demonstrate the performance of the proposed methods via speaker-independent isolated word recognition experiments. The results show that the proposed system improves robustness over the conventional system under various noise conditions without a priori knowledge about the noise contained in the speech.
A Digital Method for the Discrimination of Neutrons and $\gamma$ Rays With Organic Scintillation Detectors Using Frequency Gradient Analysis

A digital method for the discrimination of neutron and γ-ray events from an organic scintillator has been investigated by using frequency gradient analysis (FGA) based on the Fourier transform. Since the scintillation process and the photomultiplier tube (PMT) anode signal are often very noisy, most pulse-shape discrimination methods in a scintillation detection system (e.g., the charge comparison (CC) method or pulse gradient analysis (PGA)) using time-domain features of the signal depend greatly on the associated de-noising algorithm. In this research, the performance of the new FGA method and the PGA method have been studied and compared on a theoretical basis and then verified by time-of-flight (TOF). The frequency-domain features extracted by the FGA method exhibit a strong insensitivity to the variation in pulse response of the photomultiplier tube (PMT) and can be used to discriminate neutron and γ-ray events in a mixed radiation field. It is shown that the FGA method results in an increased figure of merit (FOM) which corresponds to a reduction in the area of overlap between neutron and γ-ray events. The FGA method has the potential to be implemented in current embedded electronic systems to provide real-time discrimination in standalone instruments.
Insulin detemir offers improved glycemic control compared with NPH insulin in people with type 1 diabetes: a randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE
Insulin detemir is a soluble long-acting basal insulin analog designed to overcome the limitations of conventional basal insulin formulations. Accordingly, insulin detemir has been compared with NPH insulin with respect to glycemic control (HbA1c, prebreakfast glucose levels and variability, and hypoglycemia) and timing of administration.


RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
People with type 1 diabetes (n = 408) were randomized in an open-label, parallel-group trial of 16-week treatment duration using either insulin detemir or NPH insulin. Insulin detemir was administered twice daily using two different regimens, either before breakfast and at bedtime (IDet(morn+bed)) or at a 12-h interval (IDet(12h)). NPH insulin was administered before breakfast and at bedtime. Mealtime insulin was given as the rapid-acting insulin analog insulin aspart.


RESULTS
With both insulin detemir groups, clinic fasting plasma glucose was lower than with NPH insulin (IDet(12h) vs. NPH, -1.5 mmol/l [95% CI -2.51 to -0.48], P = 0.004; IDet(morn+bed) vs. NPH, -2.3 mmol/l (-3.32 to -1.29), P < 0.001), as was self-measured prebreakfast plasma glucose (P = 0.006 and P = 0.004, respectively). The risk of minor hypoglycemia was lower in both insulin detemir groups (25%, P = 0.046; 32%, P = 0.002; respectively) compared with NPH insulin in the last 12 weeks of treatment, this being mainly attributable to a 53% reduction in nocturnal hypoglycemia in the IDet(morn+bed) group (P < 0.001). Although HbA1c for each insulin detemir group was not different from the NPH group, HbA1c for the pooled insulin detemir groups was significantly lower than for the NPH group (mean difference -0.18% [-0.34 to -0.02], P = 0.027). Within-person between-day variation in self-measured prebreakfast plasma glucose was lower for both detemir groups (both P < 0.001). The NPH group gained weight during the study, but there was no change in weight in either of the insulin detemir groups (IDet(12h) vs. NPH, -0.8 kg [-1.44 to -0.24], P = 0.006; IDet(morn+bed) vs. NPH, -0.6 kg [-1.23 to -0.03], P = 0.040).


