LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Post-irradiation hardness development, chemical softening, and thermal stability of bulk-fill and conventional resin-composites.

OBJECTIVES
To measure bottom/top hardness ratio of bulk-fill and conventional resin-composite materials, and to assess hardness changes after dry and ethanol storage. Filler content and kinetics of thermal decomposition were also tested using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA).


METHODS
Six bulk-fill (SureFil SDR, Venus bulk fill, X-tra base, Filtek bulk fill flowable, Sonic fill, and Tetric EvoCeram bulk-fill) and eight conventional resin-composite materials (Grandioso flow, Venus Diamond flow, X-flow, Filtek Supreme Ultra Flowable, Grandioso, Venus Diamond, TPH Spectrum, and Filtek Z250) were tested (n=5). Initial and 24h (post-cure dry storage) top and bottom microhardness values were measured. Microhardness was re-measured after the samples were stored in 75% ethanol/water solution. Thermal decomposition and filler content were assessed by TGA. Results were analysed using one-way ANOVA and paired sample t-test (α=0.05).


RESULTS
All materials showed significant increase of microhardness after 24h of dry storage which ranged from 100.1% to 9.1%. Bottom/top microhardness ratio >0.9 was exhibited by all materials. All materials showed significant decrease of microhardness after 24h of storage in 75% ethanol/water which ranged from 14.5% to 74.2%. The extent of post-irradiation hardness development was positively correlated to the extent of ethanol softening (R(2)=0.89, p<0.001). Initial thermal decomposition temperature assessed by TGA was variable and was correlated to ethanol softening.


CONCLUSIONS
Bulk-fill resin-composites exhibit comparable bottom/top hardness ratio to conventional materials at recommended manufacturer thickness. Hardness was affected to a variable extent by storage with variable inorganic filler content and initial thermal decomposition shown by TGA.


CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE
The manufacturer recommended depth of cure of bulk-fill resin-composites can be reached based on the microhardness method. Characterization of the primary polymer network of a resin-composite material should be considered when evaluating its stability in the aqueous oral environment.
Analogy and the dual-route model of morphology

Prasada and Pinker’s (1993) subjects provided past tense forms of nonce verbs. The subject’s willingness to provide irregular past tense forms correlated with the verb’s phonological similarity to existing irregular English verbs. However, there was no correlation between the number of nonce verbs assigned regular inflection, and the verb’s similarity to existing regular verbs. According to the dual-route model, this is expected since irregular items are stored in associative memory, while regular items take an allomorph of -ed by rule. A singleroute connectionist simulation failed to duplicate the subject’s behavior on regular verbs. Two instance-based models were applied to the data: Analogical Modeling of Language and the Tilburg Memory Based Learner. Each model employed a similarity algorithm to determine the behavior of all regular and irregular items. Both models successfully mirrored the subject’s responses. Therefore, the data are consistent with an instance-based single-route model of morphology.
Comparison of training methods to improve walking in persons with chronic spinal cord injury: a randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE
To compare two forms of device-specific training - body-weight-supported (BWS) ambulation on a fixed track (TRK) and BWS ambulation on a treadmill (TM) - to comprehensive physical therapy (PT) for improving walking speed in persons with chronic, motor-incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI).


METHODS
Thirty-five adult subjects with a history of chronic SCI (>1 year; AIS 'C' or 'D') participated in a 13-week (1 hour/day; 3 days per week) training program. Subjects were randomized into one of the three training groups. Subjects in the two BWS groups trained without the benefit of additional input from a physical therapist or gait expert. For each training session, performance values and heart rate were monitored. Pre- and post-training maximal 10-m walking speed, balance, muscle strength, fitness, and quality of life were assessed in each subject.


RESULTS
All three training groups showed significant improvement in maximal walking speed, muscle strength, and psychological well-being. A significant improvement in balance was seen for PT and TRK groups but not for subjects in the TM group. In all groups, post-training measures of fitness, functional independence, and perceived health and vitality were unchanged.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results demonstrate that persons with chronic, motor-incomplete SCI can improve walking ability and psychological well-being following a concentrated period of ambulation therapy, regardless of training method. Improvement in walking speed was associated with improved balance and muscle strength. In spite of the fact that we withheld any formal input of a physical therapist or gait expert from subjects in the device-specific training groups, these subjects did just as well as subjects receiving comprehensive PT for improving walking speed and strength. It is likely that further modest benefits would accrue to those subjects receiving a combination of device-specific training with input from a physical therapist or gait expert to guide that training.
The Influence of Background Music on the Behavior of Restaurant Patrons Author ( s ) :

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A computer tool for simulation and analysis : the Robotics Toolbox for MATLAB

This paper introduces, in tutorial form, a Robotics Toolbox for MATLAB that allows the user to easily create and manipulate datatypes fundamental to robotics such as homogeneous transformations, quaternions and trajectories. Functions provided for arbitrary serial-link manipulators include forward and inverse kinematics, and forward and inverse dynamics. The complete Toolbox and documentation is freely available via anonymous ftp.
Mobilizing social support networks to improve cancer screening: the COACH randomized controlled trial study design

