LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Is self-monitoring of blood glucose appropriate for all type 2 diabetic patients? The Fremantle Diabetes Study.

OBJECTIVE
We sought to determine whether self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) is associated with better glycemic control in type 2 diabetes.


RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
We used cross-sectional and longitudinal data from type 2 diabetic participants in the observational, community-based Fremantle Diabetes Study (FDS) who reported SMBG status at study entry (n = 1,286) and annual reviews over 5 years (n = 531).


RESULTS
At study entry, 70% of patients performed SMBG, with a median of four tests per week (interquartile range two to seven). Patients with shorter diabetes duration; who were attending diabetes education, diabetes-related clinics, or medical specialists; who were taking insulin with or without oral hypoglycemic agents (OHAs); and who were self-reporting hypoglycemic events were more likely to use SMBG. Both cross-sectional and longitudinal FDS data showed that HbA(1c) (A1C) was not significantly different between SMBG users and nonusers, either overall or within diabetes treatment groups (diet, OHAs, and insulin with or without OHAs). There was also no independent cross-sectional relationship between A1C and SMBG frequency. The average annual societal cost of using SMBG (in year 2000 Australian dollars [Adollars], excluding glucometers) was 162 Australian dollars per type 2 diabetic patient or 51 million Australian dollars when projected to the Australian diagnosed type 2 diabetic population.


CONCLUSIONS
Neither SMBG testing nor its frequency was associated with glycemic benefit in type 2 diabetic patients regardless of treatment. Our data did not include methods of SMBG delivery and application, factors that require further assessment in the evaluation of SMBG utility in non-insulin-treated type 2 diabetes. SMBG may be still of value in the identification and prevention of hypoglycemia and in dose adjustment in insulin-treated patients.
Impaired hepatitis B vaccine responses during chronic hepatitis C infection: involvement of the PD-1 pathway in regulating CD4(+) T cell responses.

Vaccination for hepatitis B virus (HBV) in the setting of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is recommended, but responses to vaccination are blunted when compared to uninfected populations. The mechanism for this failure of immune response in HCV-infected subjects remains unknown but is thought to be a result of lymphocyte dysfunction during chronic viral infection. We have recently demonstrated that PD-1, a novel negative immunomodulator for T cell receptor (TCR) signaling, is involved in T and B lymphocyte dysregulation during chronic HCV infection. In this report, we further investigated the role of the PD-1 pathway in regulation of CD4(+) T cell responses to HBV vaccination in HCV-infected individuals. In a prospective HCV infected cohort, a poor response rate to HBV vaccination as assayed by seroconversion was observed in HCV-infected subjects (53%), while a high response rate was observed in healthy or spontaneously HCV-resolved individuals (94%). CD4(+) T cell responses to ex vivo stimulations of anti-CD3/CD28 antibodies or hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) were found to be lower in HBV vaccine non-responders compared to those responders in HCV-infected individuals who had received a series of HBV immunizations. PD-1 expression on CD4(+) T cells was detected at relatively higher levels in these HBV vaccine non-responders than those who responded, and this was inversely associated with the cell activation status. Importantly, blocking the PD-1 pathway improved T cell activation and proliferation in response to ex vivo HBsAg or anti-CD3/CD28 stimulation in HBV vaccine non-responders. These results suggest that PD-1 signaling may be involved in impairing CD4(+) T cell responses to HBV vaccination in subjects with HCV infection, and raise the possibility that blocking this negative signaling pathway might improve success rates of immunization in the setting of chronic viral infection.
Radicalization into Violent Extremism II : A Review of Conceptual Models and Empirical Research

Over the past decade, analysts have proposed several frameworks to explain the process of radicalization into violent extremism (RVE). These frameworks are based primarily on rational, conceptual models which are neither guided by theory nor derived from systematic research. This article reviews recent (post-9/11) conceptual models of the radicalization process and recent (post-9/11) empirical studies of RVE. It emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between ideological radicalization and terrorism involvement, though both issues deserve further empirical inquiry.Finally, it summarizes some recent RVE-related research efforts, identifies seven things that social science researchers and operational personnel still need to know about violent radicalization, and offers a set of starting assumptions to move forward with a research agenda that might help to thwart tomorrow's terrorists. This article is available in Journal of Strategic Security: http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/jss/ vol4/iss4/3 Journal of Strategic Security Volume 4 Issue 4 2011, pp. 37-62 DOI: 10.5038/1944-0472.4.4.2 Journal of Strategic Security (c) 2011 ISSN: 1944-0464 eISSN: 1944-0472 37 Radicalization into Violent Extremism II: A Review of Conceptual Models and Empirical Research Randy Borum University of South Florida wborum@usf.edu
Patient acceptance of and initiation and engagement in telepsychotherapy in primary care.

