LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
COI barcodes for identification of Merodon hoverflies (Diptera, Syrphidae) of Lesvos Island, Greece.

DNA barcoding has become a useful system for linking different biological life stages, and for identification of species within a known taxonomic framework. In this study, we generated mitochondrial DNA COI barcodes using adult specimens of all 22 species of the hoverfly genus Merodon (Diptera, Syrphidae) occurring on Lesvos island (Greece). The generated COI barcodes could well discriminate between all Merodon taxa of Lesvos, except for M. loewi and M. papillus that shared the same haplotype, despite their clear morphological differences. In addition, the barcodes revealed two cases of hitherto unknown morphologically cryptic species close to M. avidus and M. nigritarsis, respectively. Because only few successful rearings of immature stages of Merodon hoverflies are available, the larval host plant remains unknown for these phytophagous taxa. The obtained COI barcode library for the Merodon spp. of Lesvos will constitute a tool to link any unknown immature stages with already known species, and thus provide important life-history information and promise for ecological studies.
Optimal retailer's replenishment policy for the EPQ model under the supplier's trade credit policy

This paper investigates the optimal replenishment policy under conditions of permissible delay in payments within the economic production quantity (EPQ) framework. In 1985, Goyal assumed that: (1) The unit selling price and the unit purchasing price are equal. (2) The replenishment rate is infinite. (3) At the end of the credit period, the account is settled. The retailer starts paying for higher interest charges on the items in stock and returns money of the remaining balance immediately when the items are sold. The main purpose of this paper wants to modify Goyal’s model to presume that the unit selling price and the unit purchasing price are not necessarily equal to reflect the real-life situations, and assumes the replenishment rate is finite. Furthermore, this paper will propose that at the end of the credit period, the retailer will make a partial payment on total purchasing cost and pay off the remaining balance by loan from the bank. One theorem is obtained to explore the convexity of the total annual relevant cost function. Three theorems are developed to determine the optimal cycle time and the optimal order quantity. Numerical examples are given to illustrate these theorems.
Achieving On-Time Delivery: A Two-Stage Probabilistic Scheduling Strategy for Software Projects

Due to the uncertainty of software processes, statistic based schedule estimation and stochastic project scheduling both play significant roles in software project management. However, most current work investigates them independently without an integrated process to achieve on-time delivery for software development organisations. For such an issue, this paper proposes a two-stage probabilistic scheduling strategy which aims to decrease schedule overruns. Specifically, a probability based temporal consistency model is employed at the first pre-scheduling stage to support a negotiation between customers and project managers for setting balanced deadlines of individual software processes. At the second scheduling stage, an innovative genetic algorithm based scheduling strategy is proposed to minimise the overall completion time of multiple software processes with individual deadlines. The effectiveness of our strategy in achieving on-time delivery is verified with large scale simulation experiments.
Phase I trial of simultaneous in-field boost with helical tomotherapy for patients with one to three brain metastases.

PURPOSE
Stereotactic radiosurgery is an alternative to surgical resection for selected intracranial lesions. Integrated image-guided intensity-modulated-capable radiotherapy platforms such as helical tomotherapy (HT) could potentially replace traditional radiosurgery apparatus. The present study's objective was to determine the maximally tolerated dose of a simultaneous in-field boost integrated with whole brain radiotherapy for palliative treatment of patients with one to three brain metastases using HT.


METHODS AND MATERIALS
The inclusion/exclusion criteria and endpoints were consistent with the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group 9508 radiosurgery trial. The cohorts were constructed with a 3 + 3 design; however, additional patients were enrolled in the lower dose tolerable cohorts during the toxicity assessment periods. Whole brain radiotherapy (30 Gy in 10 fractions) was delivered with a 5-30-Gy (total lesion dose of 35-60 Gy in 10 fractions) simultaneous in-field boost delivered to the brain metastases. The maximally tolerated dose was determined by the frequency of neurologic Grade 3-5 National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria, version 3.0, dose-limiting toxicity events within each Phase I cohort.


