LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Limited impact of IL28B genotype on response rates in telaprevir-treated patients with prior treatment failure.

BACKGROUND & AIMS
Nucleotide polymorphisms upstream of the interleukin 28B (IL28B) gene are strongly associated with hepatitis C virus (HCV) clearance in treatment-naïve patients treated with peginterferon/ribavirin (PegIFN/RBV). This subanalysis of the REALIZE study evaluated the impact of IL28B polymorphisms on sustained virologic response (SVR) in telaprevir-treated, HCV genotype 1-infected patients with prior PegIFN/RBV treatment failure.


METHODS
Treatment-experienced patients were randomized to 12 weeks of telaprevir (750 mg every 8h) with/without a 4-week PegIFN/RBV lead-in, or placebo, each with PegIFN-α-2a (180 μg/week) and ribavirin (1000-1200 mg/day) for 48 weeks overall. Data from telaprevir arms were pooled.


RESULTS
Eighty percent (527/662) of patients consented to genetic testing and were included. Similar proportions of patients had IL28B CC, CT and TT genotypes across treatment arms; baseline characteristics were generally well balanced. SVR rates were higher in the pooled telaprevir versus placebo group for all IL28B genotypes; CC: 79% versus 29%, respectively; CT: 60% versus 16%, respectively; TT: 61% versus 13%, respectively. Within each prior response category (relapse, partial or null response), SVR and viral breakthrough rates with telaprevir-based treatment were comparable across IL28B genotypes. IL28B genotype did not significantly affect SVR (2-step multivariate analyses; p >0.16 in pairwise comparison among CC, TT, and CT). Variations in rapid virologic response and relapse rates were noted in certain patient subgroups.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that IL28B genotype has a limited impact on SVR rates with telaprevir-based therapy in treatment-experienced patients. IL28B genotyping may have limited utility in the baseline evaluation of similar patients considered for telaprevir-based therapy.
Diallel analysis of field resistance to brown streak disease in cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) landraces from Tanzania

Cassava brown streak disease (CBSD) is an economically important virus disease causing significant losses to cassava root yield and quality in east, central and southern Africa. Breeding for resistance in cassava requires an understanding of the underlying genetic control of CBSD resistance. Sources of CBSD resistance are available but little is known on the value of those varieties as parents for CBSD resistance breeding. Two resistant and two susceptible varieties were crossed in a half diallel design and 35 F1 progeny from each of the six families, plus parents, were screened at two locations in a randomised complete block design with four replications in warm sub-humid environments of coastal Tanzania in 2008. Screening for CBSD field resistance was done using disease severity scoring on a scale of 1–5. Significant variations in disease severity were observed for crosses, general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) at both locations. The CBSD shoot symptom severity scores ranged from 1 to 4.4 while root necrosis ranged from 1.3 to 4.5. The contribution of GCA to the total sum of squares of crosses for disease scores ranged from 86.9 to 95.2 % compared to SCA that ranged from 4.8 to 14.2 %. Additive gene effects were more important than non-additive effects indicating that CBSD resistance is genetically determined and that selection should be successful to improve resistance. Selection of parents with good GCA effects will be important for success in CBSD resistance breeding.
Hexagonal Global Parameterization of Arbitrary Surfaces

This sketch introduces hexagonal global parameterization, a new type of periodic global parameterization that is ideal for tiling surfaces with patterns of six-fold rotational symmetries, i.e., 6-RoSy's [Palacios and Zhang 2007]. Being one of the two most fundamental rotational symmetries that are compatible with translational symmetries in the plane, 6-RoSy's appear in many places in nature, such as honeycombs, insect eyes, corals and crystals, as well as man-made objects such as Islamic patterns [Kaplan and Salesin 2004] and tri-axial weaving [Akleman et al. 2009]. Such symmetries can also provide optimal circle packing, which naturally have applications in architectural design [Schiftner et al. 2009]. A hexagonal global parameterization facilitates all of these applications. See Figure 1 for some examples. Furthermore, parameter lines in a hexagonal global parameterization intersect at an angle of π/3, which enables triangular remeshing of a mesh surface with close to ideal aspect ratios in the triangles. The dual mesh of such a triangulation provides a hexagon-dominant tiling of the surface.
Mobile Tracking in Mixed Line-of-Sight/Non-Line-of-Sight Conditions: Algorithm and Theoretical Lower Bound

