LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Activation of coagulation system during air travel: a crossover study

BACKGROUND
There is an increased risk of venous thrombosis after air travel, but the underlying mechanism is unclear. Our aim was to ascertain whether flying leads to a hypercoagulable state.


METHODS
We did a crossover study in 71 healthy volunteers (15 men, 56 women), in whom we measured markers of activation of coagulation and fibrinolysis before, during, and after an 8-h flight. The same individuals participated in two control exposure situations (8-h movie marathon and daily life) to separate the effect of air travel on the coagulation system from those of immobilisation and circadian rhythm. To study the effect of risk factors for thrombosis, we included participants with the factor V Leiden mutation (n=11), those who took oral contraceptives (n=15), or both (n=15), as well as 30 individuals with no specific risk factors.


FINDINGS
After the flight, median concentrations of thrombin-antithrombin (TAT) complex increased by 30.1% (95% CI 11.2-63.2), but decreased by 2.1% (-11.2 to 14) after the cinema and by 7.9% (-16.2 to -1.2) after the daily life situation. We recorded a high response in TAT levels in 17% (11 of 66) of individuals after air travel (3% [2 of 68] for movie marathon; 1% [1 of 70] in daily life). These findings were most evident in the group with the factor V Leiden mutation who used oral contraceptives. We noted a high response in all variables (prothrombin fragment 1 and 2, TAT, and D-dimer) in four of 63 (6.3%) volunteers after the flight, but in no-one after either of the control situations.


INTERPRETATION
Activation of coagulation occurs in some individuals after an 8-h flight, indicating an additional mechanism to immobilisation underlying air travel related thrombosis.
Reconceptualizing Users as Social Actors in Information Systems Research

A concept of the user is fundamental to much of the research and practice of information systems design, development, and evaluation. Usercentered information studies have relied on individualistic cognitive models to carefully examine the criteria that influence the selection of information and communication technologies (ICTs) that Robert W. Zmud was the accepting senior editor for this paper. people make. In many ways, these studies have improved our understanding of how a good information resource fits the people who use it. However, research approaches based on an individualistic user concept are limited. In this paper, we examine the theoretical constructs that shape this user concept and contrast these with alternative views that help to reconceptualize the user as a social actor. Despite pervasive ICT use, social actors are not primarily users of ICTs. Most people who use ICT applications utilize multiple applications, in various roles, and as part of their efforts to produce goods and services while interacting with a variety of other people, and often in multiple social contexts. Moreover, the socially thin user construct limits our understanding of information selection, manipulation, communication, and exchange within complex social contexts. Using analyses from a recent study of online information service use, we develop an institutionalist concept of a social actor whose everyday interactions are infused with ICT use. We then encourage a shift from the user concept to a concept of the social actor in IS research. We suggest that such a shift will sharpen perceptions of how organizational contexts shape ICT-related practices, and at the same time will help researchers more accurately portray the complex and multiple roles that people fulfill while adopting, adapting, and using information systems. Lamb & Kling/Reconceptualizing Users as Social Actors 198 MIS Quarterly Vol. 27 No. 2/June 2003
Osteoblastic cells regulate the haematopoietic stem cell niche

Stem cell fate is influenced by specialized microenvironments that remain poorly defined in mammals. To explore the possibility that haematopoietic stem cells derive regulatory information from bone, accounting for the localization of haematopoiesis in bone marrow, we assessed mice that were genetically altered to produce osteoblast-specific, activated PTH/PTHrP receptors (PPRs). Here we show that PPR-stimulated osteoblastic cells that are increased in number produce high levels of the Notch ligand jagged 1 and support an increase in the number of haematopoietic stem cells with evidence of Notch1 activation in vivo. Furthermore, ligand-dependent activation of PPR with parathyroid hormone (PTH) increased the number of osteoblasts in stromal cultures, and augmented ex vivo primitive haematopoietic cell growth that was abrogated by γ-secretase inhibition of Notch activation. An increase in the number of stem cells was observed in wild-type animals after PTH injection, and survival after bone marrow transplantation was markedly improved. Therefore, osteoblastic cells are a regulatory component of the haematopoietic stem cell niche in vivo that influences stem cell function through Notch activation. Niche constituent cells or signalling pathways provide pharmacological targets with therapeutic potential for stem-cell-based therapies.
Can You Trust Autonomous Vehicles : Contactless Attacks against Sensors of Self-driving Vehicle