RESULTS
A total of 48 patients received treatment in the 35-Gy (n = 3), 40-Gy (n = 16), 50-Gy (n = 15), 55-Gy (n = 8), and 60-Gy (n = 6) cohorts. No patients experienced dose-limiting toxicity events in any of the trial cohorts. The 3-month RECIST assessments available for 32 of the 48 patients demonstrated a complete response in 2, a partial response in 16, stable disease in 6, and progressive disease in 8 patients.


CONCLUSION
The delivery of 60 Gy in 10 fractions to one to three brain metastases synchronously with 30 Gy whole brain radiotherapy was achieved without dose-limiting central nervous system toxicity as assessed 3 months after treatment. This approach is being tested in a Phase II efficacy trial.
Streaming in a Connected World

Introduction and Motivation Today, a majority of data is fundamentally distributed in nature. Data for almost any task is collected over a broad area, and streams in at a much greater rate than ever before. In particular, advances in sensor technology and miniaturization have led to the concept of the sensor network: a (typically wireless) collection of sensing devices collecting detailed data about their surroundings. A fundamental question arises: how to query and monitor this rich new source of data? Similar scenarios emerge within the context of monitoring more traditional, wired networks, and in other emerging models such as P2P networks and grid-based computing. The prevailing paradigm in database systems has been understanding management of centralized data: how to organize, index, access, and query data that is held centrally on a single machine or a small number of closely linked machines. In these distributed scenarios, the axiom is overturned: now, data typically streams into remote sites at high rates. Here, it is not feasible to collect the data in one place: the volume of data collection is too high, and the capacity for data communication relatively low. For example, in battery-powered wireless sensor networks, the main drain on battery life is communication, which is orders of magnitude more expensive than computation or sensing. This establishes a fundamental concept for distributed stream monitoring: if we can perform more computational work within the network to reduce the communication needed, then we can significantly improve the value of our network, by increasing its useful life and extending the range of computation possible over the network. We consider two broad classes of approaches to such in-network query processing, by analogy to query types in traditional DBMSs. In the one shot model, a query is issued by a user at some site, and must be answered based on the current state of data in the network. We identify several possible approaches to this problem. For simple queries, partial computation of the result over a tree can reduce the data transferred significantly. For “holistic” queries, such as medians, count distinct and so on, clever composable summaries give a compact way to accurately approximate query answers. Lastly, careful modeling of correlations between measurements and other trends in the data can further reduce the number of sensors probed. In the continuous model, a query is placed by a user which re-
The Impact of the UK Aviation Tax on Carbon Dioxide Emissions and Visitor Numbers

We use a model of domestic and international tourist numbers and flows to estimate the impact of the recent and proposed changes in the Air Passenger Duty (APD) of the United Kingdom. We find that the recent doubling of the APD has the perverse effect of increasing carbon dioxide emissions, albeit only slightly, because it reduces the relative price difference between near and far holidays. Tourist arrivals in the UK would fall slightly. Tourist arrivals from the UK would fall in the countries near to the UK, and this drop would be only partly offset by displaced tourists from the UK. Tourist numbers in countries far from the UK would increase. The proposal of the Conservative Party to exempt the first 2,000 miles (for UK residents) would decrease emissions by roughly the same amount as abolishing the APD altogether – but tourist arrivals in the UK would not rise. These results are reversed if we assume that domestic holidays and foreign holidays are close substitutes. If the same revenue were raised with a carbon tax rather than a boarding tax, emissions would fall with higher taxes.
Power Lindley distribution and associated inference

A new two-parameter power Lindley distribution is introduced and its properties are discussed. These include the shapes of the density and hazard rate functions, themoments, skewness and kurtosis measures, the quantile function, and the limiting distributions of order statistics. Maximum likelihood estimation of the parameters and their estimated asymptotic standard errors are derived. Three algorithms are proposed for generating random data from the proposed distribution. A simulation study is carried out to examine the bias and mean square error of the maximum likelihood estimators of the parameters as well as the coverage probability and the width of the confidence interval for each parameter. An application of the model to a real data set is presented finally and compared with the fit attained by some other well-known two-parameter distributions. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Benefit of Surveillance for Pancreatic Cancer in High-Risk Individuals: Outcome of Long-Term Prospective Follow-Up Studies From Three European Expert Centers.

