LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Markers of inflammation are negatively correlated with serum leptin in rheumatoid arthritis.

BACKGROUND
Leptin regulates food intake and modulates immunity and inflammation. A positive feedback mechanism has been described between tumour necrosis factor (TNF) and leptin, and it has been suggested that leptin potentiates inflammation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).


OBJECTIVE
To assess whether inflammation correlates with leptin concentrations in patients with RA, and whether anti-TNF treatment modulates leptin concentrations in these patients.


METHODS
Leptin, IL6 and CRP were measured (at baseline and after 2 weeks of treatment) in the blood of 31 patients with RA starting either anti-TNF treatment or placebo, and in 18 healthy controls.


RESULTS
In patients with RA, plasma leptin concentrations at baseline correlated inversely with the degree of inflammation as assessed by C reactive protein (CRP; r(s)(2) = 0.21, p<0.01) or interleukin (IL) 6 concentrations (r(s)(2) = 0.22, p<0.008). Mean (SD) leptin concentrations did not differ between patients with RA and controls (6.0 (4.6) v 4.2 (2.8) ng/ml in men; 15.1 (7.9) v 13.4 (5.2) ng/ml in women). Short course anti-TNF treatment for 2 weeks did not modify leptin concentrations, despite significant reduction of CRP and IL6.


CONCLUSION
A significant inverse correlation between inflammation and leptin concentrations was found in patients with active RA, although plasma leptin concentrations did not significantly differ from those in healthy controls. This suggests that active chronic inflammation may lower plasma leptin concentrations. Two weeks' treatment with anti-TNF did not change plasma leptin concentrations and longer treatment may be needed to see an effect on leptin.
On perspective of security and privacy-preserving solutions in the internet of things

The Internet of Things (IoT) brings together a large variety of devices of different platforms, computational capacities and functionalities. The network heterogeneity and the ubiquity of IoT devices introduce increased demands on both security and privacy protection. Therefore, the cryptographic mechanisms must be strong enough to meet these increased requirements but, at the same time, they must be efficient enough for the implementation on constrained devices. In this paper, we present a detailed assessment of the performance of the most used cryptographic algorithms on constrained devices that often appear in IoT networks. We evaluate the performance of symmetric primitives, such as block ciphers, hash functions, random number generators, asymmetric primitives, such as digital signature schemes, and privacyenhancing schemes on various microcontrollers, smart-cards and mobile devices. Furthermore, we provide the analysis of the usability of upcoming schemes, such as the homomorphic encryption schemes, group signatures and attribute-based schemes. © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The Effect of Dangguijagyag-san on Mild Cognitive Impairment.

OBJECTIVES
The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and the effect of dangguijagyag-san (DJS) on mild cognitive impairment (MCI).


METHODS
This study examined the administration of DJS ([Formula: see text]; angelica and peony formula) and was conducted at Uijeongbu Health Center in Gyeonggi-do, Korea, in 2013. Ninety-five of 118 patients diagnosed with MCI were followed up for 1 year after the study ended, and their medical records were analyzed.


RESULTS
The patients included 36 men (37.9%) and 59 women (62.1%). When the results from before the study began were compared with the results 1 year after the study ended, the overall average score according to the Korean-Montreal Cognitive Assessment (K-MOCA) showed a statistically significant increase, from 15.46 ± 5.30 to 18.54 ± 5.11, respectively. Both male and female patients recorded a significant increase in K-MOCA scores for all sections, including the visuospatial/executive section, the naming section, the attention section, the language section, the abstraction section, the delayed recall section, and the orientation section. Scores assessed by the Mini-Mental State Examination for Dementia Screening (MMSE-DS) showed a statistically significant increase, from 21.84 ± 3.59 before the study to 24.43 ± 3.13 after the study, but decreased slightly to 23.04 ± 3.36 at the 1-year follow-up. However, MMSE-DS scores measured before the study began increased significantly when compared with scores measured 1 year after the study ended.


