LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Human auditory steady state responses to binaural and monaural beats

OBJECTIVE
Binaural beat sensations depend upon a central combination of two different temporally encoded tones, separately presented to the two ears. We tested the feasibility to record an auditory steady state evoked response (ASSR) at the binaural beat frequency in order to find a measure for temporal coding of sound in the human EEG.


METHODS
We stimulated each ear with a distinct tone, both differing in frequency by 40Hz, to record a binaural beat ASSR. As control, we evoked a beat ASSR in response to both tones in the same ear. We band-pass filtered the EEG at 40Hz, averaged with respect to stimulus onset and compared ASSR amplitudes and phases, extracted from a sinusoidal non-linear regression fit to a 40Hz period average.


RESULTS
A 40Hz binaural beat ASSR was evoked at a low mean stimulus frequency (400Hz) but became undetectable beyond 3kHz. Its amplitude was smaller than that of the acoustic beat ASSR, which was evoked at low and high frequencies. Both ASSR types had maxima at fronto-central leads and displayed a fronto-occipital phase delay of several ms.


CONCLUSIONS
The dependence of the 40Hz binaural beat ASSR on stimuli at low, temporally coded tone frequencies suggests that it may objectively assess temporal sound coding ability. The phase shift across the electrode array is evidence for more than one origin of the 40Hz oscillations.


SIGNIFICANCE
The binaural beat ASSR is an evoked response, with novel diagnostic potential, to a signal that is not present in the stimulus, but generated within the brain.
On Approximate Nearest Neighbors in Non-Euclidean Spaces

The nearest neighbor search (NNS) problem is the following: Given a set of n points P = fp 1 ; : : : ; p n g in some metric space X , preprocess P so as to eeciently answer queries which require nding a point in P closest to a query point q 2 X. The approximate nearest neighbor search (c-NNS) is a relaxation of NNS which allows to return any point within c times the distance to the nearest neighbor (called c-nearest neighbor). This problem is of major and growing importance to a variety of applications. In this paper, we give an algorithm for (4dlog 1+ log 4de + 3)-NNS algorithm in l d 1 with O(dn 1+ log n) storage and O(d log n) query time. In particular, this yields the rst algorithm for O(1)-NNS for l 1 with subexponential storage. The preprocessing time is close to linear in the size of the data structure. The algorithm can be also used (after simple modiications) to output the exact nearest neighbor in time bounded by O(d logn) plus the number of (4dlog 1+ log 4de + 3)-nearest neighbors of the query point. Building on this result, we also obtain an approximation algorithm for a general class of product metrics. Finally, we show that for any c < 3 the c-NNS problem in l 1 is prov-ably hard for a version of the indexing model introduced by Hellerstein et. al. HKP97] (our upper bound can be adapted to work in this model).
Fabrication characteristics and mechanical behaviour of rice husk ash - Alumina reinforced Al-Mg-Si alloy matrix hybrid composites

The fabrication characteristics and mechanical behaviour of Al-Mg-Si alloy matrix composites reinforced with alumina (Al2O3) and rice husk ash (RHA, an agro-waste) was investigated. This was aimed at assessing the viability of developing high performance Al matrix composites at reduced cost. Al2O3 particulates added with 0, 2, 3, and 4 wt% RHA were utilized to prepare 10  wt% of the reinforcing phase with Al-Mg-Si alloy as matrix using two-step stir casting method. Density measurement, estimated percent porosity, tensile testing, micro-hardness measurement, optical microscopy, and SEM examination were used to characterize the composites produced. The results show that the less dense Al-Mg-Si/RHA/Al2O3 hybrid composites have estimated percent porosity levels as low as the single Al2O3 reinforced grade (< 2.3% porosity). The hardness of the hybrid composites decreases slightly with increase in RHA content with a maximum reduction of less than 11% observed for the Al-4  wt% RHA-6wt% Al2O3  composition (in comparison with the Al-10 wt% Al2O3 single reinforced composition). Tensile strength reductions of 8% and 13%, and specific strengths which were 3.56% and 7.7% lower were respectively observed for the 3 wt% and 4 wt% RHA containing hybrid composites. The specific strength, percent elongation and fracture toughness of the 2  wt% RHA containing hybrid composite was however, higher than that of the single Al2O3  reinforced and other hybrid composite compositions worked on. RHA thus has great promise to serve as a complementing reinforce ment for the development of low cost-high performance aluminum hybrid composites. © 2013 Brazilian Metallurgical, Materials and Mining Association. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jmrt.2013.03.011 :// . i. rg/10.1016/j.jmrt.2013.03.012 Este é um artigo Open Access sob a licença de CC BY-NC-ND Este é um artigo Open Access sob a licença de CC BY-NC-ND J. MATER. RES. TECHNOL. 2013;2(1):60-67 61
Sturge-Weber syndrome associated with naevus of Ota