PURPOSE
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has a poor prognosis. Hereditary factors play a role in the development of PDAC in 3% to 5% of all patients. Surveillance of high-risk groups, may facilitate detection of PDAC at an early stage. The aim of this study was to assess whether surveillance aids detection of early-stage PDAC or precursor lesions (PRLs) and improves the prognosis.


PATIENTS AND METHODS
Screening outcomes were collected from three European centers that conduct prospective screening in high-risk groups including families with clustering of PDAC (familial pancreatic cancer [FPC]) or families with a gene defect that predisposes to PDAC. The surveillance program consisted of annual magnetic resonance imaging, magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography, and/or endoscopic ultrasound.


RESULTS
Four hundred eleven asymptomatic individuals participated in the surveillance programs, including 178 CDKN2A mutation carriers, 214 individuals with FPC, and 19 BRCA1/2 or PALB2 mutation carriers. PDAC was detected in 13 (7.3%) of 178 CDKN2A mutation carriers. The resection rate was 75%, and the 5-year survival rate was 24%. Two CDKN2A mutation carriers (1%) underwent surgical resection for low-risk PRL. Two individuals (0.9%) in the FPC cohort had a pancreatic tumor, including one advanced PDAC and one early grade 2 neuroendocrine tumor. Thirteen individuals with FPC (6.1%) underwent surgical resection for a suspected PRL, but only four (1.9%) had high-risk lesions (ie, high-grade intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms or grade 3 pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasms). One BRCA2 mutation carrier was found to have PDAC, and another BRCA2 mutation carrier and a PALB2 mutation carrier underwent surgery and were found to have low-risk PRL. No serious complications occurred as consequence of the program.


CONCLUSION
Surveillance of CDNK2A mutation carriers is relatively successful, detecting most PDACs at a resectable stage. The benefit of surveillance in families with FPC is less evident.
Variable Impedance Control - A Reinforcement Learning Approach

One of the hallmarks of the performance, versatility, and robustness of biological motor control is the ability to adapt the impedance of the overall biomechanical system to different task requirements and stochastic disturbances. A transfer of this principle to robotics is desirable, for instance to enable robots to work robustly and safely in everyday human environments. It is, however, not trivial to derive variable impedance controllers for practical high DOF robotic tasks. In this contribution, we accomplish such gain scheduling with a reinforcement learning approach algorithm, PI (Policy Improvement with Path Integrals). PI is a model-free, sampling based learning method derived from first principles of optimal control. The PI algorithm requires no tuning of algorithmic parameters besides the exploration noise. The designer can thus fully focus on cost function design to specify the task. From the viewpoint of robotics, a particular useful property of PI is that it can scale to problems of many DOFs, so that RL on real robotic systems becomes feasible. We sketch the PI algorithm and its theoretical properties, and how it is applied to gain scheduling. We evaluate our approach by presenting results on two different simulated robotic systems, a 3-DOF Phantom Premium Robot and a 6-DOF Kuka Lightweight Robot. We investigate tasks where the optimal strategy requires both tuning of the impedance of the end-effector, and tuning of a reference trajectory. The results show that we can use path integral based RL not only for planning but also to derive variable gain feedback controllers in realistic scenarios. Thus, the power of variable impedance control is made available to a wide variety of robotic systems and practical applications.
Modeling Default Risk

