LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Spiral Acquisition of Software-Intensive Systems of Systems

C urrent trends toward the transformation of warfare (and other large-scale competitive pursuits) into network-centric and knowledge-based systems of systems show great promise for competitive advantages over traditionally organized groups of largely independent components. However , these transformational systems of systems are critically dependent on the successful functioning of their computer software [1, 2]. This article summarizes the benefits provided by software for such transformational systems and identifies a top-10 list of risks and challenges that need to be resolved in developing and evolving software-intensive systems. It then briefly summarizes the Win-Win Spiral Model described in more detail in CrossTalk [3, 4], and shows how its application can be used to mitigate the top-10 software-intensive system risks and challenges. While simpler, tangible hardware configurations are easier to manage than software-intensive system acquisitions and operations , pure hardware-based solutions cannot provide several key benefits that software can provide for complex transforma-tional systems of systems. These include the following: • The need to accommodate many combinations of mission options. Trying to accommodate these in hardware leads to earlier freezing of option choices, more complex hardware production , inflexible human computer interfaces, and very expensive and time-consuming hardware field upgrades. • The need for rapid response to change. The pace of unforeseeable change continues to accelerate. Accommodating such change runs into much the same set of hardware difficulties and software opportunities as does the accommodation of many options. Also, many sources of software change are often accommodated by commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software upgrades made by vendors who need to stay competitive. • The need for fielding partial capabilities. Some options for doing this in hardware are available, but again with higher needs to pre-commit to interface choices. Current Department of Defense (DoD) policies that emphasize evolutionary acquisition [5, 6] are much easier to accommodate via simpler hardware platforms and evolutionary software upgrades. The transformational benefits that software capabilities provide are compelling but come with associated risks and challenges. The ability to accommodate many combinations of mission options comes with the need for more software and longer delivery time for software-intensive system of systems (SISOS). A large SISOS such as the national air traffic control system or a major integrated industrial manufacturing and supply chain management system will have more than 10 million source lines of code (or 10,000 KSLOC) that need to be developed and integrated. SISOS managers are frequently surprised when the …
Trivial or Knot : A Software Tool and Algorithms for Knot Simplification

A special type of representation for knots and for local knot manipulations is described and used in a software tool called TOK to implement a number of algorithms on knots. Two algorithms for knot simplification are described: simulated annealing applied to the knot representation, and a “divide-simplify-join” algorithm. Both of these algorithms make use of the compact knot representation and of the basic mechanism TOK provides for carrying out a predefined knot manipulation on the knot representation. The simplification algorithms implemented with the TOK system exploit local knot manipulations and have proven themselves effective for simplifying even very complicated knots in reasonable time. Introduction What is Knot Theory? Knots are very complicated mathematical objects that have intuitive, real-world counterparts. This makes them very interesting to study. A tangle in a (frictionless ) rope is a knot if when the ends of the rope are pulled in opposite directions, the tangle is not unraveled. Given a pile of rope with two ends sticking out, it is difficult, or even impossible to say by inspection whether or not the rope is truly knotted. An even more difficult problem is to decide if two piles of tangled rope are equivalent; meaning that one pile may be stretched and deformed to look like the other pile without tearing the rope. Figure 1 illustrates that equivalence is sometimes not obvious even for simple knots. Figure 1. (a) Two trefoil knots (b) Two trivial knots Knot theory studies an abstraction of the intuitive “knot on a rope” notion. The theory deals with questions such as proving knottedness, and classifying types of knottedness. In a more abstract sense we may say that knot theory studies the placement problem: “Given spaces X andY, classify howX may be placed inY” . Here a placement is usually an embedding, and classification often means up to some form of movement. In these terms classical knot theory studies embeddings of a circle in Euclidean three space. (Hence we consider the two ends of the rope tied together) There are two main schools in knot theory research. The first is called combinatorial or pictorial knot theory. Here the main idea is to associate with the mathematical object a drawing that represents the knot, and to study various combinatorical properties of this drawing. The second school considers the abstract notion of a knot as an embedding and studies the topology of the so called complementary space of the image of the embedding, by applying to this space the tools of Algebraic Topology. This paper dwells in the first realm pictorial knot theory. Following is a brief description of the basic theory that is needed to understand the TOK knot manipulation tool. For a more comprehensive overview see [1][2][3]. * Electrical Engineering Department Technion, 3200 Haifa, Israel danl@tx.technion.ac.il orli@tx.technion.ac.il ** Computer Science Department Technion, 3200 Haifa, Israel (on sabbatical at AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, NJ 07974, USA)
Contributions to the Theory of Optimal Control