CONCLUSIONS
DGJYS improved the cognitive skills of patients diagnosed with MCI, and no adverse effects were observed. In the future, the efficacy of DGJYS must be objectively verified by using a randomized controlled trial.
Factors affecting consumers' perception of electronic payment: an empirical analysis

Purpose – In view of the promising growth of e-payment in Malaysia, this study aims to discover the factors influencing perception towards electronic payment (e-payment) from the Malaysian consumers’ perspective. Design/methodology/approach – Literature indicates that factors such as benefits, trust, selfefficacy, ease of use, and security influence consumers’ perception towards e-payment. A self-reporting questionnaire was developed and disseminated to 200 respondents, out of which 183 valid responses were considered for further statistical analysis. Findings – The multiple linear regression results reveal that benefits, self-efficacy, and ease of use exert significant influences on consumers’ perception towards e-payment. However, the insignificant results obtained for trust and security warrant further investigation. Research limitations/implications – This study proposes five factors for measuring consumers’ perception towards e-payment which is replicable across different economies. However, the small sample size raises the issue of generalizability which future studies should seek to address. Practical implications – The use of e-payment by the majority of respondents confirms that there is a great potential for future expansion of such payment devices. The challenge is to ensure that it continues to meet consumers’ expectations which will subsequently lead to its increased adoption and use. Originality/value – This study has advanced knowledge for it has provided information on the current state of e-payment acceptance and use, particularly among Malaysians. The significant factors identified are beneficial to the policy maker, banking institutions, online transaction facilities providers, and software developers as they develop strategies directed at increasing e-payment acceptance and use.
Market Power and Quality : Congestion and Spatial Competition in the Dialysis Industry ∗

I find that dialysis providers in the United States exercise market power by reducing the clinical quality, or dose, of dialysis treatment. This market power stems from two sources. The first is a spatial dimension—patients face high travel costs and traveling farther for quality is undesirable. The second source is congestion—technological constraints may require dialysis capacity to be rationed among patients. Both of these sources of market power should be considered when developing policies aimed at improving quality or access in this industry. To this end, I develop and estimate an entry game with quality competition where providers choose both capacity and quality. Increasing the Medicare reimbursement rate for dialysis or subsidizing entry result in increased entry and improved quality for patients. However, these policies are extremely costly because providers are able to capture 84 to 97 percent of the additional surplus, leaving very little pass-through to consumers. Policies targeting the sources of market power provide a cost effective way of improving quality by enhancing competition and forcing providers to give up producer surplus. For example, I find that a program subsidizing patient travel costs $373 million, increases consumer surplus by $440 million, and reduces the mortality rate by 3 percent. ∗I thank my advisers Allan Collard-Wexler, Pat Bayer, Ryan McDevitt, James Roberts, and Chris Timmins for their extensive comments, guidance, and support. I am also grateful to Peter Arcidiacono, Federico Bugni, David Ridley, Adam Rosen, John Singleton, Frank Sloan, Daniel Xu and seminar participants at Duke, the International Industrial Organization Conference, and the Applied Micro Workshop at the Federal Reserve Board. †paul.eliason@duke.edu
Evaluation of a new online hemodiafiltration mode with automated pressure control of convection.

BACKGROUND
Postdilution hemodiafiltration (HDF) still remains the gold standard for solute removal, but with high hemoglobin levels transmembrane pressure (TMP) may reach high levels, reducing filter performance. We compared three online postdilution HDF treatments without TMP alarms for convective volume and plasma changes following treatment.


METHODS
Twelve patients were enrolled in a trial with three online postdilution HDF treatments. In the volume-controlled mode (VOLc), we set the exchanged volume to obtain a filtration fraction close to 25% without TMP alarms. In the pressure-controlled mode (TMPc), we set the TMP at 100 mm Hg. In the ULTRAc mode (TMP scan combined with TMPc), the dialysis machine automatically selects the TMP with a scan. All treatments were performed with an AK200 ULTRA-S system.


