LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Today's Tidbit: VoltDB

WELCOME TO CLOUD TIDBITS! In each issue, I'll be looking at a different “tidbit” of technology that I consider unique or eye-catching and of particular interest to IEEE Cloud Computing readers. Today's tidbit is VoltDB, a new cloud database. This system caught my eye for several reasons. First, it's the latest database designed by Michael Stonebraker, the database pioneer best known for Ingres, PostgreSQL, Illustra, Streambase, and more recently, Vertica. But interestingly, in this goaround, Stonebraker declared that he has thrown “all previous database architecture out the window” and “started over with a complete rewrite.”1 What's resulted is something totally different from every other database-including all the columnand table-oriented NoSQL systems. Moreover, VoltDB claims a 50 to 100x speed improvement over other relational database management systems (RDBMSs) and NoSQL systems. It sounds too good to be true. What we have is nothing short of a whole class of SQL, as compared to the “NoSQL” compromises detailed above. This “total rearchitecture,” called NewSQL, supports 100 percent in memory operation, supports SQL and stored procedures, and has a loosely coupled scale-out capability perfectly matched to cloud computing platforms. Wait a minute! That doesn't sound possible. That's precisely why I thought it made for a perfect tidbit.
Quickly deciding minor-closed parameters in general graphs

We construct algorithms for deciding essentially any minor-closed parameter, with explicit time bounds. This result strengthens previous results by N. Robertson, P.D. Seymour [Graph minors. XII. Distance on a surface, Journal of Combinatorial Theory, Series B 64 (2) (1995) 240-272; Graph minors. XX. Wagner's conjecture, Journal of Combinatorial Theory, Series B 92 (2) (2004) 325-357], M. Frick, M. Grohe [Deciding first-order properties of locally tree-decomposable structures, Journal of the ACM 48 (6) (2001) 1184-1206], and M.R. Fellows, M.A. Langston [Nonconstructive tools for proving polynomial-time decidability, Journal of the ACM 35 (3) (1988) 727-739] toward obtaining fixed-parameter algorithms for a general class of parameters.
Survey of Climate Change Scenario Studies

Available from National Research Programme on Global Air
 Pollution and Climate Change, P.O. Box 1, 3720 BA Bilthoven, fax: +31 30
 2744436, e-mail: inge.timofeeff@rivm.nl.
The utility of supplemental oxygen during emergency department procedural sedation and analgesia with midazolam and fentanyl: a randomized, controlled trial.

STUDY OBJECTIVE
To determine whether supplemental oxygen reduces the incidence of hypoxia by 20% in study patients receiving midazolam and fentanyl for emergency department procedural sedation and analgesia.


METHODS
Patients were randomized to receive either supplemental oxygen or compressed air by nasal cannula at 2 L per minute. Physicians were blinded to the gas used and end-tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO2) data. Respiratory depression was defined a priori as oxygen saturation less than 90%, ETCO2 level greater than 50 mm Hg, an absolute change from baseline of 10 mm Hg, or loss of the ETCO2 waveform.


RESULTS
Of the 80 patients analyzed, 44 received supplemental oxygen and 36 received compressed air. Twenty supplemental oxygen patients and 19 compressed air patients met at least 1 criterion for respiratory depression. Six supplemental oxygen patients and 5 compressed air patients experienced hypoxia (P=.97; effect size 0%; 95% confidence interval -15% to +15%). Fourteen patients in each group met ETCO2 criteria for respiratory depression but were not hypoxic. Physicians identified respiratory depression in 8 of 11 patients who became hypoxic and 0 of 28 patients who met ETCO2 criteria for respiratory depression but who did not become hypoxic. There were no adverse events.


CONCLUSION
Supplemental oxygen did not reduce (or trend toward reducing) the incidence of hypoxia in patients moderately sedated with midazolam and fentanyl. However, our lower-than-expected rate of hypoxia limits the power of this comparison. Blinded capnography frequently identified respiratory depression undetected by the treating physicians.
Physical , Chemical , Textural and Sensory Properties of Dried Wheat Noodles Supplemented with Unripe Banana Flour