THIS is one of the two ground-breaking papers by Kalman that appeared in 1960—with the other one (discussed next) being the filtering and prediction paper. This first paper, which deals with linear-quadratic feedback control, set the stage for what came to be known as LQR (Linear-Quadratic-Regulator) control, while the combination of the two papers formed the basis for LQG (Linear-Quadratic-Gaussian) control. Both LQR and LQG control had major influence on researchers, teachers, and practitioners of control in the decades that followed. The idea of designing a feedback controller such that the integral of the square of tracking error is minimized was first proposed by Wiener [17] and Hall [8], and further developed in the influential book by Newton, Gould and Kaiser [12]. However, the problem formulation in this book remained unsatisfactory from a mathematical point of view, but, more importantly, the algorithms obtained allowed application only to rather low order systems and were thus of limited value. This is not surprising since it basically took until theH2-interpretation in the 1980s of LQG control before a satisfactory formulation of least squares feedback control design was obtained. Kalman’s formulation in terms of finding the least squares control that evolves from an arbitrary initial state is a precise formulation of the optimal least squares transient control problem. The paper introduced the very important notion of c ntrollability, as the possibility of transfering any initial state to zero by a suitable control action. It includes the necessary and sufficient condition for controllability in terms of the positive definiteness of the Controllability Grammian, and the fact that the linear time-invariant system withn states,
Retronasal triangle: a sonographic landmark for the screening of cleft palate in the first trimester.

OBJECTIVES
To describe a new first-trimester sonographic landmark, the retronasal triangle, which may be useful in the early screening for cleft palate.


METHODS
The retronasal triangle, i.e. the three echogenic lines formed by the two frontal processes of the maxilla and the palate visualized in the coronal view of the fetal face posterior to the nose, was evaluated prospectively in 100 consecutive normal fetuses at the time of routine first-trimester sonographic screening at 11 + 0 to 13 + 6 weeks' gestation. In a separate study of five fetuses confirmed postnatally as having a cleft palate, ultrasound images, including multiplanar three-dimensional views, were analyzed retrospectively to review the retronasal triangle.


RESULTS
None of the fetuses evaluated prospectively was affected by cleft lip and palate. During their first-trimester scan, the retronasal triangle could not be identified in only two fetuses. Reasons for suboptimal visualization of this area included early gestational age at scanning (11 weeks) and persistent posterior position of the fetal face. Of the five cases with postnatal diagnosis of cleft palate, an abnormal configuration of the retronasal triangle was documented in all cases on analysis of digitally stored three-dimensional volumes.


CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrates the feasibility of incorporating evaluation of the retronasal triangle into the routine evaluation of the fetal anatomy at 11 + 0 to 13 + 6 weeks' gestation. Because fetuses with cleft palate have an abnormal configuration of the retronasal triangle, focused examination of the midface, looking for this area at the time of the nuchal translucency scan, may facilitate the early detection of cleft palate in the first trimester.
Intra-articular primatised anti-CD4: efficacy in resistant rheumatoid knees. A study of combined arthroscopy, magnetic resonance imaging, and histology.

OBJECTIVES
CD4+ T cells sustain the chronic synovial inflammatory response in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). SB-210396/CE 9.1 is an anti-CD4 monoclonal antibody that has documented efficacy in RA when given intravenously. This study aimed to establish the safety and efficacy of the intra-articular administration of SB-210396/CE 9.1 compared with placebo, examining its mode of action using a combined imaging approach of arthroscopy, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and histology.


METHODS
Thirteen RA patients with active, resistant knee synovitis, were randomised to intra-articular injection of placebo (n=3), 0.4 mg (n=3) or 40 mg (n=7) of anti-CD4 after sequential dynamic gadolinium enhanced MRI, followed by same day arthroscopy and synovial membrane biopsy. Imaging and arthroscopic synovial membrane sampling were repeated at six weeks. This study used a unique region of interest (ROI) analysis mapping the MRI area analysed to the specific biopsy site identified arthroscopically, thus providing data for all three modalities at the same synovial membrane site.


RESULTS
12 patients completed the study (one placebo treated patient refused further MRI). Arthroscopic improvement was observed in 0 of 2 placebo patients but in 10 of 10 patients receiving active drug (>20% in 6 of 10). Improvement in MRI was consistently observed in all patients of the 40 mg group but not in the other two groups. A reduction in SM CD4+ score was noted in the 40 mg group and in the 0.4 mg group. Strong correlations both before and after treatment, were identified between the three imaging modalities. Intra-articular delivery of SB-210396/CE 9.1 was well tolerated.