RESULTS
Even with hemoglobin levels >12 g/dl, we found a 57% rise in ultrafiltration rate in TMPc versus VOLc and a 92% rise in ULTRAc versus VOLc. Phosphates and myoglobin levels were significantly affected by treatment type.


CONCLUSIONS
ULTRAc may be a useful tool to achieve an excellent purification performance without the constraints associated with the risk of hemoconcentration.
Gender equality and women empowerment.


 This article lists 11 suggestions for empowering women that the government of India should take, if it has a sincere commitment to gender equality and women's empowerment grounded in social change and not just rhetoric: 1) education should be made compulsory for all female children and places held on a 50/50 basis in all technical institutions; 2) a uniform civil code should be adopted for all citizens regardless of cast, creed, and religion; 3) women should have an equal right to own property and receive inheritance; 4) the National Women's Commission should be enlarged, representative of diversity, and effective in making policy decisions related to welfare, education, recruitment, and promotion; 5) a State Women's Commission should be established with affiliates at the block, district, and division levels; 6) the National and State Women's Commission should be established as a Statutory Body with binding decisions mandating government action; 7) the National and State Women's Commissions should have transparent functions, be regulatory, and offer workshops and seminars for women; 8) state governments should not interfere in the functions of National and State Women's Commissions; 9) women should fill 50% of all Center and State government service posts and concessions should be made on minimum academic qualifications and completed years of service, until all positions are filled; 10) 50% of the seats of Parliament should be reserved for women in both the State Legislature, Council of Ministry Boards, Corporations, Committees, and Commissions; and 11) the Constitution should provide for women judges in courts of law.
Does lack of improvement in the first two weeks predict treatment resistance in recent-onset psychosis?

Randomized controlled trials among patients with schizophrenia have shown that ,20% improvement in the first two weeks of treatment predicts nonresponse after 12 weeks. The findings have been consistent for patients treated with both conventional (1) and second-generation antipsychotic (AP) drugs (2). However, despite the lack of evidence regarding the length of time that clinicians should pursue one treatment regimen, most psychiatric textbooks and practice guidelines suggest that patients should be treated for at least four to six weeks with one AP (3-5) before switching to another (6). Large pragmatic trials with chronic patients, such as the Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE) (7), have found no benefit from switching AP drugs (8,9). No studies have considered less chronic patients, such as patients with recent-onset schizophrenia (i.e., less than five years of illness duration). We investigated responses to APs and switching strategies in patients with recent-onset schizophrenia. We used the IPAP algorithm, which is a well-defined algorithm for treating schizophrenia (4,10).
The prognostic significance of admission blood glucose levels in patients with urinary tract infection.

AIMS
Evaluate the association between admission blood glucose (ABG) and short and long-term outcomes following hospitalization for urinary tract infection (UTI).


METHODS
Single center, retrospective cohort study of patients admitted to medical wards between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2013 with a diagnosis of UTI. Patients were classified to those with diabetes mellitus (DM) and those without it. ABG levels were classified to categories: ≤70, 70-110, 111-199, ≥200mg/dl. Primary outcome was all-cause mortality within 30-days and 1-year. Secondary outcomes were hospital readmissions within 30-days and 1-year, and survival rates at end of follow-up.


RESULTS
Cohort included 3405 patients (median age, 78 years; 44% men), 1106 with DM and 2299 without it. Among patients without DM, compared with ABG between 70 and 110mg/dl (n=852, 37%), there was a significant association between ABG and all-cause mortality: hazard ratios (95% CI) with ABG ≤70mg/dl (n=13, 0.6%), 111-199mg/dl (n=1292, 56%), and ≥200mg/dl (n=142, 6%) were: 3.67 (0.89-15.14, p=0.07, 23% mortality (n=3)), 1.85 (1.29-2.64, p<0.001, 7% mortality (n=89)), and 2.94 (1.71-5.07, p<0.0001, 11% mortality (n=15)) at 30-days, and 3.8 (1.87-7.71, 38% mortality (n=5)), 1.35 (1 1.13-1.60, 7% mortality (n=215)), and 2.02 (1.50-2.71, 25% mortality (n=35)) at 1-year (all p<0.001). In patients with DM there was no significant association between ABG and mortality. There was no association between ABG and readmissions in both groups.