The paper investigates the problem of mobile tracking in mixed line-of-sight (LOS)/non-line-of-sight (NLOS) conditions. The motion of mobile station is modeled by a dynamic white noise acceleration model, while the measurements are Time of Arrival (TOA). A first-order Markov model is employed to describe the dynamic transition of LOS/NLOS conditions. An improved Rao-Blackwellized particle filter (RBPF) is proposed, in which the LOS/NLOS sight conditions are estimated by particle filtering using the optimal trial distribution, and the mobile state is computed by applying approximated analytical methods. The theoretical error lower bound is further studied in the described problem. A new method is presented to compute the posterior Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRLB): the mobile state is first estimated by decentralized extended Kalman filter (EKF) method, then sigma point set and unscented transformation are applied to calculate Fisher information matrix (FIM). Simulation results show that the improved RBPF is more accurate than current methods, and its performance approaches to the theoretical bound. Chen Liang Mathematics Department, Tampere University of Technology, Finland Tel.: +358-40-198-1991 Fax: +358-3-3115-3549 E-mail: liang.chen@tut.fi Present address: Korkeakoulunkatu 1, P.O. Box 533, 33101 Tampere, Finland Simo Ali-Löytty Mathematics Department, Tampere University of Technology, Finland E-mail: simo.ali-loytty@tut.fi Robert Piché Mathematics Department, Tampere University of Technology, Finland E-mail: robert.piche@tut.fi Wu Lenan School of Information Science and Technology, Southeast University, Nanjing, China E-mail: wuln@seu.edu.cn
Solving 0-1 knapsack problems based on amoeboid organism algorithm

The 0-1 knapsack problem is an open issue in discrete optimization problems, which plays an important role in real applications. In this paper, a new bio-inspired model is proposed to solve this problem. The proposed method has three main steps. First, the 0-1 knapsack problem is converted into a directed graph by the network converting algorithm. Then, for the purpose of using the amoeboid organism model, the longest path problem is transformed into the shortest path problem. Finally, the shortest path problem can be well handled by the amoeboid organism algorithm. Numerical examples are given to illustrate the efficiency of the proposed model. 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
WYSIWYM - Integrated visualization, exploration and authoring of semantically enriched un-structured content

The Semantic Web and Linked Data gained traction in the last years. However, the majority of information still is contained in unstructured documents. This can also not be expected to change, since text, images and videos are the natural way how humans interact with information. Semantic structuring on the other hand enables the (semi-)automatic integration, repurposing, rearrangement of information. NLP technologies and formalisms for the integrated representation of unstructured and semantic content (such as RDFa and Microdata) aim at bridging this semantic gap. However, in order for humans to truly benefit from this integration, we need ways to author, visualize and explore unstructured and semantically enriched content in an integrated manner. In this paper, we present the WYSIWYM (What You See is What You Mean) concept, which addresses this issue and formalizes the binding between semantic representation models and UI elements for authoring, visualizing and exploration. With RDFaCE and Pharmer we present and evaluate two complementary showcases implementing the WYSIWYM concept for different application domains.
Treatment with α-Lipoic Acid over 16 Weeks in Type 2 Diabetic Patients with Symptomatic Polyneuropathy Who Responded to Initial 4-Week High-Dose Loading