CONCLUSIONS
SB-210396/CE 9.1 is safe when administered by intra-articular injection. A trend toward efficacy was found by coordinated MRI, arthroscopic, and histological imaging, not seen in the placebo group. The value of ROI analysis was demonstrated.
Epidemiology of allergic conjunctivitis: clinical appearance and treatment patterns in a population-based study.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW
To analyse the most recently published studies on the prevalence of allergic conjunctivitis alone or in association with allergic rhinitis, and the clinical and demographic aspects of the disease.


RECENT FINDINGS
Allergic conjunctivitis or conjunctival symptoms are present in 30-71% of patients with allergic rhinitis. Allergic conjunctivitis alone has been estimated in 6-30% of the general population and in up to 30% in children alone or in association with allergic rhinitis. Seasonal allergic conjunctivitis is the most frequent form; however, studies from tertiary, ophthalmology referral centers report that the chronic forms, such as vernal and atopic keratoconjunctivitis, are the most frequently seen by ophthalmologists. A recent large survey performed at a national level involving 304 ophthalmologists showed that the majority of patients with allergic conjunctivitis suffer annually of few episodes of mild ,intermittent conjunctivitis. However, 30% of patients are affected by frequent episodes with intense and persistent symptoms. Treatment is frequently not appropriate.


SUMMARY
Even though allergic conjunctivitis is often associated to allergic rhinitis, epidemiology studies frequently do not include specific ophthalmological evaluations. An understanding of allergic conjunctivitis disease, its prevalence, demographics and treatment paradigms will provide important information towards understanding its pharmacoeconomics and burden on the national health systems.
Caffeine as an adjuvant therapy to opioids in cancer pain: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

CONTEXT
Opioid therapy often shows insufficient efficacy and substantial adverse events in patients with advanced cancer.


OBJECTIVES
To assess the efficacy of caffeine infusion as an adjuvant analgesic to opioid therapy in patients with advanced cancer.


METHODS
A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial was conducted in the palliative care wards of two teaching hospitals in South Korea. A total of 20 of 41 participants were assigned to the caffeine group and 21 to the placebo group. The participants received caffeine (200mg) or normal saline intravenously once a day for two days. The primary outcome was pain, which was measured using a 10-point rating scale. Other outcomes included drowsiness, confusion, nausea, sleep disturbance, fatigue, and sadness.


RESULTS
Three participants (two in the caffeine group and one in the placebo group) dropped out after the first intervention because of insomnia; thus, 38 participants completed the trial. Pain score was significantly lower in the caffeine group than in the placebo group after the second trial (P=0.038). The mean reduction in pain intensity in the caffeine group was 0.833 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.601-1.066), whereas that in the placebo group was 0.350 (95% CI 0.168-0.532). Considering an improvement higher than 30% from baseline as the threshold value, drowsiness improved significantly in the caffeine group after the first trial (P=0.041). Adverse event rate did not differ between the two groups.


CONCLUSION
Caffeine infusion significantly reduced pain and drowsiness, but the reduction did not reach clinical significance in patients with advanced cancer undergoing opioid therapy. Further investigations are warranted.
Antisocial personality disorder in incarcerated offenders: Psychiatric comorbidity and quality of life.

BACKGROUND
We determined the frequency of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) in offenders. We examined demographic characteristics, psychiatric comorbidity, and quality of life in those with and without ASPD. We also looked at the subset with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).


METHODS
A random sample of 320 newly incarcerated offenders was assessed using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), and the Level of Service Inventory-Revised (LSI-R).


RESULTS
ASPD was present in 113 subjects (35.3%). There was no gender-based prevalence difference. Offenders with ASPD were younger, had a higher suicide risk, and had higher rates of mood, anxiety, substance use, psychotic, somatoform disorders, borderline personality disorder, and ADHD. Quality of life was worse, and their LSI-R scores were higher, indicating a greater risk for recidivism. A subanalysis showed that offenders with ASPD who also had ADHD had a higher suicide risk, higher rates of comorbid disorders, and worse mental health functioning.


CONCLUSION
ASPD is relatively common among both male and female inmates and is associated with comorbid disorders, high suicide risk, and impaired quality of life. Those with comorbid ADHD were more impaired than those without ADHD. ASPD occurs frequently in prison populations and is nearly as common in women as in men. These study findings should contribute to discussions of appropriate and innovative treatment of ASPD in correctional settings.
Pseudo-concave Integrals

The notion of Lehrer-concave integral is generalized taking instead of the usual arithmetical operations of addition and multiplication of reals more general real operations called pseudo-addition and pseudo-multiplication.
Fractionated manganese injections: effects on MRI contrast enhancement and physiological measures in C57BL/6 mice.

