LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Peripheral blood leukocyte telomere length and mortality among 64,637 individuals from the general population.

BACKGROUND
Short telomeres in peripheral blood leukocytes are associated with older age and age-related diseases. We tested the hypotheses that short telomeres are associated with both increased cancer mortality and all-cause mortality.


METHODS
Individuals (n = 64637) were recruited from 1991 onwards from two Danish prospective cohort studies: the Copenhagen City Heart Study and the Copenhagen General Population Study. All had telomere length measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and the genotypes rs1317082 (TERC), rs7726159 (TERT), and rs2487999 (OBFC1) determined. The sum of telomere-shortening alleles from these three genotypes was calculated. We conducted Cox regression analyses and instrumental variable analyses using the allele sum as an instrument. All statistical tests were two-sided.


RESULTS
Among 7607 individuals who died during follow-up (0-22 years, median = 7 years), 2420 had cancer and 2633 had cardiovascular disease as causes of death. Decreasing telomere length deciles were associated with increasing all-cause mortality (P(trend) = 2*10(-15)). The multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio of all-cause mortality was 1.40 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.25 to 1.57) for individuals in the shortest vs the longest decile. Results were similar for cancer mortality and cardiovascular mortality. Telomere length decreased 69 base pairs (95% CI = 61 to 76) per allele for the allele sum, and the per-allele hazard ratio for cancer mortality was 0.95 (95% CI = 0.91 to 0.99). Allele sum was not associated with cardiovascular, other, or all-cause mortality.


CONCLUSION
Short telomeres in peripheral blood leukocytes were associated with high mortality in association analyses. In contrast, genetically determined short telomeres were associated with low cancer mortality but not with all-cause mortality.
Effects of social media usage and social media multitasking on the academic performance of university students

In today's society, social media have become an almost indispensable part of daily life, particularly among university students, who are generally heavy social media users. Social media multitasking has also been increasingly prevalent. Little, however, is known about how social media usage and social media multitasking influence the academic performance of university students. This study examined whether and how these two behaviors predict academic performance among university students. From a sample of 348 undergraduate students at a comprehensive university in Hong Kong, this study found that using social media for academic purposes was not a significant predictor of academic performance as measured by cumulative grade point average, whereas using social media for nonacademic purposes (video gaming in particular) and social media multitasking significantly negatively predicted academic performance. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Cyber-physical systems in industrial process control

As a large-scale interconnected system of heterogeneous components integrating computation with physical processes, Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) can greatly improve the efficiency of industrial process control systems. However, the inherent heterogeneity and the close integration of different components pose new challenges, which can only be solved by a new unifying network and control theory. This article investigates such challenges in industrial process control and proposes a CPS architecture for future research. Some open research issues are also suggested.
Is fecal DNA testing superior to fecal occult-blood testing for colorectal cancer screening?

DESIGN AND INTERVENTION The study was conducted at 81 private practice and university-based sites between August 2001 and March 2003. All participants were at least 50 years old. Exclusion criteria included iron-deficiency anemia, coexisting visceral cancer, recent gastrointestinal bleeding, change in bowel habits or abdominal pain, previous CRC or polyps or colon resection; colono scopy, sigmoidoscopy or double-contrast barium enema within the previous 10 years, or positive FOBT within the previous 6 months. Individuals provided a fecal sample for DNA testing and then completed three Hemoccult II® cards for FOBT before screening colono scopy. DNA analysis was performed on stool samples from all evaluable patients with invasive cancer or advanced adenoma, and subgroups of subjects with minor polyps (n = 600) and no polyps (n = 1,400). All analysis was blinded to fecal sample DNA test results and screening colonoscopy. Is fecal DNA testing superior to fecal occult-blood testing for colorectal cancer screening?
Uniqueness in quadratic and hyperbolic 0-1 programming problems