OBJECTIVE
The study examined factors associated with the utilization of psychotherapy offered in primary care via videoconferencing (telepsychotherapy).


METHODS
Primary care patients with depression (N=179) recruited from five Federally Qualified Health Centers were randomly assigned to telemedicine-based collaborative care and offered free telepsychotherapy. Independent variables included measures of access to and need for treatment. Logistic regression identified variables associated with acceptability of and initiation and engagement in telepsychotherapy.


RESULTS
To 76% of patients the idea of participating in psychotherapy was acceptable. Thirty-eight percent scheduled a telepsychotherapy session, 17% attended a session, and 8% engaged in treatment (attended at least eight sessions). Because the intervention was designed to minimize barriers, access was not a significant predictor of utilization. However, use of telepsychotherapy was associated with measures of perceived need.


CONCLUSIONS
Even when psychotherapy was delivered in a primary care setting via videoconferencing to minimize barriers, few patients initiated or engaged in telepsychotherapy.
Biologically Active Transition Metal Chelates with a 2-Thiophenecarboxaldehyde-Derived Schiff Base: Synthesis, Characterization, and Antibacterial Properties

Metal complexes, ML2Cl2, where M is Fe(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), or Cd(II), and L is the Schiff base formed by condensation of 2-thiophenecarboxaldehyde with 2-aminopyridine, N-(2thienylmethylidene)-2-aminopyridine (TNAPY) have been prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, and magnetic and spectroscopic measurements. Elemental analysis of the chelates suggests the stoichiometry is 1:2 (metal-ligand). Infrared and NMR spectra of the complexes agree with the coordination to the central metal atom through the nitrogen of the azomethine (-HC=N-) group and the sulfur atom of the thiophene ring. Magnetic susceptibility data coupled with electronic and ESR spectra suggest a distorted octahedral structure for the Fe(II), Co(II), Ni(II), and Cu(II) complexes, and a tetrahedral geometry for the Zn(II) and Cd (II) complexes. The Schiff base and its metal chelates have been screened for their in vitro antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The metal chelates were shown to possess more antibacterial activity than the uncomplexed Schiff-base.
Semantics-Based Repackaging Detection for Mobile Apps

While Android app stores keep growing in size and in number, app repackaging has become a major threat to the health of the mobile ecosystem. Different from many syntax-based repackaging detection techniques, in this work we propose a semantic-based approach, RepDetector, which is more robust against code obfuscation attacks. To capture an app’s semantics, our approach extracts input-output states of core functions in the app and then compare function and app similarity. We implement a prototype of RepDetector, and evaluate it against various obfuscation technologies. The results show that our approach can detect repackaged apps effectively. It is also at least a hundred times faster than Androguard.
Sigma-Point Kalman Filters for Integrated Navigation

Core to integrated navigation systems is the concept of fusing noisy observations from GPS, Inertial Measurement Units (IMU), and other available sensors. The current industry standard and most widely used algorithm for this purpose is the extended Kalman filter (EKF) [6]. The EKF combines the sensor measurements with predictions coming from a model of vehicle motion (either dynamic or kinematic), in order to generate an estimate of the current navigational state (position, velocity, and attitude). This paper points out the inherent shortcomings in using the EKF and presents, as an alternative, a family of improved derivativeless nonlinear Kalman filters called sigma-point Kalman filters (SPKF). We demonstrate the improved state estimation performance of the SPKF by applying it to the problem of loosely coupled GPS/INS integration. A novel method to account for latency in the GPS updates is also developed for the SPKF (such latency compensation is typically inaccurate or not practical with the EKF). A UAV (rotor-craft) test platform is used to demonstrate the results. Performance metrics indicate an approximate 30% error reduction in both attitude and position estimates relative to the baseline EKF implementation.
Anti-jamming in cognitive radio networks using reinforcement learning algorithms