Manganese-enhanced MRI (MEMRI) is an increasingly used imaging method in animal research, which enables improved T(1)-weighted tissue contrast. Furthermore accumulation of manganese in activated neurons allows visualization of neuronal activity. However, at higher concentrations manganese (Mn2+) exhibits toxic side effects that interfere with the animals' behaviour and well-being. Therefore, when optimizing MEMRI protocols, a compromise has to be found between minimizing side effects and intensifying image contrast. Recently, a low concentrated fractionated Mn2+ application scheme has been proposed as a promising alternative. In this study, we investigated effects of different fractionated Mn2+ dosing schemes on vegetative, behavioural and endocrine markers, and MEMRI signal contrast in C57BL/6N mice. Measurements of the animals' well-being included telemetric monitoring of body temperature and locomotion, control of weight and observation of behavioural parameters during the time course of the injection protocols. Corticosterone levels after Mn2+ application served as endocrine marker of the stress response. We compared three MnCl2  x 4H2O application protocols: 3 times 60 mg/kg with an inter-injection interval of 48 h, six times 30 mg/kg with an inter-injection interval of 48 h, and 8 times 30 mg/kg with an inter-injection interval of 24 h (referred to as 3 x 60/48, 6 x 30/48 and 8 x 30/24, respectively). Both the 6 x 30/48 and the 8 x 30/24 protocols showed attenuated effects on animals' well-being as compared to the 3 x 60/48 scheme. Best MEMRI signal contrast was observed for the 8 x 30/24 protocol. Together, these results argue for a fractionated application scheme such as 30 mg/kg every 24 h for 8 days to provide sufficient MEMRI signal contrast while minimizing toxic side effects and distress.
Text Summarization via Hidden Markov Models

A sentence extract summary of a document is a subset of the document's sentences that contains the main ideas in the document. We present an approach to generating such summaries, a hidden Markov model that judges the likelihood that each sentence should be contained in the summary. We compare the results of this method with summaries generated by humans, showing that we obtain significantly higher agreement than do earlier methods.
Meta-analysis of smooth muscle relaxants in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome.

AIM
To assess the efficacy of smooth muscle relaxants in the treatment of patients with irritable bowel syndrome, a meta-analysis of 26 selected double-blind randomized trials vs. placebo was performed.


METHODS
Five end-points were assessed: global assessment, abdominal pain, constipation, abdominal distension and the absence of adverse reactions. Analyses were performed according to the intention-to-treat method. For each end-point, the drug efficacy was assessed by the Der Simonian and Peto methods. When a significant difference was observed, sensitivity analyses were performed by successive stratifications according to the type of drug, the treatment duration, the prevalence of constipated patients, the trial design and the methodological quality.


RESULTS
All myorelaxants analysed were significantly better than placebo for the improvement of global assessment (62% improvement rate vs. 35% on placebo, that is 27% improvement rate, P < 0.01) and for pain improvement (64% improvement rate vs. 45% on placebo, that is 19% improvement rate, P < 0.01). No significant differences were observed for constipation and abdominal distension. The percentage of patients with adverse reactions was significantly higher in patients receiving myorelaxants than placebo (6% mean difference, P < 0.01).


CONCLUSION
According to this overview five drugs have proved their clinical efficacy in patients with irritable bowel syndrome, without significant adverse reactions: cimetropium bromide, pinaverium bromide, trimebutine, octilium bromide and mebeverine.
Diffusion tensor imaging of the pediatric spinal cord at 1.5T: preliminary results.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Recent studies suggest that pediatric subjects as old as 8-years-of-age may have difficulty with the ISNCSCI examinations. Our aim was to investigate DTI parameters of healthy spinal cord in children with noncervical IS for comparison with children with SCI and to prospectively evaluate reliability measures of DTI and to correlate the measures obtained in children with SCI with the ISNCSCI.


MATERIALS AND METHODS
Five controls with thoracic and lumbar IS and 5 children with cervical SCI were imaged twice by using a single-shot echo-planar diffusion-weighted sequence. Axial imaging was performed to cover the entire cervical spinal cord in controls. For the SCI subjects, 2 vertebral bodies above and below the injury were imaged. FA and D values were obtained at different levels of the cervical spinal cord. All subjects with SCI had undergone ISNCSCI clinical examinations. Statistical analysis was performed to access differences of the DTI indices between the controls and SCI subjects, reproducibility measurements, and correlations between DTI and ISNCSCI.


RESULTS
Subjects with SCI showed reduced FA and increased D values compared with controls. Test-retest reproducibility showed good ICC coefficients in all the DTI index values among controls (≥0.9), while the SCI group showed moderate ICC (≥0.77). There were statistically significant correlations between the various DTI indices and ISNCSCI scores.


CONCLUSIONS
Preliminary DTI indices in children were determined and showed good reproducibility. Reduced FA and increased D values were seen in children with SCI in comparison with controls and showed good clinical correlation with ISNCSCI examinations.