To improve road safety and driving experiences, autonomous vehicles have emerged recently, and they can sense their surroundings and navigate without human intervention. Although promising and proving safety features, the trustworthiness of these cars has to be examined before they can be widely adopted on the road. Unlike traditional network security, autonomous vehicles rely heavily on their sensory ability of their surroundings to make driving decision, which incurs a security risk from sensors. Thus, in this paper we examine the security of the sensors of autonomous vehicles, and investigate the trustworthiness of the ‘eyes’ of the cars. Our work investigates sensors whose measurements are used to guide driving, i.e., millimeter-wave radars, ultrasonic sensors, forward-looking cameras. In particular, we present contactless attacks on these sensors and show our results collected both in the lab and outdoors on a Tesla Model S automobile. We show that using o↵-the-shelf hardware, we are able to perform jamming and spoofing attacks, which caused the Tesla’s blindness and malfunction, all of which could potentially lead to crashes and impair the safety of self-driving cars. To alleviate the issues, we propose software and hardware countermeasures that will improve sensor resilience against these attacks.
ONTOCOM: a cost estimation model for ontology engineering

The technical challenges associated with the development and deployment of ontologies have been subject to a considerable number of research initiatives since the beginning of the nineties. The economical aspects of these processes are, however, still poorly exploited, impeding the dissemination of ontology-driven technologies beyond the boundaries of the academic community. This paper aims at contributing to the alleviation of this situation by proposing ONTOCOM (Ontology Cost Model), a model to predict the costs arising in ontology engineering processes. We introduce a methodology to generate a cost model adapted to a particular ontology development strategy, and an inventory of cost drivers which influence the amount of effort invested in activities performed during an ontology life cycle. We further present the results of the model validation procedure, which covered an expert-driven evaluation and a statistical calibration on 36 data points collected from real-world projects. The validation revealed that ontology engineering processes have a high learning rate, indicating that the building of very large ontologies is feasible from an economic point of view. Moreover, the complexity of ontology evaluation, domain analysis and conceptualization activities proved to have a major impact on the final ontology engineering process duration.
Validity of brief alcohol screening tests among adolescents: a comparison of the AUDIT, POSIT, CAGE, and CRAFFT.

BACKGROUND
Adolescents should be screened for alcohol misuse as part of routine care. The objective of this study was to compare the criterion validity of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), the Problem Oriented Screening Instrument for Teenagers substance use/abuse scale (POSIT), and the CAGE and CRAFFT questions among adolescents.


METHODS
Fourteen- to 18-year-old patients arriving for routine healthcare at a large, hospital-based adolescent clinic completed the four screens and the criterion standard Adolescent Diagnostic Interview, which yields DSM-IV diagnoses of alcohol abuse and dependence. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted to determine optimal cut-points. Areas under the ROC curves of the four screens were compared, and sensitivities and specificities were calculated.


RESULTS
Participants' past 12-month alcohol diagnostic classifications were as follows: no use (58.6%), nonproblem use (13.0%), problem use (20.8%), abuse (5.4%), and dependence (2.2%). Optimal cut-points associated with problem use or higher were 2 for AUDIT, 1 for POSIT, 1 for CAGE, and 1 for CRAFFT. ROC curve area of the CAGE was significantly lower compared with areas of all other screens. Sensitivities (95% confidence intervals) were AUDIT 0.88 (0.83-0.93), POSIT 0.84 (0.79-0.90), CAGE 0.37 (0.29-0.44), and CRAFFT 0.92 (0.88-0.96); specificities were AUDIT 0.81 (0.77-0.85), POSIT 0.89 (0.86-0.92), CAGE 0.96 (0.94-0.98), and CRAFFT 0.64 (0.59-0.69).