Effective treatment of diabetic sensorimotor polyneuropathy remains a challenge. To assess the efficacy and safety of α-lipoic acid (ALA) over 20 weeks, we conducted a multicenter randomized withdrawal open-label study, in which 45 patients with type 2 diabetes and symptomatic polyneuropathy were initially treated with ALA (600 mg tid) for 4 weeks (phase 1). Subsequently, responders were randomized to receive ALA (600 mg qd; n = 16) or to ALA withdrawal (n = 17) for 16 weeks (phase 2). During phase 1, the Total Symptom Score (TSS) decreased from 8.9 ± 1.8 points to 3.46 ± 2.0 points. During phase 2, TSS improved from 3.7 ± 1.9 points to 2.5 ± 2.5 points in the ALA treated group (p < 0.05) and remained unchanged in the ALA withdrawal group. The use of analgesic rescue medication was higher in the ALA withdrawal group than ALA treated group (p < 0.05). In conclusion, in type 2 diabetic patients with symptomatic polyneuropathy who responded to initial 4-week high-dose (600 mg tid) administration of ALA, subsequent treatment with ALA (600 mg qd) over 16 weeks improved neuropathic symptoms, whereas ALA withdrawal was associated with a higher use of rescue analgesic drugs. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02439879.
The role of transmitter diffusion and flow versus extracellular vesicles in volume transmission in the brain neural-glial networks.

Two major types of intercellular communication are found in the central nervous system (CNS), namely wiring transmission (point-to-point communication, the prototype being synaptic transmission with axons and terminals) and volume transmission (VT; communication in the extracellular fluid and in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)) involving large numbers of cells in the CNS. Volume and synaptic transmission become integrated inter alia through the ability of their chemical signals to activate different types of receptor protomers in heteroreceptor complexes located synaptically or extrasynaptically in the plasma membrane. The demonstration of extracellular dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT) fluorescence around the DA and 5-HT nerve cell bodies with the Falck-Hillarp formaldehyde fluorescence method after treatment with amphetamine and chlorimipramine, respectively, gave the first indications of the existence of VT in the brain, at least at the soma level. There exist different forms of VT. Early studies on VT only involved spread including diffusion and flow of soluble biological signals, especially transmitters and modulators, a communication called extrasynaptic (short distance) and long distance (paraaxonal and paravascular and CSF pathways) VT. Also, the extracellular vesicle type of VT was demonstrated. The exosomes (endosome-derived vesicles) appear to be the major vesicular carriers for VT but the larger microvesicles also participate. Both mainly originate at the soma-dendritic level. They can transfer lipids and proteins, including receptors, Rab GTPases, tetraspanins, cholesterol, sphingolipids and ceramide. Within them there are also subsets of mRNAs and non-coding regulatory microRNAs. At the soma-dendritic membrane, sets of dynamic postsynaptic heteroreceptor complexes (built up of different types of physically interacting receptors and proteins) involving inter alia G protein-coupled receptors including autoreceptors, ion channel receptors and receptor tyrosine kinases are hypothesized to be the molecular basis for learning and memory. At nerve terminals, the presynaptic heteroreceptor complexes are postulated to undergo plastic changes to maintain the pattern of multiple transmitter release reflecting the firing pattern to be learned by the heteroreceptor complexes in the postsynaptic membrane.
Designing for performative tangible interaction

We propose that designing tangibles for public interaction requires an understanding of both functional and non-functional aspects informed by Live Art theories. In this paper, we outline design requirements for performative tangible interaction, propose a framework for assessing performative interaction and demonstrate its use through four case studies of the iterative redesign of a highly portable, tangible exertion interface. By reflecting on our experience of designing for performative interaction we develop guidelines for developing multi-participant Digital Live Art.
Presence and significance of microvesicular steatosis in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

BACKGROUND & AIMS
Liver biopsies from patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) sometimes exhibit non-zonal aggregates of hepatocytes with microvesicular steatosis, but its prevalence and significance are unclear. In this study, we have evaluated the frequency of microvesicular steatosis and assessed its association with histological markers of disease severity in a large sample of NAFLD liver biopsies.


METHODS
Liver biopsies from a large cohort of adults who participated in two studies conducted by the NASH Clinical Research Network (NASH CRN) were included in this cross-sectional study. Liver histology was assessed centrally and various histological features scored in a systematic fashion. The relationship between microvesicular steatosis and various histological features that characterize NAFLD was tested by multiple logistic regression, after controlling for age, gender, race, body mass index, and diabetes.