Cognitive radio technology is a promising approach to enhance the spectrum utilization. As the cognitive radio network (CRN) is prone to random attackers, security becomes an important issue for the successful deployment of CRN. In CRN, the dynamic spectrum characteristics of the channel changes very rapidly and further inclusion of the random jammer makes the scenario even more challenging to model. This particular scenario is modeled using the stochastic zero-sum game and Markov decision process (MDP) framework. The time-varying characteristics of the channel as well as the jammer's random strategy can be learnt by the secondary user using the reinforcement learning (RL) algorithms. In this paper, we have proposed to use the QV and the State-action-reward-state-action (SARSA) RL algorithms in place of the earlier proposed Minimax-Q learning. Though the Minimax-Q learning tries to achieve the optimal solution, but in the scenario of anti-jamming, going for the optimal solution may not be the best solution, as for the anti-jamming maximizing the gain is not an issue. Minimax-Q learning is off-policy and greedy algorithm, whereas the QV and SARSA are on-policy algorithms. QV learning performs even better than SARSA as in QV both Q- as well as V- values of the game are updated. Simulation results are also showing the improvement in learning probability of the secondary user by the use of SARSA and QV learning algorithms compared to Minimax-Q learning algorithm.
Increasing Student Engagement in Software Engineering with Gamification

Gamification, or the use of game elements in non-game contexts, has become an increasingly popular approach to increasing end-user engagement in many contexts, including employee productivity, sales, recycling, and education. Our preliminary work has shown that gamification can be used to boost student engagement and learning in basic software testing. We seek to expand our gamified software engineering approach to motivate other software engineering best practices. We propose to build a game layer on top of traditional continuous integration technologies to increase student engagement in development, documentation, bug reporting, and test coverage. This poster describes to our approach and presents some early results showing feasability.
Emotion regulation skills training enhances the efficacy of inpatient cognitive behavioral therapy for major depressive disorder: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND
Deficits in emotion regulation skills are possible factors maintaining major depressive disorder (MDD). Therefore, the aim of the study was to test whether integrating a systematic emotion regulation training (ERT) enhances the efficacy of routine inpatient cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for MDD.


METHODS
In a prospective randomized controlled trial, 432 inpatients meeting criteria for MDD were assigned to receive either routine CBT or CBT enriched with an intense emotion regulation skills training (CBT-ERT).


RESULTS
Participants in the CBT-ERT condition demonstrated a significantly greater reduction in depression (response rates - CBT: 75.5%, CBT-ERT: 84.9%; remission rates - CBT: 51.1%, CBT-ERT: 65.1%). Moreover, CBT-ERT participants demonstrated a significantly greater reduction of negative affect, as well as a greater increase of well-being and emotion regulation skills particularly relevant for mental health.


CONCLUSIONS
Integrating strategies that target emotion regulation skills improves the efficacy of CBT for MDD.
Utility data annotation with Amazon Mechanical Turk

We show how to outsource data annotation to Amazon Mechanical Turk. Doing so has produced annotations in quite large numbers relatively cheaply. The quality is good, and can be checked and controlled. Annotations are produced quickly. We describe results for several different annotation problems. We describe some strategies for determining when the task is well specified and properly priced.
Efficacy of positive end-expiratory pressure titration after the alveolar recruitment manoeuvre in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome

INTRODUCTION
In acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), adequate positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) may decrease ventilator-induced lung injury by minimising overinflation and cyclic recruitment-derecruitment of the lung. We evaluated whether setting the PEEP using decremental PEEP titration after an alveolar recruitment manoeuvre (ARM) affects the clinical outcome in patients with ARDS.