The association of Sturge-Weber syndrome with naevus of Ota is an infrequently reported phenomenon and there are only four previously described cases in the literature. In this paper we briefly review the literature regarding the coexistence of vascular and pigmentary naevi and present an additional patient with the association of the Sturge-Weber syndrome and naevus of Ota.
How do stakeholder groups vary in a Delphi technique about primary mental health care and what factors influence their ratings?

BACKGROUND
While mental health is a core part of primary care, there are few validated quality measures and little relevant internationally published research. Consensus panel methods are a useful means of developing quality measures where evidence is sparse and/or opinions are diverse. However, little is known about the dynamics of consensus techniques and the factors that influence the judgements and ratings of panels and individual panelists.


OBJECTIVES
(1) To describe differences in panel ratings on the quality of primary mental health care services by patient, carer, professional and managerial panels within a Delphi procedure; and (2) to explore why different panels and panelists rate quality indicators of primary mental health care differently.


DESIGN
Two round postal Delphi technique and exploratory semi-structured interviews.


PARTICIPANTS
115 panelists across 11 panels. Eleven panelists were subsequently interviewed.


RESULTS
87 of 334 indicators (26%) were rated face valid by all 11 panels. There was little disagreement within panel ratings but significant differences between panels. The GP panel rated the least number of indicators valid (n = 138, 41%) and carers the most (n = 304, 91%). The way in which panelists interpreted and conceptualised the indicators and their definition of quality of mental health care affected the way in which participants made their ratings.


CONCLUSIONS
Stakeholders in primary mental health care have diverse views of quality of care and these differences translate into how they rate quality indicators. Exploratory interviews suggest that ratings are influenced by past experience, expectations, definitions of quality of care, and perceived power relationships between stakeholders.
Lake Devo: accessible online role-play

The key features in the Lake Devo Web-based role-play environment that allow blind students, using a screen reader, to fully participate in creating and presenting online role-play scenarios are described. Three key features are reviewed including: the Character Editor, the Script Editor, and the Movie Player, discussing as well how WAI-ARIA has been used to make them accessible.
Population pharmacokinetics of oral baclofen in pediatric patients with cerebral palsy.

OBJECTIVE
To characterize the population pharmacokinetics (PK) of oral baclofen and assess impact of patient-specific covariates in children with cerebral palsy (CP) in order to support its clinical use.


SUBJECTS DESIGN
Children (2-17 years of age) with CP received a dose of titrated oral baclofen from 2.5 mg 3 times a day to a maximum tolerated dose of up to 20 mg 4 times a day. PK sampling followed titration of 10-12 weeks. Serial R- and S-baclofen plasma concentrations were measured for up to 16 hours in 49 subjects. Population PK modeling was performed using NONMEM 7.1 (ICON PLC; Ellicott City, Maryland).


RESULTS
R- and S-baclofen showed identical concentration-time profiles. Both baclofen enantiomers exhibited linear and dose/kg-proportional PK, and no sex differences were observed. Average baclofen terminal half-life was 4.5 hours. A 2-compartment PK model with linear elimination and transit absorption steps adequately described concentration-time profiles of both baclofen enantiomers. The mean population estimate of apparent clearance/F was 0.273 L/h/kg with 33.4% inter-individual variability (IIV), and the apparent volume of distribution (Vss/F) was 1.16 L/kg with 43.9% IIV. Delayed absorption was expressed by a mean transit time of 0.389 hours with 83.7% IIV. Body weight, a possible genetic factor, and age were determinants of apparent clearance in these children.