RESULTS
Among 1022 liver biopsies included, 102 (10%) had microvesicular steatosis. No demographic differences were noted between patients with or without microvesicular steatosis. The presence of microvesicular steatosis was associated with higher grades of steatosis (p<0.001), ballooning cell injury (p<0.001), presence of Mallory-Denk bodies (p<0.007), presence of megamitochondria (p<0.0001), higher NAS scores (p<0.0001), more advanced fibrosis (p<0.0001), and diagnosis of borderline or definite NASH (p<0.0001).


CONCLUSIONS
Microvesicular steatosis correlates with more advanced histology of NAFLD. Longitudinal studies are needed to address the role of microvesicular steatosis in mediating cellular injury and disease progression in NAFLD.
Is the combination of chromogranin A and pancreatic polypeptide serum determinations of interest in the diagnosis and follow-up of gastro-entero-pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours?

INTRODUCTION
Chromogranin A (CgA) is the principal tumour marker for gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumours (GEPNET). Combining serum CgA and pancreatic polypeptide (PP) levels may increase the sensitivity of tumour markers in the diagnosis of GEPNET.


OBJECTIVES
(1) To evaluate the sensitivity of PP and CgA in GEPNET. (2) To compare changes in serum CgA and PP levels with the morphological evolution of the tumours.


PATIENTS AND METHODS
Sixty-six pancreatic and 49 gastrointestinal NET, with at least one serum determination of CgA and PP at the same time were retrieved from an institutional data base. Secondly, the variations in serum CgA or PP at successive determinations were compared to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumours (RECIST) criteria in 57 patients (112 follow-up visits) with high serum CgA levels and in 21 patients (37 follow-up visits) with high serum PP levels.


RESULTS
Among the 115 patients included in the study group, an increase in serum CgA (normal <98 μg/L) or PP (normal <100 pmol/L) was found in respectively 79 (69%) and 36 (31%) cases. Seven patients had normal CgA and elevated PP levels. Both markers were significantly more elevated in metastatic disease (74% versus 51% for CgA and 37% versus 18% for PP). The concordance rates between serum markers and RECIST criteria were 51% for CgA and 54% for PP.


CONCLUSIONS
Serum PP determination identify few false-negative results of serum CgA determination in GEPNET. Our study does not validate the use of CgA or PP as surrogate markers for detecting changes in tumour burden.
An Improved RNS Variant of the BFV Homomorphic Encryption Scheme

We present an optimized implementation of the Fan-Vercauteren variant of Brakerski’s scale-invariant homomorphic encryption scheme. Our algorithmic improvements focus on optimizing decryption and homomorphic multiplication in the Residue Number System (RNS), using the Chinese Remainder Theorem (CRT) to represent and manipulate the large coefficients in the ciphertext polynomials. In particular, we propose efficient procedures for scaling and CRT basis extension that do not require translating the numbers to standard (positional) representation. Compared to the previously proposed RNS design due to Bajard et al. [3], our procedures are simpler and faster, and introduce a lower amount of noise. We implement our optimizations in the PALISADE library and evaluate the runtime performance for the range of multiplicative depths from 1 to 100. For example, homomorphic multiplication for a depth-20 setting can be executed in 62 ms on a modern server system, which is already practical for some outsourced-computing applications. Our algorithmic improvements can also be applied to other scale-invariant homomorphic encryption schemes, such as YASHE.
Coded aperture compressive temporal imaging

We use mechanical translation of a coded aperture for code division multiple access compression of video. We discuss the compressed video's temporal resolution and present experimental results for reconstructions of > 10 frames of temporal data per coded snapshot.
Energy and momentum in expansive nondecelerative universe

Incorporation of the Vaidya metric in the model of Expansive Nondecelerative Universe allows to precisely localize gravitational energy for weak fields and obtain the components of the Einstein energy-momentum pseudotensor for strong gravitational fields. The components are identical to those calculated by Virbhadra.
The Quest for Privacy in the Internet of Things

The Internet of Things (IoT) is the current evolutionary paradigm of networking and the key driving force toward a smart world. Although privacy in the IoT is highly regarded to ensure the protection of users and personal information from the perspective of individual or cooperative users, it's insufficiently studied. As members of the always-connected paradigm of the massive IoT world, people can scarcely control the disclosure of their personal information. The biggest challenge is to allow users to experience the best utilization of IoT-based products and services with the fewest privacy threats and failures. This article provides a holistic view of the challenges of and issues related to preserving IoT privacy, as well as the existing solutions. Privacy by design (PbD) is identified as the key solution for many IoT privacy issues. The article also discusses hot topics in IoT privacy and future research directions.
Nurses' work demands and work-family conflict: a questionnaire survey.