CONCLUSION
There is a significant association between ABG and short and long-term, all-cause mortality in patients without DM, but not in patients with DM, hospitalized for UTI.
Impact of Diabetes Susceptibility Loci on Progression From Pre-Diabetes to Diabetes in At-Risk Individuals of the Diabetes Prevention Trial–Type 1 (DPT-1)

OBJECTIVE
The unfolding of type 1 diabetes involves a number of steps: defective immunological tolerance, priming of anti-islet autoimmunity, and destruction of insulin-producing beta-cells. A number of genetic loci contribute to susceptibility to type 1 diabetes, but it is unclear which stages of the disease are influenced by the different loci. Here, we analyzed the frequency of type 1 diabetes-risk alleles among individuals from the Diabetes Prevention Trial-Type 1 (DPT-1) clinical trial, which tested a preventive effect of insulin in at-risk relatives of diabetic individuals, all of which presented with autoimmune manifestations but only one-third of which eventually progressed to diabetes.


RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
In this study, 708 individuals randomized into DPT-1 were genotyped for 37 single nucleotide polymorphisms in diabetes susceptibility loci.


RESULTS
Susceptibility alleles at loci expected to influence immunoregulation (PTPN22, CTLA4, and IL2RA) did not differ between progressors and nonprogressors but were elevated in both groups relative to general population frequencies, as was the INS promoter variant. In contrast, HLA DQB1*0302 and DQB1*0301 differed significantly in progressors versus nonprogressors (DQB*0302, 42.6 vs. 34.7%, P = 0.0047; DQB*0301, 8.6 vs. 14.3%, P = 0.0026). Multivariate analysis of the factors contributing to progression demonstrated that initial titers of anti-insulin autoantibodies (IAAs) could account for some (P = 0.0016) but not all of this effect on progression (P = 0.00038 for the independent effect of the number of DQB*0302 alleles). The INS-23 genotype was most strongly associated with anti-IAAs (median IAA levels in TT individuals, 60 nU/ml; AT, 121; and AA, 192; P = 0.000037) and only suggestively to the outcome of oral insulin administration.


CONCLUSIONS
With the exception of HLA, most susceptibility loci tested condition the risk of autoimmunity rather than the risk of failed immunoregulation that results in islet destruction. Future clinical trials might consider genotyping INS-23 in addition to HLA alleles as disease/treatment response modifier.
Personality assessment in the Great Apes: Comparing ecologically valid behavior measures, behavior ratings, and adjective ratings

Three methods of personality assessment (behavior measures, behavior ratings, adjective ratings) were compared in 20 zoo-housed Great Apes: bonobos (Pan paniscus), chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus), gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla), and orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus abelii). To test a new bottom-up approach, the studied trait constructs were systematically generated from the species’ behavioral repertoires. The assessments were reliable, temporally stable, and showed substantial cross-method coherence. In most traits, behavior ratings mediated the relations between adjective ratings and behavior measures. Results suggest that high predictability of manifest behavior is best achieved by behavior ratings, not by adjectives. Empirical evidence for trait constructs beyond current personality models points to the necessity of broad and systematic approaches for valid inferences on a species’ personality structure.
Circadian Variation in the Onset of Placental Abruption