METHODS
Fifty-seven patients with early ARDS were randomly assigned to a group given decremental PEEP titration following ARM or a table-based PEEP (control) group. PEEP and inspired fraction of oxygen (FiO2) in the control group were set according to the table-based combinations of FiO2 and PEEP of the ARDS network, by which we aimed to achieve a PEEP level compatible with an oxygenation target. In the decremental PEEP titration group, the oxygen saturation and static compliance were monitored as the patients performed the ARM along with the extended sigh method, which is designed to gradually apply and withdraw a high distending pressure over a prolonged period, and the decremental titration of PEEP.


RESULTS
The baseline characteristics did not differ significantly between the control and decremental PEEP titration groups. Initial oxygenation improved more in the decremental PEEP titration group than in the control group. However, dynamic compliance, tidal volume and PEEP were similar in the two groups during the first week. The duration of use of paralysing or sedative agents, mechanical ventilation, stay in the intensive care unit and mortality at 28 days did not differ significantly between the decremental PEEP titration and control groups.


CONCLUSIONS
The daily decremental PEEP titration after ARM showed only initial oxygenation improvement compared with the table-based PEEP method. Respiratory mechanics and patient outcomes did not differ between the decremental PEEP titration and control groups.


TRIAL REGISTRATION
ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: ISRCTN79027921.
Adiposity and human regional body temperature 1 – 3

Background: Human obesity is associated with increased heat production; however, subcutaneous adipose tissue provides an insulating layer that impedes heat loss. To maintain normothermia, therefore, obese individuals must increase their heat dissipation. Objective: The objective was to test the hypothesis that temperature in a heat-dissipating region of the hand is elevated in obese adults. Design: Obese [body mass index (in kg/m) 30] and normalweight (NW; body mass index = 18–25) adults were studied under thermoneutral conditions at rest. Core body temperature was measured by using ingested telemetric capsules. The temperatures of the third fingernail bed of the right hand and of abdominal skin from an area 1.5 cm inferior to the umbilicus were determined by using infrared thermography. Abdominal skin temperatures were also measured via adhesive thermistors that were placed over a prominent skin-surface blood vessel and over an adjacent nonvessel location. The groups were compared by analysis of covariance with age, sex, race, and room temperature as covariates. Results: Core temperature did not differ significantly between the 23 obese and 13 NW participants (P = 0.74). However, infrared thermography–measured fingernail-bed temperature was significantly higher in obese subjects than in NW subjects (33.9 6 0.7 C compared with 28.6 6 0.9 C; P , 0.001). Conversely, infrared thermography–measured abdominal skin temperature was significantly lower in obese subjects than in NW subjects (31.8 6 0.2 C compared with 32.8 6 0.3 C; P = 0.02). Nonvessel abdominal skin temperatures measured by thermistors were also lower in obese subjects (P = 0.04). Conclusions: Greater subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue in obese adults may provide a significant insulating layer that blunts abdominal heat transfer. Augmented heat release from the hands may offset heat retention in areas of the body with greater adiposity, thereby helping to maintain normothermia in obesity. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00266500. Am J Clin Nutr 2009;90:1124–31.
CPT AND LORENTZ TESTS WITH CLOCKS IN SPACE

Space-based clock-comparison experiments can provide Planck-scale sensitivity to many parameters for Lorentz and CPT violation that are difficult to measure on Earth. The principal advantages are a reduced timescale for data collection, reduced suppression for certain effects, and access to certain parameters not possible with Earth-based experiments.
LUGOL'S IODINE CHROMOENDOSCOPY VERSUS NARROW BAND IMAGE ENHANCED ENDOSCOPY FOR THE DETECTION OF ESOPHAGEAL CANCER IN PATIENTS WITH STENOSIS SECONDARY TO CAUSTIC/CORROSIVE AGENT INGESTION.

BACKGROUND
The diagnosis of corrosion cancer should be suspected in patients with corrosive ingestion if after a latent period of negligible symptoms there is development of dysphagia, or poor response to dilatation, or if respiratory symptoms develop in an otherwise stable patient of esophageal stenosis. Narrow Band Imaging detects superficial squamous cell carcinoma more frequently than white-light imaging, and has significantly higher sensitivity and accuracy compared with white-light.


OBJECTIVE
To determinate the clinical applicability of Narrow Band Imaging versus Lugol´s solution chromendoscopy for detection of early esophageal cancer in patients with caustic/corrosive agent stenosis.