BACKGROUND
Work-family conflict is a type of interrole conflict that occurs as a result of incompatible role pressures from the work and family domains. Work role characteristics that are associated with work demands refer to pressures arising from excessive workload and time pressures. Literature suggests that work demands such as number of hours worked, workload, shift work are positively associated with work-family conflict, which, in turn is related to poor mental health and negative organizational attitudes. The role of social support has been an issue of debate in the literature. This study examined social support both as a moderator and a main effect in the relationship among work demands, work-to-family conflict, and satisfaction with job and life.


OBJECTIVES
This study examined the extent to which work demands (i.e., work overload, irregular work schedules, long hours of work, and overtime work) were related to work-to-family conflict as well as life and job satisfaction of nurses in Turkey. The role of supervisory support in the relationship among work demands, work-to-family conflict, and satisfaction with job and life was also investigated.


DESIGN AND METHODS
The sample was comprised of 243 participants: 106 academic nurses (43.6%) and 137 clinical nurses (56.4%). All of the respondents were female. The research instrument was a questionnaire comprising nine parts. The variables were measured under four categories: work demands, work support (i.e., supervisory support), work-to-family conflict and its outcomes (i.e., life and job satisfaction).


RESULTS
The structural equation modeling results showed that work overload and irregular work schedules were the significant predictors of work-to-family conflict and that work-to-family conflict was associated with lower job and life satisfaction. Moderated multiple regression analyses showed that social support from the supervisor did not moderate the relationships among work demands, work-to-family conflict, and satisfaction with job and life. Exploratory analyses suggested that social support could be best conceptualized as the main effect directly influencing work-to-family conflict and job satisfaction.


CONCLUSION
Nurses' psychological well-being and organizational attitudes could be enhanced by rearranging work conditions to reduce excessive workload and irregular work schedule. Also, leadership development programs should be implemented to increase the instrumental and emotional support of the supervisors.
Steps Toward an Ecology of Infrastructure: Design and Access for Large Information Spaces

ion? Does it supplant the real or is there, in it, reality itself? Like so many true things, this one doesn't resolve itself to a black or a white. Nor is it gray. It is, along with the rest of life, black/white. Both/neither." {John Perry Barlow 1995, p. 56) 1. What Is Infrastructure? People who study how technology affects organizational transformation increasingly recognize its dual, paradoxical nature. It is both engine and barrier for change; both customizable and rigid; both inside and outside organizational practices. It is product and process. Some authors have analyzed this seeming paradox as structuration: (after Giddens)—technological rigidities give rise to adaptations which in turn require calibration and standardization. Over time, structureagency relations re-form dialectically (Orlikowski 1991, Davies and Mitchell 1994, Korpela 1994). This paradox is integral to large scale, dispersed technologies (Brown 1047-7047/96/0701/0111$01.25 Copyright © 1996, Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences INFORMATION SYSTEMS RESEARCH Vol. 7, No. 1, March 1996 111
Error modelling of dual fixed-point arithmetic and its application in field programmable logic

Dual FiXed-point (DFX) is a new data representation which is an efficient compromise between fixed-point and floating-point representations. DFX has an implementation complexity similar to that of a fixed-point system with the improved dynamic range capability of a floating-point system. Automating the process of DFX scaling optimisation requires the knowledge of its truncation/rounding noise properties. This paper presents truncation and rounding error models for DFX arithmetic as traditional error models do not apply to DFX. The models were tested on a 159-tap FIR filter and the benefits of using DFX over floating-point are demonstrated with implementations on a Xilinx Virtex II Pro.