Unripe banana flour is a starchy food that contains a high proportion of indigestible compounds such as resistant starch, and non-starch polysaccharides, which are included in the dietary fiber content. The objective of this study was to use unripe banana flour as an ingredient to make dried noodle products of high nutritional quality with low carbohydrate digestibility and rich in resistant starch. The effect of wheat flour substitution with unripe banana flour was investigated in terms of the physicochemical, textural, cooking and sensory qualities of dried noodles. Five additional dried noodles were prepared by substituting wheat with 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50% banana flour. The optimal ratio of noodle from banana flour was investigated using sensory qualities in comparison with the control (100% wheat flour). The results of noodle formula development indicated that as the amount of banana flour increased, the stickiness of the noodles decreased and the appearance became darker. The optimum formula consisted of 20.45% banana flour, 47.72% wheat flour, 20.45% water, 2.04% salt, 1.02% sodium carbonate, 6.82% egg powder, 0.14% polyphosphate and 1.36% propylene glycol. Banana flour was used to replace 30% of the total wheat flour in the formula. Uncooked dried noodles were composed of 13.7% protein, 0.12% fat and 4.8% dietary fiber (including 2.8% resistant starch). The optimal cooking time and cooking loss were 14.5 min and 11.15%, respectively. The tensile strength and breaking length of cooked noodles were 16.4 g and 67.2 mm, respectively. The results of consumer evaluation showed that the overall liking of uncooked and cooked dried noodles were at the moderate level. The present study indicated that unripe banana flour is a potential source of fiber when substituted for wheat flour in dried noodle products. The incorporation of 30% unripe banana flour in the noodle ingredients significantly increased their total dietary fiber and resistant starch content.
Identifying typical physical activity on smartphone with varying positions and orientations

BACKGROUND
Traditional activity recognition solutions are not widely applicable due to a high cost and inconvenience to use with numerous sensors. This paper aims to automatically recognize physical activity with the help of the built-in sensors of the widespread smartphone without any limitation of firm attachment to the human body.


METHODS
By introducing a method to judge whether the phone is in a pocket, we investigated the data collected from six positions of seven subjects, chose five signals that are insensitive to orientation for activity classification. Decision trees (J48), Naive Bayes and Sequential minimal optimization (SMO) were employed to recognize five activities: static, walking, running, walking upstairs and walking downstairs.


RESULTS
The experimental results based on 8,097 activity data demonstrated that the J48 classifier produced the best performance with an average recognition accuracy of 89.6% during the three classifiers, and thus would serve as the optimal online classifier.


CONCLUSIONS
The utilization of the built-in sensors of the smartphone to recognize typical physical activities without any limitation of firm attachment is feasible.
Efficacy of neck stabilization exercises for neck pain: a randomized controlled study.

OBJECTIVE
To determine the efficacy of neck stabilization exercises in the management of neck pain.


PATIENTS AND METHODS
Sixty patients with neck pain were randomized to 3 groups, as follows: group 1--physical therapy agents including transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, continuous ultrasound and infra-red irradiation; group 2--physical therapy agents + isometric and stretching exercises; and group 3--physical therapy agents + neck stabilization exercises. The exercises were performed as a home training programme following a 3-week supervised group exercise. The patients were evaluated with a visual analogue scale, by intake of paracetamol, Neck Disability Index, Beck Depression Scale and range of motion in the 3 planes at baseline and at months 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12.


RESULTS
Compared with baseline, all groups showed a significant decrease in visual analogue scale scores during the first 6 months. However, this improvement was maintained only in group 3 at 9 and 12 months, with a significant difference among the groups (p<0.05). During the study, the improvement in disability was marked in group 3 with respect to Neck Disability Index, Beck Depression Scale and range of motion in the frontal plane (p<0.05).


CONCLUSION
This study demonstrates the superiority of the neck stabilization exercises, with some advantages in the pain and disability outcomes, compared with isometric and stretching exercises in combination with physical therapy agents for the management of neck pain.
Repetitive control of linear time varying systems with application to electronic cam motion control

This paper addresses repetitive control for linear time varying systems. A broad range of applications motivates this problem where periodic disturbances or reference signals are existent and synchronized with a rate varying process variable. In the area of motion control, this is a master-slave type electronic cam follower problem, where the slave axis motion must follow the master axis coordinate (process variable) according to a given cam profile while the master axis motion has a time varying speed. In the real-time domain, the disturbance/reference profile changes as master's speed changes. However, in view of the master axis coordinate, which is called in the angle domain, the disturbance/reference profile is periodic with a fixed period even when the master axis changes speed. To exploit the internal model of repetitive control to achieve asymptotic tracking performance, it is advantageous to design the control system from the angle domain perspective. In the angle domain the slave's time invariant dynamics become time varying and dependent on the master axis speed. Therefore, the problem of repetitive control for time varying systems arises. In this paper, model reference control is applied to compensate for the linear time varying system, rendering a linear time invariant input/output system. Asymptotic output tracking/regulation performance is achieved by employing repetitive control loop to compensate for the linear time invariant model.
Algorithms for airborne conflict detection, prevention, and resolution