CONCLUSION
The PK of oral baclofen exhibited dose-proportionality and were adequately described by a 2-compartment model. Our population PK findings suggest that baclofen dosage can be based on body weight (2 mg/kg per day) and the current baclofen dose escalation strategy is appropriate in the treatment of children with CP older than 2 years of age.
Information Technology Project Management and Project Success

One of the most important issues for organizations and information technology professionals is the success of information technology (IT) projects. This study reviews a survey of financial executives and examines their views on aspects of project management and project success. First, it was found that overall systems development projects are viewed as being successful by organizations. Next, a series of analyses were performed to assess several variables’ impact on IT project success. Skilled project measurement was found to result in higher IT project success. Restrictions on IT application development were found to correlate to lower IT project success. The most important project consideration did not affect project success. Finally, a significant positive relationship was found between the IT project success and overall IT returns. The implications, limitations, and conclusions of these findings are discussed. The study can be used as a basis for further exploration on project management success, influencing variables, and motivators. The findings can also be used to guide management teams in project management decisions to maximize returns to their organizations. The paper studies a large secondary data sample set, which empirically reviews corporations’ experiences with project management. In addition, it explores variables influencing overall project management success perception. DOI: 10.4018/jitpm.2012070103 32 International Journal of Information Technology Project Management, 3(3), 31-44, July-September 2012 Copyright © 2012, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. (p. 12). Against this backdrop, some researchers have attempted to analyze either reasons for failure or processes that can lead to success. The validity of these dismal returns has been challenged recently, including even the CHAOS report (Eveleens & Verhoef, 2010). As a result, the actual success rates of information technology projects remain elusive.
Risk in Islamic Banking

This paper investigates risk and stability features of Islamic banking using a sample of 553 banks from 24 countries between 1999 and 2009. Smal l Isl mic banks that are leveraged or based in countries with predominantly Muslim popula tions have lower credit risk than conventional banks. In terms of insolvency risk, sm all Islamic banks also appear more stable. Moreover, we find little evidence that Islamic bank s charge rents to their customers for offering Shariá compliant financial products. Our results also sho w that loan quality of Islamic banks is less responsive to domestic interest rates compared to conventional banks. JEL Classifications: G21; G32
Will elderly rest home residents wear hip protectors?

BACKGROUND
Hip fracture is a common cause of morbidity and mortality in elderly people, for whom osteoporosis, the risk of falling and direct trauma to the hip during the fall are the major risk factors. External hip protectors have been developed which reduce the risk of hip fracture after a fall. However, compliance with their use is uncertain. We addressed this issue in a sample of elderly Dorset rest home residents over a 3-month period.


METHODS
31 rest homes agreed to participate. Of the 288 female subjects approached, 141 gave their informed consent and 101 were allocated to the intervention arm of the study. Their ages ranged from 64 to 98 years, and 44% reported a fall during the preceding 12 months. Each subject was fitted with three pairs of protector pads (Sahvatex, Denmark) sewn into specially designed undergarments. Randomly timed fortnightly visits were made to each subject to assess compliance for 12 weeks.


FINDINGS
27 subjects were compliant for the whole study period; 54 wore the protector pads for less than a week, largely for reasons of poor fitting or discomfort; the remainder withdrew at varying intervals between 1 and 12 weeks. During the study period, there were nine recorded falls onto the hip, six of which occurred in women wearing protectors. None resulted in hip fracture.