Default risk is the uncertainty surrounding a firm's ability to service its debts and obligations. Prior to default, there is no way to discriminate unambiguously between firms that will default and those that won't. At best we can only make probabilistic assessments of the likelihood of default. As a result, firms generally pay a spread over the default-free rate of interest that is proportional to their default probability to compensate lenders for this uncertainty. AUTHORS Peter Crosbie Jeff Bohn 415-352-1279 jeff.bohn@mkmv.com CONTACTS Ahmet Kocagil 212-553-3889 ahmet.kocagil@mkmv.com © 2003 Moody’s KMV Company. All rights reserved. Credit Monitor®, EDFCalc®, Private Firm Model®, KMV®, CreditEdge, Portfolio Manager, Portfolio Preprocessor, GCorr, DealAnalyzer, CreditMark, the KMV logo, Moody's RiskCalc, Moody's Financial Analyst, Moody's Risk Advisor, LossCalc, Expected Default Frequency, and EDF are trademarks of MIS Quality Management Corp. Published by: Moody’s KMV Company To Learn More Please contact your Moody’s KMV client representative, visit us online at www.moodyskmv.com, contact Moody’s KMV via e-mail at info@mkmv.com, or call us at: NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA, NEW ZEALAND AND AUSTRALIA, CALL: 1 866 321 MKMV (6568) or 415 296 9669 EUROPE, THE MIDDLE EAST, AFRICA AND INDIA, CALL: 44 20 7778 7400 FROM ASIA CALL: 813 3218 1160
Evaluation of the bleached human enamel by Scanning Electron Microscopy.

UNLABELLED
Since bleaching has become a popular procedure, the effect of peroxides on dental hard tissues is of great interest in research.


PURPOSE
The aim of this in vitro study was to perform a qualitative analysis of the human enamel after the application of in-office bleaching agents, using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM).


MATERIALS AND METHODS
Twenty intact human third molars extracted for orthodontic reasons were randomly divided into four groups (n=5) treated as follows: G1- storage in artificial saliva (control group); G2- four 30-minute applications of 35% carbamide peroxide (total exposure: 2h); G3- four 2-hour exposures to 35% carbamide peroxide (total exposure: 8h); G4- two applications of 35% hydrogen peroxide, which was light-activated with halogen lamp at 700mW/cm² during 7min and remained in contact with enamel for 20min (total exposure: 40min). All bleaching treatments adopted in this study followed the application protocols advised by manufacturers. Evaluation of groups submitted to 35% carbamide peroxide was carried out after two time intervals (30 minutes and 2 hours per session), following the extreme situations recommended by the manufacturer. Specimens were prepared for SEM analysis performing gold sputter coating under vacuum and were examined using 15kV at 500x and 2000x magnification.


RESULTS
Morphological alterations on the enamel surface were similarly detected after bleaching with either 35% carbamide peroxide or 35% hydrogen peroxide. Surface porosities were characteristic of an erosive process that took place on human enamel. Depression areas, including the formation of craters, and exposure of enamel rods could also be detected.


CONCLUSION
Bleaching effects on enamel morphology were randomly distributed throughout enamel surface and various degrees of enamel damage could be noticed.


CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE
In-office bleaching materials may adversely affect enamel morphology and therefore should be used with caution.
Evolving Categories: Consistent Framework for Representation of Data and Algorithms

A concept of "evolving categories" is suggested to build a simple, scalable, mathematically consistent framework for representing in uniform way both data and algorithms. A state machine for executing algorithms becomes clear, rich and powerful semantics, based on category theory, and still allows easy implementation. Moreover, it gives an original insight into the nature and semantics of algorithms.
Shaming rituals in the age of global media: How DSK’s perp walk generated estrangement

In May 2011, IMF chief and French presidential contender Dominique Strauss-Kahn was arrested on sexual assault charges and forced to do the ‘perp walk’ in New York. The French press vividly criticized this shaming ritual, thus triggering reactions of defense, but also of self-questioning, in the American press. This study evaluates the extent to which the French criticism led the American press to show distance from the norms of its own national community. It contends that, in our age of globalized information, shaming rituals, which served to legitimate the dominant order, can now generate what Shani Orgad called ‘estrangement’.
BSHM-WSN: A wireless sensor network for bridge structure health monitoring

With the recognition of structural safety and the development of monitoring technique, Structure health monitoring (SHM) has already become an important research direction in engineering structures. Wireless sensor network becomes a research hotspot of SHM with the characteristics such as convenience for remote monitoring, good fault-tolerant ability, easiness of system diagnosis and maintenance, etc. In this paper, a wireless sensor network for bridge structure health monitoring (BSHM-WSN) is designed, implemented, deployed and tested on the ZhengDian viaduct bridge in China. In comparison with prior bridge monitoring systems and sensor network prototypes, this work has two major contributions. First, the BSHM-WSN architecture is designed with careful consideration of application requirements such as energy efficiency, routing, and high-frequency sampling. Second, the BSHM-WSN is deployed in a real bridge solving the problem of structural data acquisition, and simulations results are given based on real data collected from the experiments.
Position controlled synchronous reluctance motor without rotational transducer

