LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Sociodemographic indicators and risk of brain tumours.

BACKGROUND
To better understand patterns of occurrence or diagnosis of brain tumours in different segments of the population, we evaluated associations between sociodemographic variables and the relative incidence of brain tumours as part of a multi-faceted case-control study.


METHODS
The study was conducted at hospitals in three US cities between 1994 and 1998. In all, 489 glioma cases (354 high-grade, 135 low-grade), 197 meningioma cases, 96 acoustic neuroma cases, and 799 controls admitted to the same hospitals for any of a variety of non-neoplastic diseases or conditions were enrolled and interviewed. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (OR), calculate 95% CI, and test for trends.


RESULTS
The OR showed significant positive associations with household income for low-grade glioma, meningioma, and acoustic neuroma, but not for high-grade glioma. Positive associations were observed with level of education for low-grade glioma and acoustic neuroma, but not for high-grade glioma or meningioma. Jewish religion was associated with a significantly elevated risk for meningioma (OR = 4.3; 95% CI: 2.0-9.0). Being single at the time of tumour diagnosis or enrolment was associated with significantly reduced risks for meningioma (OR = 0.4; 95% CI: 0.3-0.6) and low- or high-grade glioma (OR = 0.6; 95% CI: 0.5-0.8), but not for acoustic neuroma.


CONCLUSIONS
Associations with sociodemographic variables varied considerably among the different subtypes of brain tumour, including between low-grade and high-grade glioma. The general pattern was for associations with indicators of affluence and education to be stronger for tumours that tend to grow more slowly and have less catastrophic effects, although the evidence was mixed for meningioma. We cannot isolate the specific factors underlying the observed associations, but intrapopulation differences in the completeness or timing of diagnosis may have played a role. There is less opportunity for such influences to operate for the rapidly progressing, high-grade gliomas than for more slowly growing tumours.
Risk of domestic accidents among under five children

This is a cross sectional study. The study areas were selected by the method of two-stage sampling in urban area of Gujarat State (India). A total of 600 households were studied from both areas and thus 788 children aged less than five years were contacted and evaluated to measure the risk of domestic accidents. History of Unintentional injuries (Traffic injuries, poisoning, falls, fire & burn injuries, drowning, animal bite) and Intentional injuries: (Interpersonal violence, homicide, sexual assault, neglect & abandonment), suicide, collective violence (war) among under five children till the day of the interview was studied. The fire, electric appliances, households chemical within reach of the under five children and material which can fall on the child was also observed on the day of the survey.
Jump over ASLR: Attacking branch predictors to bypass ASLR

Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) is a widely-used technique that protects systems against a range of attacks. ASLR works by randomizing the offset of key program segments in virtual memory, making it difficult for an attacker to derive the addresses of specific code objects and consequently redirect the control flow to this code. In this paper, we develop an attack to derive kernel and user-level ASLR offset using a side-channel attack on the branch target buffer (BTB). Our attack exploits the observation that an adversary can create BTB collisions between the branch instructions of the attacker process and either the user-level victim process or on the kernel executing on its behalf. These collisions, in turn, can impact the timing of the attacker's code, allowing the attacker to identify the locations of known branch instructions in the address space of the victim process or the kernel. We demonstrate that our attack can reliably recover kernel ASLR in about 60 milliseconds when performed on a real Haswell processor running a recent version of Linux. Finally, we describe several possible protection mechanisms, both in software and in hardware.
Stable Generic Structures

Abstract Hrushovski originated the study of “flat” stable structures in constructing a new strongly minimal set and a stable ℵ 0 -categorical pseudoplane. We exhibit a set of axioms which for collections of finite structure with dimension function δ give rise to stable generic models. In addition to the Hrushovski examples, this formalization includes Baldwin's almost strongly minimal non-Desarguesian projective plane and several others. We develop the new case where finite sets may have infinite closures with respect to the dimension function δ. In particular, the generic structure need not be ω-saturated and so the argument for stability is significantly more complicated. We further show that these structures are “flat” and do not interpret a group.
A novel grid-tied, solar powered residential home with plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) loads

The design and analyses of a grid-connected residential photovoltaic (PV) system containing a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) load is presented in this paper. In this system, PV arrays and battery packs are cascaded to supply power to the load. Solar energy is harvested by PV arrays, the terminal voltage of PV arrays is regulated by a DC/DC converter to track maximum power point (MPPT) using the incremental conductance method. Battery packs work as the energy storage system and the current controlled bi-directional DC/DC converter regulates the power flow between grid and battery. The interfaced inverter is also a bidirectional inverter.
Backtesting Framework for PD , EAD and LGD

©Rabobank,2012 iv ManagementSummary
A role for a dioxygenase in auxin metabolism and reproductive development in rice.

Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), the natural auxin in plants, regulates many aspects of plant growth and development. Extensive analyses have elucidated the components of auxin biosynthesis, transport, and signaling, but the physiological roles and molecular mechanisms of auxin degradation remain elusive. Here, we demonstrate that the dioxygenase for auxin oxidation (DAO) gene, encoding a putative 2-oxoglutarate-dependent-Fe (II) dioxygenase, is essential for anther dehiscence, pollen fertility, and seed initiation in rice. Rice mutant lines lacking a functional DAO display increased levels of free IAA in anthers and ovaries. Furthermore, exogenous application of IAA or overexpression of the auxin biosynthesis gene OsYUCCA1 phenocopies the dao mutants. We show that recombinant DAO converts the active IAA into biologically inactive 2-oxoindole-3-acetic acid (OxIAA) in vitro. Collectively, these data support a key role of DAO in auxin catabolism and maintenance of auxin homeostasis central to plant reproductive development.
Two novel treatments to reduce overeating in overweight children: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE
Our purpose in this study was to examine 2 treatments targeted at reducing eating in the absence of hunger in overweight and obese children.


METHOD
Thirty-six overweight and obese 8- to 12-year-old children (58% female; mean age = 10.3 years, SD = 1.3), with high scores on eating in the absence of hunger, and their parents were randomly assigned to an 8-week children's appetite awareness training or cue exposure treatment-food. Children completed an eating in the absence of hunger (EAH) paradigm, an Eating Disorder Examination interview for children, and three 24-hr dietary recalls, and their height and weight were measured. Parents completed the EAH Questionnaire and the Binge Eating Scale, and their height and weight were measured. Assessments were conducted at baseline, posttreatment, and 6 and 12 months posttreatment.


RESULTS
Results showed that both treatments resulted in significant decreases in binge eating in children over time. Additionally, children in the food cue exposure treatment showed significant decreases in EAH posttreatment and 6 months posttreatment, but children in the appetite awareness training showed no change in EAH. Neither treatment produced significant effects on caloric intake in children or on any of the parent outcomes.


CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrates that training in food cue responsitivity and appetite awareness has the potential to be efficacious for reducing EAH and binge eating in children. Because these data are preliminary, further treatment development and randomized controlled studies are needed.
Appearance models for occlusion handling

Objects in the world exhibit complex interactions. When captured in a video sequence, some interactions manifest themselves as occlusions. A visual tracking system must be able to track objects which are partially or even fully occluded. In this paper we present a method of tracking objects through occlusions using appearance models. These models are used to localize objects during partial occlusions, detect complete occlusions and resolve depth ordering of objects during occlusions. This paper presents a tracking system which successfully deals with complex real world interactions, as demonstrated on the PETS 2001 dataset.
A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE SOCIO-ETHICAL ASPECTS OF MASSIVE ONLINE OPEN COURSES

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) offer learners across the globe unprecedented access to education. Through sophisticated e-learning technologies and web approaches, MOOCs attract massive scale participation and global interest. Some commercial ventures place social equality at the heart of their missions, claiming to empower communities by making education accessible and affordable. In reality, the socio-ethical impact of MOOCs has not been investigated fully, so it is not clear whether they meet these aspirations.
Validation of a database on acrylamide for use in epidemiological studies

Background/Objectives:Acrylamide, a probable human carcinogen, was detected in various heat-treated foods such as French fries and potato crisps. Recently, positive associations have been found between dietary acrylamide intakes, as estimated with a food frequency questionnaire using an acrylamide database, and cancer risk in some epidemiological studies. As acrylamide levels vary considerably within the same type of foods, a validation study was performed to investigate whether use of an acrylamide food database containing calculated mean acrylamide content, based on extensive sampling and chemical analysis of Dutch foods (several samples per food), can classify subjects with respect to true acrylamide intake.Subjects/Methods:We used the data from a 24-h duplicate diet study. The acrylamide content of 39 Dutch 24-h duplicate diets collected in 2004 was estimated using the mean acrylamide levels of foods available from the database and the menu list, on which the participants of the duplicate diet study had listed the amounts of individual foods and drinks in household units. Next, the acrylamide content of the total duplicate diets was analytically measured and correlated to the estimated acrylamide contents.Results:The Spearman's correlation coefficient between chemically determined acrylamide content and the calculated acrylamide content of the duplicate diets was 0.82 (P<0.001).Conclusions:This study indicates that it is possible to classify subjects with respect to acrylamide intake if mean instead of actual content of each food is applied. The database can therefore be applied in epidemiological studies on acrylamide intake and cancer risk, such as the Netherlands Cohort Study on Diet and Cancer.
Suture button suspension following trapeziectomy in a cadaver model.