CONCLUSION
Approximately 50% of elderly rest home residents who are mentally able would wear hip protectors in order to prevent hip fractures. Long-term compliance drops to about 30%. Compliance could be increased substantially if the pads and undergarments were modified to enhance their fit and to reduce the discomfort associated with their use.
Performance of Drought Indices for Ecological , Agricultural , and Hydrological Applications

In this study, the authors provide a global assessment of the performance of different drought indices for monitoring drought impacts on several hydrological, agricultural, and ecological response variables. For this purpose, they compare the performance of several drought indices [the standardized precipitation index (SPI); four versions of the Palmer drought severity index (PDSI); and the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI)] to predict changes in streamflow, soil moisture, forest growth, and crop yield. The authors found a superior capability of the SPEI and the SPI drought * Corresponding author address: Sergio M. Vicente-Serrano, Instituto Pirenaico de Ecologı́a, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientı́ficas (IPE-CSIC), Campus de Aula Dei, P.O. Box 13034, E-50059 Zaragoza, Spain. E-mail address: svicen@ipe.csic.es Earth Interactions d Volume 16 (2012) d Paper No. 10 d Page 1 DOI: 10.1175/2012EI000434.1 Copyright 2012, Paper 16-010; 69313 words, 11 Figures, 0 Animations, 3 Tables. http://EarthInteractions.org indices, which are calculated on different time scales than the Palmer indices to capture the drought impacts on the aforementioned hydrological, agricultural, and ecological variables. They detected small differences in the comparative performance of the SPI and the SPEI indices, but the SPEI was the drought index that best captured the responses of the assessed variables to drought in summer, the season in which more drought-related impacts are recorded and in which drought monitoring is critical. Hence, the SPEI shows improved capability to identify drought impacts as compared with the SPI. In conclusion, it seems reasonable to recommend the use of the SPEI if the responses of the variables of interest to drought are not known a priori.
Photosynthetic performance of surface-associated algae below sea ice as measured with a pulse amplitude-modulated (PAM) fluorometer and O2 microsensors

The photosynthetic performance of sea ice microalgae, benthic microalgae, coralline red algae (Phymatolithon foecundum) and brown macroalgae (Laminaria saccharina, Fucus evanescens and Desmarestia aculeata) in an ice-covered high-Arctic fjord (Young Sound, NE Greenland) was studied with in situ instruments for oxygen microprofiling and active chlorophyll fluorescence measurements. In situ measurements of the effective quantum yield of Photosystem II (PSII) under ambient low irradiance ranged between 0.3 and 0.7. Net oxygen production of benthic microalgae and sea ice microalgae was measured in situ at low irradiance of ~2 to 30 μmol photons m–2 s–1. The compensation irradiance determined in the laboratory for coralline algae and brown macroalgae was 1.6 and 1.9 μmol photons m–2 s–1 respectively. The same experiments showed irradiances at onset of saturation, Ek, for coralline red algae and brown macroalgae of 17 and 12.8 μmol photons m–2 s–1 respectively. In situ measurements of rapid light curves, measured over 1 to 2 min by the saturation pulse method, enabled snap shots of the in situ adaptation of the photosynthetic apparatus in the different phototrophs under ambient irradiance conditions. These measurements showed Ek values for PSII related electron transport (relative ETR) at 7.9 (sea ice microalgae), 4.6 (benthic microalgae), 11 (coralline red algae) and 4.4 to 7.3 (brown macroalgae) μmol photons m–2 s–1. At higher irradiance levels, relative ETR decreased, indicating inhibition and/or downregulation of photosynthesis. When light curves were measured with longer application of the different actinic light levels, a less pronounced or zero decrease of relative ETR was found at higher irradiance, and Ek values were shifted to higher irradiance, i.e. 6.9 μmol photons m–2 s–1 (benthic microalgae) and 11.5 to 16.1 μmol photons m–2 s–1 (brown macroalgae). This apparent short-term acclimation to increasing irradiance reversed to the initial characteristics of the light curve within 15 to 20 min after irradiance returned to ambient intensity. Our measurements add to the small database on in situ photosynthetic performance of surface-associated algae below ice cover. All phototrophs were well adapted to low irradiance under the ice, and active fluorescence measurements indicated that the phototrophs are able to adapt reversibly within minutes to moderate changes in irradiance levels.
Serum lipids and glucose control: the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth study.

OBJECTIVE
To assess the relationship of serum lipid concentrations with glucose control in youth with diabetes mellitus.


DESIGN
Cross-sectional analyses of data from the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth study.


SETTING
Multicenter study of youth with diabetes onset at younger than 20 years. PATIENTS/ PARTICIPANTS: Nineteen hundred seventy-three SEARCH participants aged 10 years or older with hemoglobin A(1c) and fasting total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglyceride measured at the SEARCH study examination.