METHODS
Thirty-eight patients, aged between 28-84 were enrolled and examined by both Narrow Band Imaging and Lugol´s solution chromendoscopy. A 4.9mm diameter endoscope was used facilitating examination of a stenotic area without dilation. Narrow Band Imaging was performed and any lesion detected was marked for later biopsy. Then, Lugol´s solution chromoendoscopy was performed and biopsies were taken at suspicious areas. Patients who had abnormal findings at the routine, Narrow Band Imaging or Lugol´s solution chromoscopy exam had their stenotic ring biopsied.


RESULTS
We detected nine suspicious lesions with Narrow Band Imaging and 14 with Lugol´s solution chromendoscopy. The sensitivity and specificity of the Narrow Band Imaging was 100% and 80.6%, and with Lugol´s chromoscopy 100% and 66.67%, respectively. Five (13%) suspicious lesions were detected both with Narrow Band Imaging and Lugol's chromoscopy, two (40%) of these lesions were confirmed carcinoma on histopathological examination.


CONCLUSION
Narrow Band Imaging is an applicable option to detect and evaluate cancer in patients with caustic /corrosive stenosis compared to the Lugol´s solution chromoscopy.
On Interpolation in Hardy- Orlicz Spaces

The Hardy-Orlicz space φ H is the space of all analytic functions f on the open unit disk D such that the subharmonic function ) | | ( f φ has a harmonic majorant on D , where φ is a modulus function. + φ H is the subspace of φ H consisting of all φ H f ∈ such that ) | | ( f φ has a quasi-bounded harmonic majorant on D . If , ) ( p x x = φ 1 0 ≤ < p , then φ H is the Hardy space p H and if ) 1 log( ) ( x x + = φ , then φ H is the Nevanlinna class N and + φ H is the Smirnov class + N . In this paper we generalize some of N. Yanagihara's and A. Hartmann's and others interpolation results from N and + N to φ H and + φ H . For that purpose we generalize a canonical factorization theorem to functions in φ H or + φ H and introduce an F-space of complex sequences. AMS subject Classification: Primary: 46Axx.Secondary: 46E10, 30H05.
The BellKor 2008 Solution to the Netflix Prize

Our RMSE=0.8643 solution is a linear blend of over 100 results. Some of them are new to this year, whereas many others belong to the set that was reported a year ago in our 2007 Progress Prize report [3]. This report is structured accordingly. In Section 2 we detail methods new to this year. In general, our view is that those newer methods deliver a superior performance compared to the methods we used a year ago. Throughout the description of the methods, we highlight the specific predictors that participated in the final blended solution. Nonetheless, the older methods still play a role in the blend, and thus in Section 3 we list those methods repeated from a year ago. Finally, we conclude with general thoughts in Section 4.
Ergonomic control strategies for a handheld force-controlled ultrasound probe

An ergonomic, handheld, force-controlled ultrasound probe has been developed for medical imaging applications. The device, which consists of an ultrasound probe mounted to a backlash-free ball screw actuator and driven by a compact servo motor, maintains a prescribed contact force between the ultrasound probe and patient's body. A control system which combines both a position and a force controller enables ergonomic operation by keeping the actuator centered within its range of motion and permits the repeated making and breaking of probe-patient contact. By controlling ultrasound probe contact force and consequently the amount of tissue deformation, the system enhances the repeatability, usability, and diagnostic capabilities of ultrasound imaging.
Novel Absorbers Based on Wideband Antenna Array for RCS Reduction

This study presents a novel wideband absorber for radar cross section (RCS) reduction. Unlike previous absorber designs that use multilayer lossy materials, this study proposes a design based on a planar antenna array that adopts a bowtie dipole structure as the unit cell. The complete design procedure was investigated by using examples for singleand dual-polarized incident wave designs. The measurement results show that the bandwidth of both designs exceeded 81% of 10 dB RCS reduction when the thickness is less than 12% of the free space wavelength at the lowest operating frequency. The high RCS reduction of the proposed absorbers was demonstrated using commercial ground-penetrating radar. Results show that the proposed absorber is invisible to radar.