CONCLUSIONS
The AUDIT, POSIT, and CRAFFT have acceptable sensitivity for identifying alcohol problems or disorders in this age group. The CAGE is not recommended for use among adolescents.
High-field functional magnetic resonance imaging of vocalization processing in marmosets

Vocalizations are behaviorally critical sounds, and this behavioral importance is reflected in the ascending auditory system, where conspecific vocalizations are increasingly over-represented at higher processing stages. Recent evidence suggests that, in macaques, this increasing selectivity for vocalizations might culminate in a cortical region that is densely populated by vocalization-preferring neurons. Such a region might be a critical node in the representation of vocal communication sounds, underlying the recognition of vocalization type, caller and social context. These results raise the questions of whether cortical specializations for vocalization processing exist in other species, their cortical location, and their relationship to the auditory processing hierarchy. To explore cortical specializations for vocalizations in another species, we performed high-field fMRI of the auditory cortex of a vocal New World primate, the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus). Using a sparse imaging paradigm, we discovered a caudal-rostral gradient for the processing of conspecific vocalizations in marmoset auditory cortex, with regions of the anterior temporal lobe close to the temporal pole exhibiting the highest preference for vocalizations. These results demonstrate similar cortical specializations for vocalization processing in macaques and marmosets, suggesting that cortical specializations for vocal processing might have evolved before the lineages of these species diverged.
Calf circumference as a surrogate marker of muscle mass for diagnosing sarcopenia in Japanese men and women.

AIM
To examine the relationship between calf circumference and muscle mass, and to evaluate the suitability of calf circumference as a surrogate marker of muscle mass for the diagnosis of sarcopenia among middle-aged and older Japanese men and women.


METHODS
A total of 526 adults aged 40-89 years participated in the present cross-sectional study. The maximum calf circumference was measured in a standing position. Appendicular skeletal muscle mass was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and the skeletal muscle index was calculated as appendicular skeletal muscle mass divided by the square of the height (kg/m(2)). The cut-off values for sarcopenia were defined as a skeletal muscle index of less than -2 standard deviations of the mean value for Japanese young adults, as defined previously.


RESULTS
Calf circumference was positively correlated with appendicular skeletal muscle (r = 0.81 in men, r = 0.73 in women) and skeletal muscle index (r = 0.80 in men, r = 0.69 in women). In receiver operating characteristic analysis, the optimal calf circumference cut-off values for predicting sarcopenia were 34 cm (sensitivity 88%, specificity 91%) in men and 33 cm (sensitivity 76%, specificity 73%) in women.


CONCLUSIONS
Calf circumference was positively correlated with appendicular skeletal muscle mass and skeletal muscle index, and could be used as a surrogate marker of muscle mass for diagnosing sarcopenia. The suggested cut-off values of calf circumference for predicting low muscle mass are <34 cm in men and <33 cm in women.
Design of Stepped Patch Ultra Wideband Antenna with WLAN Band Notch Characteristics

Abstract— The paper presents the design and performance measures of a printed stepped patch monopole antenna with semi-elliptical ground plane and band notch for ultra wideband applications. The proposed antenna operates in the frequency range 3.15 ~ 12.2 GHz with average gain of 4.27 dBi. Inverted U shaped slot is introduced in the feed line for WLAN band rejection and the rejection band ranges from 5.08 GHz to 5.93 GHz. The radiation pattern is directional in the elevation plane and omnidirectional in the azimuth plane. The consistency of the radiation pattern exists within the operating band. The performance of the proposed antenna is confirmed by simulation and experiment results. KeywordsInverted U slot, monopole antenna, stepped patch, ultra wideband
The past's presence : essays on the historicity of philosophical thinking

Throughout the discourse of modern philosophy, the problematic relationship between thought and history has been a recurring theme. Tensions between historicist and ahistoricist conceptions of phil ...
Fuzzy Logic Navigation and Obstacle Avoidance by a Mobile Robot in an Unknown Dynamic Environment