CONCLUSIONS
Overall glycemic control with insulin detemir was improved compared with NPH insulin. The data provide a basis for tailoring the timing of administration of insulin detemir to the individual person's needs.
ENERGY EFFECTIVENESS OF SIMULTANEOUS HEAT AND MASS EXCHANGE DEVICES

Simultaneous heat and mass exchange devices such as cooling towers, humidifiers and dehumidifiers are widely used in the power generation, desalination, air conditioning, and refrigeration industries. For design and rating of these components it is useful to define their performance by an effectiveness. In this paper, several different effectiveness definitions that have been used in literature are critically reviewed and an energy based effectiveness which can be applied to all types of heat and mass exchangers is defined. The validity and the limitations of the various effectiveness definitions are demonstrated by way of several examples including direct and indirect contact, parallel and counterflow heat and mass exchangers. The limiting case of a simple heat exchanger is also discussed. The importance of thermal balancing in minimizing entropy production and its implications for optimization and design of these devices is dealt with in detail. The application of the energy effectiveness to heat-exchanger-like ε-NTU correlations is also examined using a detailed numerical model.
A review on buildings energy consumption information

The rapidly growing world energy use has already raised concerns over supply difficulties, exhaustion of energy resources and heavy environmental impacts (ozone layer depletion, global warming, climate change, etc.). The global contribution from buildings towards energy consumption, both residential and commercial, has steadily increased reaching figures between 20% and 40% in developed countries, and has exceeded the other major sectors: industrial and transportation. Growth in population, increasing demand for building services and comfort levels, together with the rise in time spent inside buildings, assure the upward trend in energy demand will continue in the future. For this reason, energy efficiency in buildings is today a prime objective for energy policy at regional, national and international levels. Among building services, the growth in HVAC systems energy use is particularly significant (50% of building consumption and 20% of total consumption in the USA). This paper analyses available information concerning energy consumption in buildings, and particularly related to HVAC systems. Many questions arise: Is the necessary information available? Which are the main building types? What end uses should be considered in the breakdown? Comparisons between different countries are presented specially for commercial buildings. The case of offices is analysed in deeper detail. # 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Long-term Prognosis of Patients With Non-ST-segment Elevation Acute Myocardial Infarction and Coronary Arteries Without Significant Stenosis.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES
There is debate regarding the prognostic significance of the absence of significant coronary lesions in patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction. We investigated long-term prognosis in a contemporary cohort of these patients.


METHODS
Retrospective observational study of 5203 patients with acute coronary syndrome. Propensity score matching was used to create 2 groups of 367 patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction matched by the absence or presence of significant coronary lesions. In the matched cohort, we determined the impact of the absence of significant coronary lesions on mortality or readmission for acute coronary syndrome for 4.8 (2.6) years after discharge.


RESULTS
Mortality or readmission for acute coronary syndrome was lower among patients without significant lesions (26.4% vs 32.7%; P = .09). Mortality in both groups was 19.1%. In contrast, patients without significant lesions had a lower incidence of readmission for acute coronary syndrome (2.0/100 vs 3.9/100 person-years; P = .003). The incidence of mortality or readmission for acute coronary syndrome was similar in patients without significant lesions and those with significant 1-vessel disease (26.4% vs 27.5%; P = .19), but lower than that in patients with 2-vessel disease (37.8%; P = .007) and 3-vessel disease or left main coronary artery disease (41.1%; P = .002).


CONCLUSIONS
Patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction and coronary arteries without significant lesions have similar long-term mortality but lower readmission rates for acute coronary syndrome than patients with significant lesions. Mortality or readmission for acute coronary syndrome is similar in patients without significant lesions and patients with 1-vessel disease, but lower than in patients with disease in 2 or more vessels.
Assessing the severity of phishing attacks: A hybrid data mining approach