This paper presents a position sensorless control scheme of synchronous reluctance motor combining a high frequency current injection in a low speed region and the flux estimation based on the stator voltages in a high speed region. The rotor has inherent saliency and its angle is estimated from d-axis stator current injection and the appropriate signal demodulation in a low speed region. In a high speed region, the rotor angle is estimated by the stator flux from the voltage information. This scheme gives a robust and dynamic estimation of the rotor angle independent of the operating conditions including speed and load conditions. Experimental results of closed loop speed and position control with a 3.75 kW axially laminated synchronous reluctance motor are given to verify the proposed scheme.
A phase 1 dose-escalation and expansion study of binimetinib (MEK162), a potent and selective oral MEK1/2 inhibitor

Background:Copper and zinc are essential micronutrients and cofactors of many enzymatic reactions that may be involved in liver-cancer development. We aimed to assess pre-diagnostic circulating levels of copper, zinc and their ratio (Cu/Zn) in relation to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), intrahepatic bile duct (IHBD) and gall bladder and biliary tract (GBTC) cancers.Methods:A nested case–control study was conducted within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort. Serum zinc and copper levels were measured in baseline blood samples by total reflection X-ray fluorescence in cancer cases (HCC n=106, IHDB n=34, GBTC n=96) and their matched controls (1:1). The Cu/Zn ratio, an indicator of the balance between the micronutrients, was computed. Multivariable adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (OR; 95% CI) were used to estimate cancer risk.Results:For HCC, the highest vs lowest tertile showed a strong inverse association for zinc (OR=0.36; 95% CI: 0.13–0.98, Ptrend=0.0123), but no association for copper (OR=1.06; 95% CI: 0.45–2.46, Ptrend=0.8878) in multivariable models. The calculated Cu/Zn ratio showed a positive association for HCC (OR=4.63; 95% CI: 1.41–15.27, Ptrend=0.0135). For IHBC and GBTC, no significant associations were observed.Conclusions:Zinc may have a role in preventing liver-cancer development, but this finding requires further investigation in other settings.
Erythropoietic Response to Anemia in Chronic Hepatitis C Patients Receiving Combination Pegylated Interferon/Ribavirin

OBJECTIVES:In hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients receiving pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN)/ribavirin (RBV) combination therapy, anemia is a well-known side effect. The purpose of this study was to describe the time course and extent of hemoglobin (Hb) changes and the erythropoietic response to PEG-IFN/RBV-induced anemia.METHODS:In this multicenter, observational, 8-wk study, laboratory parameters were measured weekly for 8 wk or until early withdrawal. Primary endpoints included changes in Hb and serum erythropoietin (sEPO) from baseline to week 8; other measures were changes in reticulocytes and RBV dose. The predictive value of baseline factors for maximum Hb decline was assessed.RESULTS:In the 97 evaluable patients, mean Hb decreased from 14.4 ± 1.4 g/dl (baseline) to 11.9 ± 1.3 g/dl (week 8). Twenty-one percent of patients withdrew before week 8. The estimated erythropoietic response was lower than that seen in two historic control populations of iron deficiency anemia patients. Mean RBV dose decreased from 986 ± 190 mg/day (baseline) to 913 ± 228 mg/day (week 8). Fifty-seven out of 77 (74%) patients who completed the study maintained their initial prescribed RBV dose. Patients maintained on the initial dose of RBV who had a higher baseline Hb and viral load showed a trend toward larger Hb declines. Platelets and white blood cells (WBCs) also declined during the study.CONCLUSIONS:HCV-infected patients receiving PEG-IFN/RBV therapy have reductions in Hb, platelets, and WBCs, possibly due to bone marrow suppression. They also have diminished endogenous sEPO production for their degree of anemia.