MAIN EXPOSURE
Hemoglobin A(1c).


OUTCOME MEASURE
Lipid concentrations.


RESULTS
There were significant trends of higher levels of TC, LDL-C, triglyceride, and non-HDL-C (but not HDL-C) with higher hemoglobin A(1c) concentrations for both diabetes types. The slopes of TC increase were 7.8 mg/dL (0.20 mmol/L) per unit increase in hemoglobin A(1c) for type 1 and 8.1 mg/dL (0.21 mmol/L) for type 2. Levels of TC, LDL-C, triglyceride, and non-HDL-C were all significantly higher (all P values <.001) in type 2 than in type 1 diabetes (mean differences in milligrams per deciliter [millimoles per liter], +13.6 [+0.35] for TC; +8.3 [+0.22] for LDL-C; +66.3 [+0.75] for triglyceride; +25.5 [+0.66] for non-HDL-C). Levels of HDL-C were lower in youth with type 2 diabetes (mean difference, -11.9 mg/dL [-0.31 mmol/L]). Among those with type 1 diabetes in poor glycemic control, 35%, 27%, and 12% had high concentrations of TC (>or=200 mg/dL [5.17 mmol/L]), LDL-C (>or=130 mg/dL [3.36 mmol/L]), and triglyceride (>or=200 mg/dL [2.26 mmol/L]), respectively. In youth with type 2 diabetes in poor glycemic control, percentages with high levels of TC, LDL-C, and triglycerides were 65%, 43%, and 40%, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Glycemic control and lipid levels are independently associated in youth with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Prefrontal cortex modulation using transcranial DC stimulation reduces alcohol craving: a double-blind, sham-controlled study.

BACKGROUND
Functional neuroimaging studies have shown that specific brain areas are associated with alcohol craving including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). We tested whether modulation of DLPFC using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) could alter alcohol craving in patients with alcohol dependence while being exposed to alcohol cues.


METHODS
We performed a randomized sham-controlled study in which 13 subjects received sham and active bilateral tDCS delivered to DLPFC (anodal left/cathodal right and anodal right/cathodal left). For sham stimulation, the electrodes were placed at the same positions as in active stimulation; however, the stimulator was turned off after 30s of stimulation. Subjects were presented videos depicting alcohol consumption to increase alcohol craving.


RESULTS
Our results showed that both anodal left/cathodal right and anodal right/cathodal left significantly decreased alcohol craving compared to sham stimulation (p<0.0001). In addition, we found that following treatment, craving could not be further increased by alcohol cues.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings showed that tDCS treatment to DLPFC can reduce alcohol craving. These findings extend the results of previous studies using noninvasive brain stimulation to reduce craving in humans. Given the relatively rapid suppressive effect of tDCS and the highly fluctuating nature of alcohol craving, this technique may prove to be a valuable treatment strategy within the clinical setting.
Situation Awareness, Mental Workload, and Trust in Automation: Viable, Empirically Supported Cognitive Engineering Constructs

Cognitive engineering needs viable constructs and principles to promote better understanding and prediction of human performance in complex systems. Three human cognition and performance constructs that have been the subjects of much attention in research and practice over the past three decades are situation awareness (SA), mental workload, and trust in automation. Recently, Dekker and Woods (2002) and Dekker and Hollnagel (2004; henceforth DWH) argued that these constructs represent “folk models” without strong empirical foundations and lacking scientific status. We counter this view by presenting a brief description of the large science base of empirical studies on these constructs. We show that the constructs can be operationalized using behavioral, physiological, and subjective measures, supplemented by computational modeling, but that the constructs are also distinct from human performance. DWH also caricatured as “abracadabra” a framework suggested by us to address the problem of the design of automated systems (Parasuraman, Sheridan, & Wickens, 2000). We point to several factual and conceptual errors in their description of our approach. Finally, we rebut DWH’s view that SA, mental workload, and trust represent folk concepts that are not falsifiable. We conclude that SA, mental workload, and trust are viable constructs that are valuable in understanding and predicting human-system performance in complex systems.