Airborne conflict management (ACM) is part of an air traffic safety and separation management concept wherein a degree of responsibility - sometimes total responsibility - for determining and executing maneuvers necessary to avoid conflicts with other traffic is assigned to the flight crew. The concept offers the promise of user-selected routing, improved safety, shorter flights, lowered flight costs, more efficient airspace utilization, and increased airspace capacity. The central and most crucial elements of ACM are the aircraft-based systems that provide pilots with the information needed to autonomously and safely maneuver within the airspace. The necessary information is awareness of a) existing conflicts, b) maneuvers that would create conflicts and c) maneuvers that can resolve conflicts. The ACM application is enabled by the automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) reports of position, velocity, and other information. In Europe and in the U.S., government and private organizations have worked to advance the understanding, acceptance, and utilization of ACM technologies and practices. RTCA has published an ACM concept of operations document (RTCA Special Committee 186, 2003) and application description (RTCA Special Committee 186, 2000), Rockwell Collins has developed and tested the algorithms necessary to implement an ACM system. The three major components of the system are: conflict detection (CD) - algorithm that uses measures of a projected conflict's "severity", "stability", and "temporal proximity" in determining when to issue a CD alert; conflict prevention (CP) - mechanism that utilizes mathematical and numerical "conflict probes" to determine ground speeds, headings, altitudes, rates of climb, and bank angles that would conflict with the trajectories of other aircraft and conflict resolution (CR) - algorithms that use "repulsive force field"-like mechanisms to calculate conflict resolution guidance. This paper discusses each of these components, as developed and implemented by Rockwell Collins, in substantial detail.
Triterpenoid saponins.

Triterpenoid saponins are naturally occurring surface active glycosides of triterpenes. They can be divided into two major groups a) monodesmosides in which the aglycone has a singly attached linear or branched chain set of sugars and (b) bisdesmosides in which there are two sets of sugars. They are widely distributed in plant kingdom, certain marine organisms and marine flora and fauna. Their structural diversity, occurrence as complex mixtures, novel bioactivities of relevance to the pharmaceutical industry and agriculture, and usefulness as ingredients of cosmetics, allelochemicals, food and feeding stuff has generated great interest in the study of these molecules. With the introduction of advanced methods of isolation and structure determination there has been increased activity in these molecules. In recent years, the discovery of novel triterpenoid saponins with important biological activity, enhanced stability and toxicity has also led to the exploration the structure-activity relationships. The great structural diversity of saponins due to their various biosynthetic origins, the challenges of identification, the novel biological activities, possibility of developing potent herbal drugs for human society, novel biosynthetic processes and semi and total synthesis of saponins are now opening up new opportunities or newer trends for exploitation of novel saponins. Several reviews on triterponoied saponins have been published in recent years [1-5]. This review is concerned with the latest developments in isolation and structure elucidation of triterpenoied saponins and contains a compilation of the 13C NMR data of the novel aglycones of triterpenoid saponins, published during mid-1996-March, 2007 and arranged skeleton wise, together with the biological activities reported.
USING AGRICULTURAL RESIDUES AS A BIOMASS BRIQUETTING: AN ALTERNATIVE SOURCE OF ENERGY

Every year millions of tons of agricultural wastes are generated which are either destroyed or burnt inefficiently in loose form causing air pollution. These wastes can be recycled & can provide a renewable source of energy by converting biomass waste into high density fuel briquettes without addition of any binder. This recycled fuel is beneficial for the environment as it conserves natural resources. For this the biomass briquetting is the main renewable energy resource. In this paper the raw material including rice husk, coffee husk, saw dust, ground nutshell and cotton stalks etc. were densified into briquettes at high temperature and pressure using different technologies. We discuss the various advantages, factors that affecting the biomass briquetting and comparison between coal and biomass briquetting. The details of the study were highlighted in this paper. KeywordsBiomass, Briquetting, Potential, Process, Technologies
Who are the sedentary people in Israel? A public health indicator.

BACKGROUND
Increasing physical activity and thereby reducing a sedentary lifestyle can lower the risk of chronic diseases. Raising the population's involvement in physical activity is a major challenge for public health and healthcare services.


OBJECTIVES
To identify subpopulations with a sedentary lifestyle and low levels of adherence to physical activity recommendations.


METHODS
The Israel Center for Disease Control performed two national surveys during 2002-2003, interviewing 7,307 Jewish Israelis and 1,826 Arab Israelis over age 21. Respondents were asked if they engaged in physical activity lasting at least 20 consecutive minutes, and if so how frequently: less than once a week, once or twice a week, nearly every day or every day.


RESULTS
Arab respondents were less physically active than Jewish respondents after adjusting for gender, age, level of religiosity, marital status, education, self-reported health, smoking, body mass index, and type of survey. Multiple logistic regression analysis run separately for Jews and Arabs found a more sedentary lifestyle, in both groups, among women, the less educated, those who were married and those with poor subjective health. Among Jews, younger age, increased religiosity, smoking and high BMI were associated with a sedentary lifestyle.