Mobile robot navigation has remained an open problem  over  the  last  two  decades. Mobile  robots  are required  to  navigate  in  unknown  and  dynamic environments,  and  in  recent  years  the  use  of  mobile robots  in material handling has considerably  increased. Usually  workers  push  carts  around  warehouses  and manually handle orders which is not very cost‐effective. To  this  end,  a potential method  to  control  a  swarm  of mobile  robots  in  a warehouse with  static and dynamic obstacles  is  to  use  the  wireless  control  approach. Further,  to be  able  to  control different  types of mobile robots  in  the  warehouse,  the  fuzzy  logic  control approach has been  chosen. Therefore,  in  this paper, an on‐line navigation technique for a wheeled mobile robot (WMR)  in  an  unknown  dynamic  environment  using fuzzy logic techniques is investigated. In this paper, we aim  to  use  the  robot  in  application  in  a  warehouse. Experimental  results  show  the  effectiveness  of  the proposed algorithm.
Recent developments in cosmology

This article gives an overview, aimed at theoretical particle physicists, of some recent developments in cosmology.
Extreme Compression and Modeling of Bidirectional Texture Function

The recent advanced representation for realistic real-world materials in virtual reality applications is the bidirectional texture function (BTF), which describes rough texture appearance for varying illumination and viewing conditions. Such a function can be represented by thousands of measurements (images) per material sample. The resulting BTF size excludes its direct rendering in graphical applications and some compression of these huge BTF data spaces is obviously inevitable. In this paper, we present a novel, fast probabilistic model-based algorithm for realistic BTF modeling allowing an extreme compression with the possibility of a fast hardware implementation. Its ultimate aim is to create a visual impression of the same material without a pixelwise correspondence to the original measurements. The analytical step of the algorithm starts with a BTF space segmentation and a range map estimation by photometric stereo of the BTF surface, followed by the spectral and spatial factorization of selected subspace color texture images. Single mono-spectral band-limited factors are independently modeled by their dedicated spatial probabilistic model. During rendering, the subspace images of arbitrary size are synthesized and both color (possibly multispectral) and range information is combined in a bump-mapping filter according to the view and illumination directions. The presented model offers a huge BTF compression ratio unattainable by any alternative sampling-based BTF synthesis method. Simultaneously, this model can be used to reconstruct missing parts of the BTF measurement space.
The petrology of the North Sea Drift and Upper Glacial Brick-Earths in East Anglia

Summary The field-evidence distinguishing the Upper Glacial Brick-earths from the North Sea Drift was summarized upon p. 150 of the paper to which this is a sequel. The included boulders, colour, absence of lamination, stratigraphical relations, included masses of other beds, height above Ordnance datum and thickness, were shown to be of value as criteria. The foregoing pages deal with the petrological aspects of the two series of deposits which have been confused with one another. It is shown that the mechanical analyses of the two series are very different. This is indicated graphically by Fig. 6. The deposits of the Norfolk coast sections are, as would be expected, very variable in grade-composition. No possibility exists, however, of confusing them with Upper Glacial Beds. The latter deposits have been confused with the Norwich Brick-earth. Mechanical analyses of a number of samples of Norwich Brick-earth from a wide area show a remarkable conformity, being characterized by a high sand-grade and low clay-grade. The Upper Glacial Brick-earths conform to two types, ( a ) that of the blue earths with a high clay-percentage, and ( b ) that of the red earths with a high silt-percentage. In either case the gradecomposition is very different from that of the Lower Glacial deposits. (Fig. 6.) The detrital mineral residues do not provide us with a means of distinguishing Upper and Lower Glacial deposits from one another. This is doubtless largely due to the facts that abundant mineral material was brought in from all sources, and that the Lower Glacial deposits in part were ploughed up, and helped to make the later glacial beds. The mineral assemblage is unsurpassed in British sediments for variety and beauty (over forty mineral species, exclusive of varieties and cementing materials, being recorded). The detrital residues are characterized by the rich colour, large size and freshness of the grains. The magnetic minerals, which are coloured, preponderate, and yield beautiful pleochroic effects. The variety is only to be expected when the mode of origin of the deposits is considered. While in most sediments minerals derived from metamorphic rocks are most abundant, in the East Anglian Drifts a considerable amount of material occurs as a result of the disintegration of igneous rocks. Among other minerals, abundant apatite, amphiboles, epidote, hypersthene, dolomite, sphene and augite were thus derived. The small compound rock-grains in the Drifts serve to distinguish the Upper from the Lower Beds. In the former, sandstone, limestone, and shale chips from British Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks are plentiful, and yield evidence, supported by the presence of erratics, of the direction of ice-flow into East Anglia. The coarse grains of the North Sea Drift consist mostly of fragments of igneous and metamorphic rocks, of lydite-pebbles, Tertiary flintchips, coprolites, chalk-pellets, and shell-fragments.
Design optimization on the drive train of a light-weight robotic arm