We analyze the question of deciding whether a quadratic or a hyperbolic 0-1 programming instance has a unique optimal solution. Both uniqueness questions are known to be NP-hard, but are unlikely to be contained in the class NP. We precisely pinpoint their computational complexity by showing that they both are complete for the complexity class Δ 2 P .
Bevacizumab plus octreotide and metronomic capecitabine in patients with metastatic well-to-moderately differentiated neuroendocrine tumors: the xelbevoct study

We assessed the activity and toxicity of the XELBEVOCT regimen in patients with metastatic well-to-moderately differentiated neuroendocrine neoplasms (WMD-NEN). Ancillary studies evaluated hypertension, proteinuria, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) polymorphisms in predicting progression-free survival (PFS) and the predictive role of serum vitamin D in progression-free survival and proteinuria onset. This prospective phase 2 study included 45 patients with WMD-NEN arising from various primary sites. The treatment regimen was octreotide long-acting release (LAR), 20 mg monthly, metronomic capecitabine, 2000 mg/daily, and intravenous bevacizumab, 5 mg/kg every 2 weeks, without interruption for 9 months. Bevacizumab was continued until disease progression. Partial response was obtained in 8 patients (17.8%, 95% confidence interval [CI], 6.4%-28.2%); tumor response was more frequent in pancreatic than in non-pancreatic malignancies. The median PFS was 14.9 months; median overall survival was not attained. Biochemical and symptomatic responses were observed in 52.9% and 82.3% of cases, respectively. The treatment was well tolerated. Grade 3 toxicities included hand and foot syndrome (11.1%), proteinuria (4.4%), and renal toxicity (2.2%). Proteinuria (all grades) was correlated with longer PFS (p = 0.017). There was an inverse relationship between proteinuria and vitamin D levels. VEGF polymorphisms were not associated with patient outcome. The XELBEVOCT regimen is active and well tolerated in patients with metastatic WMD-NEN. Proteinuria correlated with hypovitaminosis D status and was the best predictive factor of treatment efficacy. Trial registration number NCT01203306 .
Revisiting the Effectiveness of Off-the-shelf Temporal Modeling Approaches for Large-scale Video Classification

This paper describes our solution for the video recognition task of ActivityNet Kinetics challenge that ranked the 1st place. Most of existing state-of-the-art video recognition approaches are in favor of an end-to-end pipeline. One exception is the framework of DevNet [3]. The merit of DevNet is that they first use the video data to learn a network (i.e. fine-tuning or training from scratch). Instead of directly using the end-to-end classification scores (e.g. softmax scores), they extract the features from the learned network and then fed them into the off-the-shelf machine learning models to conduct video classification. However, the effectiveness of this line work has long-term been ignored and underestimated. In this submission, we extensively use this strategy. Particularly, we investigate four temporal modeling approaches using the learned features: Multi-group Shifting Attention Network, Temporal Xception Network, Multi-stream sequence Model and Fast-Forward Sequence Model. Experiment results on the challenging Kinetics dataset demonstrate that our proposed temporal modeling approaches can significantly improve existing approaches in the large-scale video recognition tasks. Most remarkably, our best single Multi-group Shifting Attention Network can achieve 77.7% in term of top-1 accuracy and 93.2% in term of top-5 accuracy on the validation set.
Beyond the Central Limit theorem: Asymptotic Expansions and Pseudorandomness for Combinatorial Sums