BACKGROUND
The safety and the effects of different trajectories on thumb motion of suture-button suspensionplasty post-trapeziectomy are not known.


METHODS
In a cadaveric model, thumb range of motion, trapeziectomy space height, and distance between the device and nerve to the first dorsal interosseous muscle (first DI) were measured for proximal and distal trajectory groups. Proximal trajectory was defined as a suture button angle directed from the thumb metacarpal to the second metacarpal at a trajectory less than 60° from the horizontal; distal trajectory was defined as a suture button angle directed from the thumb metacarpal to the second metacarpal at a trajectory of greater than 60° from the horizontal (Fig. 1).


RESULTS
There were no significant differences in range of motion and trapeziectomy space height between both groups. The device was significantly further away from the nerve to the first DI in the proximal trajectory group compared to the distal trajectory group, but was still safely away from the nerve in both groups (greater than 1 cm).


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that the device placement in either a proximal or distal location on the second metacarpal will yield similar results regarding safety and thumb range of motion.
Small Hydropower Plant With Integrated Turbine-Generators Working at Variable Speed

Present-day small hydropower plants (SHPs) have a large development potential because of the increasing interest in renewable resources and distributed energy generation; however, the variable hydrological conditions that are found in run-of-the-river projects require operations over a wide range of water flow and head variations. Special control methods and system topologies are needed to maintain the high efficiency of energy conversion systems.This paper presents a complete SHP solution based on an innovative generation unit (hydro-set): a propeller turbine is integrated with a permanent magnet synchronous generator working at a variable speed in a grid-connected system that utilises an ac/dc/ac converter. The main elements of this energy conversion system are described. A dedicated control strategy is proposed and verified. All of the results presented here originate from an actual 150-kW SHP that contains two innovative hydro-sets working in parallel on the same river.
Explanation and reliability of prediction models: the case of breast cancer recurrence

In this paper, we describe the first practical application of two methods, which bridge the gap between the non-expert user and machine learning models. The first is a method for explaining classifiers’ predictions, which provides the user with additional information about the decision-making process of a classifier. The second is a reliability estimation methodology for regression predictions, which helps the users to decide to what extent to trust a particular prediction. Both methods are successfully applied to a novel breast cancer recurrence prediction data set and the results are evaluated by expert oncologists.
Robot life-long task learning from human demonstrations: a Bayesian approach

ix Chapter 1: Introduction 1 1.1 Knowledge Transfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1.2 Human-Robot Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 1.3 Life-Long Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 1.4 Contributions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 1.5 Outline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Chapter 2: Background and Related Work 11 2.1 Manual Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 2.2 Task-Level Robot Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 2.3 Learning from Demonstration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 2.3.1 Demonstration Approaches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 2.3.2 Policy Generation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 2.4 Life-Long Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 2.5 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Chapter 3: Learning from Demonstration 19 3.1 Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 3.2 Role of the Instructor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 3.3 Role of the Student . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 3.4 Knowledge Transfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 3.4.1 Human-Robot Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 3.4.2 System Interaction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 3.5 Learning a Task Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Public Debt Dynamics; The Effects of Austerity, Inflation, and Growth Shocks

We study how macroeconomic shocks affect U.S. public debt dynamics using a VAR with debt feedback. Following a fiscal austerity shock, the debt ratio initially declines and then returns to its pre-shock path. Yet, the effect is not statistically significant. In a weak economic environment, the likelihood of a self-defeating austerity shock is much higher than in normal times. An inflation shock only slightly reduces the debt ratio for a few quarters. A positive growth shock unambiguously lowers debt. In our specification, the debt ratio is stationary, whereas a VAR excluding debt may imply an explosive debt path. JEL Classification Numbers: H60, E31, E62, C32
Frequent Application of the New Gelatin-Collagen Nonwoven Accelerates Wound Healing.

OBJECTIVE
Mortality after chronic wounds is high. Thus, proper and effective therapy is of critical importance. Adult mammalian skin cannot regenerate spontaneously. It heals under scar formation in a process of repair. In general, wound closure is achieved through a combination of contraction, scar formation, and regeneration. To enhance wound healing, research groups are continuously inventing and evaluating novel skin replacement products. A single application of a new gelatin-collagen nonwoven accelerates wound closure of full-thickness skin defects. Therefore, the authors' objective was to evaluate the effect of a higher application frequency of the nonwoven on wound closure in a minipig model.


MATERIALS AND METHODS
Four full-thickness skin defects were created surgically on the dorsum of 12 Göttingen minipigs. Next, 3 wounds were treated randomly with a novel gelatin-collagen nonwoven in different thicknesses, while the fourth wound was left untreated and served as the control wound. Moreover, 6 minipigs achieved multiple applications of the wound dressing. During the experimental period of 21 days, a close-up photographic documentation was performed. Finally, the areas of the initial wounds were excised and examined histologically.