Available online 19 August 2010
The evolution of APL

This paper is a discussion of the evolution of the APL language, and it treats implementations and applications only to the extent that they appear to have exercised a major influence on that evolution. Other sources of historical information are cited in References 1-3; in particular, The Design of APL [1] provides supplementary detail on the reasons behind many of the design decisions made in the development of the language. Readers requiring background on the current definition of the language should consult APL Language [4].
 Although we have attempted to confirm our recollections by reference to written documents and to the memories of our colleagues, this remains a personal view which the reader should perhaps supplement by consulting the references provided. In particular, much information about individual contributions will be found in the Appendix to The Design of APL [1], and in the Acknowledgements in A Programming Language [10] and in APL\360 User's Manual [23]. Because Reference 23 may no longer be readily available, the acknowledgements from it are reprinted in Appendix A.
Cathode-Side Current Filaments in High-Voltage Power Diodes Beyond the SOA Limit

An analysis of the plasma front velocities during turnoff of a power diode is used to explain the differences between the formation and the behavior of cathode-side and anode-side filaments. Device simulations show, how cathode-side filaments may trigger a thermal runaway at the end of a reverse-recovery period of diodes turned off with extremely high current rates operating the diode in a regime far away from the safe operating area. From the transient voltage curve, the analysis of the reverse-recovery charge as a function of the dc-link voltage and an analysis of the turnoff transients in the current-voltage phase space, it is, however, deduced that the appearance of a cathode-side filament by itself does not necessarily lead to diode destruction. The transformation of the initially avalanche-generated filaments into filaments that are essentially driven by thermal mechanism seems to be a further important condition for device destruction.
Interim follow-up of a randomized controlled trial comparing Chinese style mind body (Tai Chi) and stretching exercises on cognitive function in subjects at risk of progressive cognitive decline.

OBJECTIVES
We reported the interim findings of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to examine the effects of a mind body physical exercise (Tai Chi) on cognitive function in Chinese subjects at risk of cognitive decline.


SUBJECTS
389 Chinese older persons with either a Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR 0.5) or amnestic-MCI participated in an exercise program. The exercise intervention lasted for 1 year; 171 subjects were trained with 24 forms simplified Tai Chi (Intervention, I) and 218 were trained with stretching and toning exercise (Control, C). The exercise comprised of advised exercise sessions of at least three times per week.


RESULTS
At 5th months (2 months after completion of training), both I and C subjects showed an improvement in global cognitive function, delayed recall and subjective cognitive complaints (paired t-tests, p < 0.05). Improvements in visual spans and CDR sum of boxes scores were observed in I group (paired t-tests, p < 0.001). Three (2.2%) and 21(10.8%) subjects from the I and C groups progressed to dementia (Pearson chi square = 8.71, OR = 5.34, 95% CI 1.56-18.29). Logistic regression analysis controlled for baseline group differences in education and cognitive function suggested I group was associated with stable CDR (OR = 0.14, 95%CI = 0.03-0.71, p = 0.02).


CONCLUSIONS
Our interim findings showed that Chinese style mind body (Tai Chi) exercise may offer specific benefits to cognition, potential clinical interests should be further explored with longer observation period.
Literary reading and eating disorders: survey evidence of therapeutic help and harm

Background
There is growing evidence for the efficacy of self-help bibliotherapy as a treatment for eating disorders, although little understanding of how specific linguistic characteristics may enhance or constrain its effects. Meanwhile, 'creative bibliotherapy' (the therapeutic use of fiction, poetry, or sometimes film, rather than self-help books) is widely practised, but even more poorly understood than the self-help variety: although a range of theoretical models exist, claims of the healing power of literature are far more commonly made than tested.


Methods
An online survey including quantitative (forced-choice) and qualitative (free-response) items was designed and administered in collaboration with the charity Beat to investigate the connections between respondents' reading habits and their mental health, with a focus on eating disorders, and attracted 885 respondents. Responses to two sequences of questions, exploring the differential effects of fiction about eating disorders versus respondents' preferred genre of other fiction on the dimensions of mood, self-esteem, feelings about one's body, and diet and exercise habits, were analysed using a 2 × 2 repeat measures factorial ANOVA design for each of the four dependent variables.