We prove a new asymptotic expansion in the central limit theorem for sums of discrete independent random variables. The classical central limit theorem asserts that if {X<sub>i</sub>}<sub>i=1</sub><sup>n</sup> is a sequence of i.i.d. random variables, then S = Σ<sub>i=1</sub><sup>n</sup> X<sub>i</sub> converges to a Gaussian whose first two moments match those of . Further, the rate of convergence is O(n<sup>-1/2</sup>). Roughly speaking, asymptotic expansions of the central limit theorem show that by considering a family of limiting distributions specified by ≥ 2 moments (k = 2 corresponds to Gaussians) and matching the first moments of to such a limiting distribution, one can achieve a convergence of n<sup>-(-1)/2</sup>. While such asymptotic expansions have been known since Cramér [1], they did not apply to discrete and non-identical random variables. Further, the error bounds in nearly all cases was non-explicit (in their dependence on {X<sub>i</sub>}), thus limiting their applicability. In this work, we prove a new asymptotic expansions of the central limit theorem which applies to discrete and non-identical random variables and the error bounds are fully explicit. Given the wide applicability of the central limit theorem in probability theory and theoretical computer science, we believe that this new asymptotic expansion theorem will be applicable in several settings. As a main application in this paper, we give an application in derandomization: Namely, we construct PRGs for the class of combinatorial sums, a class of functions first studied by [2] and which generalize many previously studied classes such as combinatorial rectangles [3], small-biased spaces [4] and modular sums [5] among others. A function f : [m],<sup>n</sup> → {0, 1} is said to be a combinatorial sum if there exists functions f<sub>1</sub>,..., f<sub>n</sub> : [m] → {0, 1} such that (x<sub>1</sub>, ... , x<sub>n</sub>) = f<sub>1</sub>(x<sub>1</sub>) + ... + ,f<sub>n</sub>(x,<sub>n</sub>). For this class, we give a seed length of (log + log<sup>3/2</sup>(n/∈)), thus improving upon [2] whenever ϵ ≤ 2<sup>-(log n)3/4</sup>.
Need and disparities in primary care management of patients with diabetes

BACKGROUND
An aging population means that chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, are becoming more prevalent and demands for care are rising. Members of primary care teams should organize and coordinate patient care with a view to improving quality of care and impartial adherence to evidence-based practices for all patients. The aims of the present study were: to ascertain the prevalence of diabetes in an Italian population, stratified by age, gender and citizenship; and to identify the rate of compliance with recommended guidelines for monitoring diabetes, to see whether disparities exist in the quality of diabetes patient management.


METHODS
A population-based analysis was performed on a dataset obtained by processing public health administration databases. The presence of diabetes and compliance with standards of care were estimated using appropriate algorithms. A multilevel logistic regression analysis was applied to assess factors affecting compliance with standards of care.


RESULTS
1,948,622 Italians aged 16+ were included in the study. In this population, 105,987 subjects were identified as having diabetes on January 1st, 2009. The prevalence of diabetes was 5.43% (95% CI 5.33-5.54) overall, 5.87% (95% CI 5.82-5.92) among males, and 5.05% (95% CI 5.00-5.09) among females. HbA1c levels had been tested in 60.50% of our diabetic subjects, LDL cholesterol levels in 57.50%, and creatinine levels in 63.27%, but only 44.19% of the diabetic individuals had undergone a comprehensive assessment during one year of care. Statistical differences in diabetes care management emerged relating to gender, age, diagnostic latency period, comorbidity and citizenship.


CONCLUSIONS
Process management indicators need to be used not only for the overall assessment of health care processes, but also to monitor disparities in the provision of health care.
A 3-arm randomized controlled trial on the effects of dance movement intervention and exercises on elderly with early dementia

BACKGROUND
Dementia is characterized by a progressive decline and deterioration of brain regions such as memory, spatial navigation and language, along with disturbances in daily functioning. Non-pharmacological interventions that offer a holistic approach by targeting cognitive functioning, prognosis and the psychological and social effects of dementia require rigorous investigation. The well-established benefits of physical activity for cognitive functioning and psychological support in dementia have been observed with dance-movement intervention. There is substantial evidence that dance-movement interventions provide emotional and social advantages. Thus, a randomized controlled trial (RCT) is planned to investigate the positive effects of a dance movement intervention, compared with mild physical exercise, on the physical and psychological well-being of elderly Chinese individuals with early dementia.