RESULTS
More frequent application of the nonwoven achieved accelerated wound healing and better epidermis quality compared with a single application. Mean time until wound closure of all wounds treated with a multiple application of the nonwoven was 11.0 (± 1.2) days, compared with a single application of the nonwoven with 12.4 (± 1.26) days and control wounds with 13.5 (± 1.19) days. Furthermore, the epidermal thickness of all wounds treated with multiple applications of the nonwoven was increased by 10.67 μm (31.89 ± 8.86 μm, P = .0007) compared with a single application of the nonwoven and by 6.53 μm (27.75 ± 7.24 μm, P = .0435) compared with the control group.


CONCLUSIONS
Multiple applications of the gelatin-collagen nonwoven may be an appropriate treatment for chronic wounds leading to a fast wound closure through a combination of contraction and re-epithelialization.
Macroeconomic Factors and Stock Market Movement: Evidence from Ghana

This study examines the role of macroeconomic varia bles on stock prices movement in Ghana. We use the Databank stock index to represent Ghana stock market and (a) inward foreign direct investments, (b) the treasury bill r ate (as a measure of interest rates), (c) the consumer price index (as a measure of inflation), and (d) the exchange rate as macroeconomic variables. We analyze both long-run a nd short-run dynamic relationships between the stock market index and the economic var able with quarterly data for the above variables from 1991.1 to 2006.4 using Johanse n's multivariate cointegration test and innovation accounting techniques. We establishe d t at there is cointegration between macroeconomic variables identified and Stock prices n Ghana indicating long run relationship. Results of Impulse Response Function (IRF) and Forecast Error Variance Decomposition (FEVD) indicate that interest rate an d Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) are the key determinants of the share price movemen ts in Ghana.
Multiple sclerosis: changes in microarchitecture of white matter tracts after training with a video game balance board.

PURPOSE
To determine if high-intensity, task-oriented, visual feedback training with a video game balance board (Nintendo Wii) induces significant changes in diffusion-tensor imaging ( DTI diffusion-tensor imaging ) parameters of cerebellar connections and other supratentorial associative bundles and if these changes are related to clinical improvement in patients with multiple sclerosis.


MATERIALS AND METHODS
The protocol was approved by local ethical committee; each participant provided written informed consent. In this 24-week, randomized, two-period crossover pilot study, 27 patients underwent static posturography and brain magnetic resonance (MR) imaging at study entry, after the first 12-week period, and at study termination. Thirteen patients started a 12-week training program followed by a 12-week period without any intervention, while 14 patients received the intervention in reverse order. Fifteen healthy subjects also underwent MR imaging once and underwent static posturography. Virtual dissection of white matter tracts was performed with streamline tractography; values of DTI diffusion-tensor imaging parameters were then obtained for each dissected tract. Repeated measures analyses of variance were performed to evaluate whether DTI diffusion-tensor imaging parameters significantly changed after intervention, with false discovery rate correction for multiple hypothesis testing.


RESULTS
There were relevant differences between patients and healthy control subjects in postural sway and DTI diffusion-tensor imaging parameters (P < .05). Significant main effects of time by group interaction for fractional anisotropy and radial diffusivity of the left and right superior cerebellar peduncles were found (F2,23 range, 5.555-3.450; P = .036-.088 after false discovery rate correction). These changes correlated with objective measures of balance improvement detected at static posturography (r = -0.381 to 0.401, P < .05). However, both clinical and DTI diffusion-tensor imaging changes did not persist beyond 12 weeks after training.


CONCLUSION
Despite the low statistical power (35%) due to the small sample size, the results showed that training with the balance board system modified the microstructure of superior cerebellar peduncles. The clinical improvement observed after training might be mediated by enhanced myelination-related processes, suggesting that high-intensity, task-oriented exercises could induce favorable microstructural changes in the brains of patients with multiple sclerosis.
Run-time monitoring and enforcement of electronic contracts

Converting a conventional contract into an electronic equivalent that can be executed and enforced by computers is a challenging task. The difficulties are caused by the ambiguities that the original human-oriented text is likely to contain. The conversion process involves the conversion of the original text into mathematical notation. This paper discusses how standard conventional contracts can be described by means of Finite State Machines (FSMs). This mathematical description helps eliminate ambiguities from the original text before the contract is coded into a computer program. The paper describes how to map the rights and obligations extracted from the clauses of the contract into the states, transition and output functions, and input and output symbols of a FSM. The FSM representation can be used to guarantee that the clauses stipulated in the contract are observed when the contract is executed. The paper describes the middleware required for the enactment of the contract represented as a FSM.