Results
Surprisingly, fiction about eating disorders was perceived by respondents as broadly detrimental to mood, self-esteem, feelings about their bodies, and diet and exercise habits, while respondents' preferred genre of other fiction was experienced as beneficial to mood and broadly neutral on the other three dimensions. The free-response data added detail to these core findings, as well as suggesting numerous other possible effects and mechanisms, drawing attention to the roles of positive and negative feedback structures and of highly selective interpretive filtering, and highlighting the dangers of 'self-triggering': using books to deliberately exacerbate an eating disorder.


Conclusions
The findings directly challenge existing theoretical models of creative-bibliotherapeutic mechanisms, which tend to insist on the importance of a close match between the reader's and the protagonist's situations. They point the way forward for a new programme of clinical research and practice by suggesting other ways to conceive of how embodied cognitive acts of textually cued interpretation may intervene in the psychopathology of an eating disorder - for good and for ill.
The Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination Revised (ACE-R): a brief cognitive test battery for dementia screening.

UNLABELLED
There is a clear need for brief, but sensitive and specific, cognitive screening instruments as evidenced by the popularity of the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination (ACE).


OBJECTIVES
We aimed to validate an improved revision (the ACE-R) which incorporates five sub-domain scores (orientation/attention, memory, verbal fluency, language and visuo-spatial).


METHODS
Standard tests for evaluating dementia screening tests were applied. A total of 241 subjects participated in this study (Alzheimer's disease=67, frontotemporal dementia=55, dementia of Lewy Bodies=20; mild cognitive impairment-MCI=36; controls=63).


RESULTS
Reliability of the ACE-R was very good (alpha coefficient=0.8). Correlation with the Clinical Dementia Scale was significant (r=-0.321, p<0.001). Two cut-offs were defined (88: sensitivity=0.94, specificity=0.89; 82: sensitivity=0.84, specificity=1.0). Likelihood ratios of dementia were generated for scores between 88 and 82: at a cut-off of 82 the likelihood of dementia is 100:1. A comparison of individual age and education matched groups of MCI, AD and controls placed the MCI group performance between controls and AD and revealed MCI patients to be impaired in areas other than memory (attention/orientation, verbal fluency and language).


CONCLUSIONS
The ACE-R accomplishes standards of a valid dementia screening test, sensitive to early cognitive dysfunction.
Price distribution. An exact formulation of Price's “square root law”

An exact probabilistic formulation of the “square root law” conjectured byPrice is given and a probability distribution satisfying this law is defined, for which the namePrice distribution is suggested. Properties of thePrice distribution are discussed, including its relationship with the laws ofLotka andZipf. No empirical support of applicability ofPrice distribution as a model for publication productivity could be found.
How should we treat prepubertal labial adhesions? Retrospective comparison of topical treatments: estrogen only, betamethasone only, and combination estrogen and betamethasone.

Labial adhesion is a common finding in prepubertal girls. Traditionally, topical estrogen cream application has been the choice of conservative treatment, however, topical betamethasone treatment has also recently been employed with some success. In this retrospective study, we analysed 131 children with labial adhesions. Eleven of 71 (15.4%) patients were treated successfully with topical estrogen cream only, and 5 of 32 (15.6%) patients were treated successfully with betamethasone cream only. We successfully treated 5 of 28 (28.5%) patients with a combination of estrogen and betamethasone creams. The mean time of treatment for each regimen of therapy was 4 weeks. There was no significance between the single-therapy estrogen and single-therapy betamethasone groups (P = 1.00), between single-therapy estrogen and the combination therapy (P = .16), and the single therapy betamethasone to combination therapy (P = .35) groups. There was also no significant difference between combination estrogen and betamethasone therapy and the combined data of the single therapies (relative risk 1.85; 95% confidence interval 0.89-3.89; P =.11). For the treatment of prepubertal labial adhesions, topical estrogen and betamethasone creams were found to have similar success rates, with limited satisfactory results. The combination therapy was mildly more efficacious than each of the single therapies but was not found to be statistically significant. Surgical separation is recommended if conservative treatment fails.