METHODS/DESIGN
A 3-arm RCT with waitlist control design will be used in this study. Two hundred and one elderly participants with very mild to mild dementia will be screened and randomized into the following groups: (i) dance movement based intervention, (ii) stretching and exercise intervention and (iii) no intervention waitlist-control group. The two intervention groups will receive a 1-h intervention, twice a week, for 12 weeks. The participants will be assessed four times over the course of 12 months: baseline before randomization, post-intervention (3 months), 6 months from baseline and 12 months from baseline. The primary outcomes will be compared between assessment points and between groups on neuropsychiatric symptoms, psychosocial well-being and cognitive and daily functioning. Secondary outcomes will assess the changes in salivary cortisol levels and their relationships with the primary outcome measures.


DISCUSSION
This study will provide substantial evidence of the efficacy of a dance-movement-based intervention in slowing down dementia progression, due to its ability to act as a buffer against decline and improve areas affected by dementia. We also anticipate an association between cortisol levels and the outcome measures. The further development of this intervention into a structural program may be warranted for early psychosocial support among elderly populations.


TRIAL REGISTRATION
The trial has been registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ( ChiCTR-IOR-15006541 ).
Plan 9 , A Distributed System

Plan 9 is a computing environment physically distributed across many machines. The distribution itself is transparent to most programs giving both users and administrators wide latitude in configuring the topology of the environment. Two properties make this possible: a per process group name space and uniform access to all resources by representing them as files.
Building a Climate for Innovation Through Transformational Leadership and Organizational Culture

Research has called for organizations to be more flexible, adaptive, entrepreneurial, and innovative in meeting the changing demands of today’s environment. Appropriate leadership to effect such change is required; however, there has been little empirical analysis of the theoretical relationships among the key components that make up such change strategy, including transformational leadership, organizational culture, and organizational innovation. This study examines these linkages in terms of their relationships with climate for organizational innovation in Australian private sector organizations. Structural equation modeling based on responses to a survey of 1,158 managers explores the relationship between transformational leadership and climate for organizational innovation and the extent to which a competitive, performance-oriented organizational culture mediates this relationship. Strategies for building innovative organizations are discussed.
Automated Pyramid Scoring of Summaries using Distributional Semantics

The pyramid method for content evaluation of automated summarizers produces scores that are shown to correlate well with manual scores used in educational assessment of students’ summaries. This motivates the development of a more accurate automated method to compute pyramid scores. Of three methods tested here, the one that performs best relies on latent semantics.
The Prion-Like Properties of Amyloid-β Assemblies: Implications for Alzheimer's Disease.

Since the discovery that prion diseases can be transmitted to experimental animals by inoculation with afflicted brain matter, researchers have speculated that the brains of patients suffering from other neurodegenerative diseases might also harbor causative agents with transmissible properties. Foremost among these disorders is Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia in the elderly. A growing body of research supports the concept that the pathogenesis of AD is initiated and sustained by the endogenous, seeded misfolding and aggregation of the protein fragment amyloid-β (Aβ). At the molecular level, this mechanism of nucleated protein self-assembly is virtually identical to that of prions consisting of the prion protein (PrP). The formation, propagation, and spread of Aβ seeds within the brain can thus be considered a fundamental feature of AD pathogenesis.
Baseline characteristics of the omega-3 fatty acids (Fish oils) and Aspirin in Vascular access OUtcomes in REnal Disease (FAVOURED) study.

AIM
The Fish oils and Aspirin in Vascular access OUtcomes in REnal Disease (FAVOURED) trial investigated whether 3 months of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, either alone or in combination with aspirin, will effectively reduce primary access failure of de novo arteriovenous fistulae. This report presents the baseline characteristics of all study participants, examines whether study protocol amendments successfully increased recruitment of a broader and more representative haemodialysis cohort, including patients already receiving aspirin, and contrasts Malaysian participants with those from Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom (UK).


METHOD
This international, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial included patients older than 19 years with stage 4 or 5 chronic kidney disease currently receiving, or planned within 12 months to receive haemodialysis.