CONCLUSIONS
The Jewish population is in need of more targeted and specific interventions for lower adhering subpopulations, such as women, the less educated and those with other risk factors. In the Arab population a more thorough understanding of the benefits of physical activity is needed; however, it seems that a general intervention is required to decrease the prevalence of a sedentary lifestyle all round.
A Wide-Band CMOS Variable-Gain Low Noise Amplifier for Multi-Standard Terrestrial and Cable TV Tuner

A CMOS wide-band low noise amplifier (LNA) based on the current amplification for the multi-standard terrestrial and cable tuner is proposed. Conventional wide-band LNAs suffer from the tradeoff between noise figure and wide-band input matching. By adopting the structure combined the common source (CS) amplifier with the common gate (CG) amplifier by the current amplification, the noise figure does not have any influence on wide-band input matching so that we can achieve low noise figure by the noise canceling and excellent wide-band input matching at the same time while allowing some variable gains. The proposed LNA is fabricated in 0.18-mum CMOS process and achieves a power gain of +15.5~-5.5 dB, an average noise figure of 3.6 dB, an IIP3 of -1 dBm at the maximum gain, and S11 of -15 dB. The power consumption is 50.4 mW and chip area is 0.54 mm2.
Polynomial space hardness without disjunction property

Horcik and Terui [8] show that, if a substructural logic enjoys the disjunction property, then its tautology problem is PSPACE-hard. We prove that all substructural logics in the interval between intuitionistic logic and generalized Hajek basic logic have a PSPACE-hard tautology problem, which implies that uncountably many substructural logics lacking the disjunction property have a PSPACE-hard tautology problem.
Learning to integrate contradictory multisensory self-motion cue pairings.

Humans integrate multisensory information to reduce perceptual uncertainty when perceiving the world and self. Integration fails, however, if a common causality is not attributed to the sensory signals, as would occur in conditions of spatiotemporal discrepancies. In the case of passive self-motion, visual and vestibular cues are integrated according to statistical optimality, yet the extent of cue conflicts that do not compromise this optimality is currently underexplored. Here, we investigate whether human subjects can learn to integrate two arbitrary, but co-occurring, visual and vestibular cues of self-motion. Participants made size comparisons between two successive whole-body rotations using only visual, only vestibular, and both modalities together. The vestibular stimulus provided a yaw self-rotation cue, the visual a roll (Experiment 1) or pitch (Experiment 2) rotation cue. Experimentally measured thresholds in the bimodal condition were compared with theoretical predictions derived from the single-cue thresholds. Our results show that human subjects combine and optimally integrate vestibular and visual information, each signaling self-motion around a different rotation axis (yaw vs. roll and yaw vs. pitch). This finding suggests that the experience of two temporally co-occurring but spatially unrelated self-motion cues leads to inferring a common cause for these two initially unrelated sources of information about self-motion. We discuss our results in terms of specific task demands, cross-modal adaptation, and spatial compatibility. The importance of these results for the understanding of bodily illusions is also discussed.
Principal Component Analysis

Principal component analysis (PCA) is a multivariate technique that analyzes a data table in which observations are described by several inter-correlated quantitative dependent variables. Its goal is to extract the important information from the table, to represent it as a set of new orthogonal variables called principal components, and to display the pattern of similarity of the observations and of the variables as points in maps. The quality of the PCA model can be evaluated using cross-validation techniques such as the bootstrap and the jackknife. PCA can be generalized as correspondence analysis (CA) in order to handle qualitative variables and as multiple factor analysis (MFA) in order to handle heterogeneous sets of variables. Mathematically, PCA depends upon the eigen-decomposition of positive semidefinite matrices and upon the singular value decomposition (SVD) of rectangular matrices.  2010 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. WIREs Comp Stat 2010 2 433–459
Color and luminance in the perception of 1- and 2-dimensional motion

An isoluminant color grating usually appears to move more slowly than a luminance grating that has the same physical speed. Yet a grating defined by both color and luminance is seen as perceptually unified and moving at a single intermediate speed. In experiments measuring perceived speed and direction, it was found that color- and luminance-based motion signals are combined differently in the perception of 1-D motion than they are in the perception of 2-D motion. Adding color to a moving 1-D luminance pattern, a grating, slows its perceived speed. Adding color to a moving 2-D luminance pattern, a plaid made of orthogonal gratings, leaves its perceived speed unchanged. Analogous results occur for the perception of the direction of 2-D motion. The visual system appears to discount color when analyzing the motion of luminance-bearing 2-D patterns. This strategy has adaptive advantages, making the sensing of object motion more veridical without sacrificing the ability to see motion at isoluminance.