Objective. To determine circadian variation in the onset of placental abruption. Methods. A retrospective study involving 115 placental abruptions, divided into four subgroups based on initial symptoms comprising abdominal pain, vaginal bleeding, both abdominal pain and bleeding, or other symptoms. The time of the initial symptom was considered the disease onset. We analyzed the frequency of disease onset and adverse perinatal outcome including perinatal death relative to the daily four 6-hour intervals. Results. Abdominal pain displayed significant circadian variation regarding the period of onset with higher levels from 0:00 AM to 6:00 AM (65%) compared with 0:00 PM to 6:00 PM (24%, p < 0.01). Vaginal bleeding did not display significant circadian variation (p = 0.45). Adverse perinatal outcome showed significant circadian variation with a higher occurrence of perinatal death from 0:00 AM to 6:00 AM (35%) compared with 0:00 PM to 6:00 PM (0%, p < 0.01). After adjustment using variables of abdominal pain and time period, both variables significantly affected perinatal death (odds ratio: 13.0 and 2.2, resp.). The risk of adverse perinatal outcome increased significantly when abdominal pain occurred, except for the period 0:00 PM to 6:00 PM (OR, 9.5). Conclusion. Placental abruption beginning with abdominal pain has circadian variation.
The phylogeography of African Brazilians.

BACKGROUND/AIMS
Approximately four million Africans were taken as slaves to Brazil, where they interbred extensively with Amerindians and Europeans. We have previously shown that while most White Brazilians carry Y chromosomes of European origin, they display high proportions of African and Amerindian mtDNA lineages, because of sex-biased genetic admixture.


METHODS
We studied the Y chromosome and mtDNA haplogroup structure of 120 Black males from Sao Paulo, Brazil.


RESULTS
Only 48% of the Y chromosomes, but 85% of the mtDNA haplogroups were characteristic of sub-Saharan Africa, confirming our previous observation of sexually biased mating. We mined literature data for mtDNA and Y chromosome haplogroup frequencies for African native populations from regions involved in Atlantic Slave Trade. Principal Components Analysis and Bayesian analysis of population structure revealed no genetic differentiation of Y chromosome marker frequencies between the African regions. However, mtDNA examination unraveled considerable genetic structure, with three clusters at Central-West Africa, West Africa and Southeast Africa. A hypothesis is proposed to explain this structure.


CONCLUSION
Using these mtDNA data we could obtain for the first time an estimate of the relative ancestral contribution of Central-West (0.445), West (0.431) and Southeast Africa (0.123) to African Brazilians from Sao Paulo. These estimates are consistent with historical information.
Genomic selection and complex trait prediction using a fast EM algorithm applied to genome-wide markers

The information provided by dense genome-wide markers using high throughput technology is of considerable potential in human disease studies and livestock breeding programs. Genome-wide association studies relate individual single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) from dense SNP panels to individual measurements of complex traits, with the underlying assumption being that any association is caused by linkage disequilibrium (LD) between SNP and quantitative trait loci (QTL) affecting the trait. Often SNP are in genomic regions of no trait variation. Whole genome Bayesian models are an effective way of incorporating this and other important prior information into modelling. However a full Bayesian analysis is often not feasible due to the large computational time involved. This article proposes an expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm called emBayesB which allows only a proportion of SNP to be in LD with QTL and incorporates prior information about the distribution of SNP effects. The posterior probability of being in LD with at least one QTL is calculated for each SNP along with estimates of the hyperparameters for the mixture prior. A simulated example of genomic selection from an international workshop is used to demonstrate the features of the EM algorithm. The accuracy of prediction is comparable to a full Bayesian analysis but the EM algorithm is considerably faster. The EM algorithm was accurate in locating QTL which explained more than 1% of the total genetic variation. A computational algorithm for very large SNP panels is described. emBayesB is a fast and accurate EM algorithm for implementing genomic selection and predicting complex traits by mapping QTL in genome-wide dense SNP marker data. Its accuracy is similar to Bayesian methods but it takes only a fraction of the time.
A Test in the Outer Space For the Constancy of the Velocity of Light

The scheme of an experiment is presented in order to test the constancy of the velocity of light. Herewith are explained the reasons that justify carrying out the experiment in the outer space, along with the ideas that support the convenience to continue doing this type of experiments nowadays, despite a century of Relativity's assent.
Nonconvex optimization by fast simulated annealing

Recent advances in the solution of nonconvex optimization problems use simulated annealing techniques that are considerably faster than exhaustive global search techniques. This letter presents a simulated annealing technique, which is t/log (t) times faster than conventional simulated annealing, and applies it to a multisensor location and tracking problem.