RESULTS
Participants (n = 568) were overweight (28.6 ± 7.3 kg/m(2) ), relatively young (54.8 ± 14.3 years), and predominantly male (63%) with a high prevalence of diabetes mellitus (46%) but low rate of ischaemic heart disease (8%). Sixty one percent were planned for lower arm arteriovenous fistula creation. Malaysian participants (n = 156) were younger (51.8 ± 13.6 years vs 57.1 ± 14.2 years, P < 0.001) with a higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus (65% vs 43%, P < 0.001), but less ischaemic heart disease (5% vs 14%, P < 0.01) compared with the combined Australian, New Zealand and UK cohort (n = 228). Protocol modifications allowing for inclusion of patients receiving aspirin increased the prevalence of co-morbidities compared with the original cohort.


CONCLUSIONS
The FAVOURED study participants, while mostly similar to patients in contemporary national registry reports and comparable recent clinical trials, were on average younger and had less ischaemic heart disease. These differences were reduced as a consequence of including patients already receiving aspirin.
A systematic review and meta analysis of the longevity of anterior and posterior all-ceramic crowns.

BACKGROUND
Clinical experience suggests that there is a difference in survival between anterior and posterior all ceramic restorations.


OBJECTIVES
This systematic review compared the difference in survival for full coverage all-ceramic materials used in adults to restore anterior or posterior vital teeth, not involved with fixed dental prostheses, but opposed by teeth.


DATA AND SOURCES
Searches using Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Library, including hand searches, with the inclusion criteria containing all-ceramic full coverage crowns in human adults over 17 years of age, prospective and retrospective studies, opposed by teeth, periodontal pocketing ≤5mm, but not involving implant supported crowns or non-vital teeth. All papers were published between 1980 and March 2014 and available in English. From the selected studies a meta analysis was undertaken. The chi square test, I2, Begg's and Egger's test were analysed and the publication bias was assessed using a Funnel plot. The, Kappa scores were 0.63, 0.88, and 0.81 at each selection stage.


STUDY SELECTIONS
Pooled data produced 1112 anterior crowns with 73 failures (6.5%) and 1821 posterior crowns with 166 failures (9.1%) with a follow up time from 36 to 223 months. Relative risk meta-analysis of the 14 selected papers demonstrated that anterior all-ceramic crowns were 50% less likely to fail than posterior all-ceramic crowns (p=0.001).


CONCLUSION
These results indicate that there were differences in failure between anterior and posterior all ceramic crowns but the difference was only 3%. Although this has clinical relevance and some caution is needed when prescribing all ceramic posterior crowns the difference was relatively small.


CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE
The clinically relevant results of this review, based on currently available data, demonstrate a need for some caution when considering posterior all-ceramic crowns. Lithium disilicate restorations were observed to have higher failures on anterior restorations and more research is needed to investigate why.
Psychometric evaluation of the multiple sclerosis impact scale (MSIS-29) for proxy use.

BACKGROUND
There may be difficulties in the use of self report measurements in patients with cognitive impairment or serious mood disturbances which interfere with reliable self assessment, as may be the case in multiple sclerosis (MS). In such cases proxies may provide valuable information. However, before using any questionnaires in a proxy sample, the questionnaire should be evaluated for proxy use.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the psychometric properties of the 29 item Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale (MSIS-29) when used by proxies of MS patients.


METHODS
A sample of 62 partners of MS patients completed the MSIS-29. The data were evaluated for the psychometric criteria of the MSIS-29, including data quality, scaling assumptions, acceptability, reliability, validity, and responsiveness.


RESULTS
Psychometric evaluation was satisfactory; data quality was high, and scaling assumptions and acceptability were good. Reliability was high (alpha>0.80). Findings were consistent with results of a psychometric evaluation in a patient sample.


CONCLUSIONS
The MSIS-29 can be used reliably in proxies of patients with MS. As a next step the relation between data obtained from patients and proxies needs to be studied, focusing on factors that may affect agreement and discrepancies.