A drive train optimization method for design of light-weight robots is proposed. Optimal selections of motors and gearboxes from a limited catalog of commercially available components are done simultaneously for all joints of a robotic arm. Characteristics of the motor and gearbox, including gear ratio, gear inertia, motor inertia, and gear efficiency, are considered in the drive train modeling. A co-simulation method is developed for dynamic simulation of the arm. A design example is included to demonstrate the proposed design optimization method. 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Magnesium supplementation affects metabolic status and pregnancy outcomes in gestational diabetes: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND
To our knowledge, prior research has not examined the effects of magnesium supplementation on metabolic status and pregnancy outcomes in maternal-child dyads affected by gestational diabetes (GDM).


OBJECTIVE
This study was designed to assess the effects of magnesium supplementation on metabolic status and pregnancy outcomes in magnesium-deficient pregnant women with GDM.


DESIGN
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was performed in 70 women with GDM. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either 250 mg magnesium oxide (n = 35) or a placebo (n = 35) for 6 wk. Fasting blood samples were taken at baseline and after a 6-wk intervention.


RESULTS
The change in serum magnesium concentration was greater in women consuming magnesium than in the placebo group (+0.06 ± 0.3 vs. -0.1 ± 0.3 mg/dL, P = 0.02). However, after controlling for baseline magnesium concentrations, the changes in serum magnesium concentrations were not significantly different between the groups. Changes in fasting plasma glucose (-9.7 ± 10.1 vs. +1.8 ± 8.1 mg/dL, P < 0.001), serum insulin concentration (-2.1 ± 6.5 vs. +5.7 ± 10.7 μIU/mL, P = 0.001), homeostasis model of assessment-estimated insulin resistance (-0.5 ± 1.3 vs. +1.4 ± 2.3, P < 0.001), homeostasis model of assessment-estimated β-cell function (-4.0 ± 28.7 vs. +22.0 ± 43.8, P = 0.006), and the quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (+0.004 ± 0.021 vs. -0.012 ± 0.015, P = 0.005) in supplemented women were significantly different from those in women in the placebo group. Changes in serum triglycerides (+2.1 ± 63.0 vs. +38.9 ± 37.5 mg/dL, P = 0.005), high sensitivity C-reactive protein (-432.8 ± 2521.0 vs. +783.2 ± 2470.1 ng/mL, P = 0.03), and plasma malondialdehyde concentrations (-0.5 ± 1.6 vs. +0.3 ± 1.2 μmol/L, P = 0.01) were significantly different between the supplemented women and placebo group. Magnesium supplementation resulted in a lower incidence of newborn hyperbilirubinemia (8.8% vs. 29.4%, P = 0.03) and newborn hospitalization (5.9% vs. 26.5%, P = 0.02).


CONCLUSION
Magnesium supplementation among women with GDM had beneficial effects on metabolic status and pregnancy outcomes. This trial was registered at www.irct.ir as IRCT201503055623N39.