Disadvantaged populations face many barriers to cancer care, including limited support in navigating through the complexities of the healthcare system. Family members play an integral role in caring for patients and provide valuable care coordination; however, the effect of family navigators on adherence to cancer screening has not previously been evaluated. Training and evaluating trusted family members and other support persons may improve cancer outcomes for vulnerable patients. Guided by principles of community based participatory research (CBPR), “Evaluating Coaches of Older Adults for Cancer Care and Healthy Behaviors (COACH)” is a community-based randomized controlled trial to assess the effectiveness of a trained participant-designated coach (support person or care giver) in navigating cancer-screening for older African American adults, 50–74 years old. Participants are randomly assigned as dyads (participant + coach pair) to receiving either printed educational materials only (PEM—control group) or educational materials plus coach training (COACH—intervention group). We defined a coach as family member, friend, or other lay support person designated by the older adult. The coach training is designed as a one-time, 35- to 40-minute training consisting of: 1) a didactic session that covers the role of the coach, basic facts about colorectal, breast and cervical cancers (including risk factors, signs and symptoms and screening modalities), engaging the healthcare provider in cancer screening, insurance coverage for screening, and related healthcare issues, 2) three video skits addressing misconceptions about and planning for cancer screening, and 3) an interactive role-play session with the trainer to reinforce and practice strategies for encouraging the participant to get screened. The primary study outcome is the difference in the proportion of participants completing at least one of the recommended screenings (for breast, cervix or colorectal cancer) between the control and intervention groups. Building on trusted patient contacts to encourage cancer screening, COACH is a highly sustainable intervention in a high-risk population. It has the potential to minimize the effect of mistrust of the medical establishment on screening behaviors by mobilizing participants’ existing support networks. If effective, the intervention could have a high impact on health care disparities research across multiple diseases. ClinicalTrials.gov ( NCT01613430 ). Registered June 5, 2012
Generating Finite State Machines from System C

SystemC is a system level language proposed to raise the abstraction level for embedded systems design and verification. In this paper, we propose to generate finite state machines (FSM) from SystemC designs using two algorithms originally proposed for the generation of FSM from abstract state machines (ASM). This proposal enables the integration of SystemC with existing tools for test case generation from FSM. Hence, enabling two important applications: (1) using the FSM graph structure to produce test suites allowing functional testing of SystemC designs; and (2) performing conformance testing, where the FSM serves as a precise model of the observable behavior of the system used to validate lower abstraction levels of the design (e.g., register transfer level (RTL))
Prevention of depression and anxiety in later life: design of a randomized controlled trial for the clinical and economic evaluation of a life-review intervention

BACKGROUND
Depressive and anxiety symptoms in older adults could develop into significant health problems with detrimental effects on quality of life and a possibly poor prognosis. Therefore, there is a need for preventive interventions which are at once effective, acceptable and economic affordable.


METHODS AND DESIGN
This paper describes the design of a study evaluating "The stories we live by", a preventive life-review group intervention, which was recently developed for adults of 55 years and over with depressive and anxiety symptoms. Both clinical and economic effectiveness will be evaluated in a pragmatic randomized controlled trial. The participants in the intervention condition will receive the 8-session preventive intervention. The participants in the control condition will have access to usual care. Clinical end-terms are depressive and anxiety symptoms, current major depressive episode, quality of life and positive mental health post-treatment (3 months after baseline) and at follow-ups (6 and 12 months after baseline). Additional goals of this study are to identify groups for whom the intervention is particularly effective and to identify the therapeutic pathways that are vital in inducing clinical change. This will be done by analyzing if treatment response is moderated by demographics, personality, past major depressive episodes, important life events and chronically disease, and mediated by reminiscence functions, perceived control, automatic positive thoughts and meaning in life. Finally the cost-effectiveness of the intervention relative to care as usual will be assessed by computing incremental costs per case of depression and anxiety avoided (cost-effectiveness) and per quality adjusted life year (QALY) (cost utility).


DISCUSSION
It is expected that both the life-review intervention and its evaluation will contribute to the existing body of knowledge in several ways. First, the intervention is unique in linking life-review with narrative therapy and in its focus on specific, positive memories. Second, the evaluation is likely to answer questions regarding the acceptability and cost-effectiveness of life-review that have not been addressed thoroughly until now. Positive results of this study will make available a new evidence-based intervention to improve public health among people of 55 years and over.


TRIAL REGISTRATION
Nederlands Trial Register TC = 1860.
Novel intrusion prediction mechanism based on honeypot log similarity

The current network-based intrusion detection systems have a very high rate of false alarms, and this phenomena results in significant efforts to gauge the threat level of the anomalous traffic. In this paper, we propose an intrusion detection mechanism based on honeypot log similarity analysis and data mining techniques to predict and block suspicious flows before attacks occur. With honeypot logs and association rule mining, our approach can reduce the false alarm problem of intrusion detection because only suspicious traffic would be present in the honeypots. The proposed mechanism can reduce human effort, and the entire system can operate automatically. The results of our experiments indicate that the honeypot prediction system is practical for protecting assets from attacks or misuse. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Speaking in Tones

Just as humans are different genetically, so are they diverse linguistically, speaking at least 6,800 known tongues worldwide. New findings suggest genetics could explain some of the variety seen in language by, at times, leading to preferences for tones. The means by which this link works remains unclear, and some researchers dispute whether it exists. For the most part, languages are either unambiguously tonal or not. In tone languages, such as Mandarin in China or Yoruba in West Africa, the pitch of a spoken word affects its meaning. For instance, in Mandarin, ma said in a high, level tone means “mother” but in a low, rising tone means “horse.” In English, a word’s pitch conveys emotion but often does not influence meaning. (Notable exceptions to this dichotomy include Japanese, where words can differ depending on the pitch of syllables—technically, moras—within them.) This distinction could be genetic, propose University of Edinburgh linguists Robert Ladd and Dan Dediu. The pair analyzed DNA sequences from public databases to investigate two genes linked with brain growth and development, ASPM and Microcephalin. They wanted to see how these genes correlated with 26 linguistic features, such as number of consonants, and how they varied among 49 distinct populations in the Old World. The researchers discovered that people LINGUISTICS
The effectiveness of mutual support group intervention for Chinese families of people with schizophrenia: a randomised controlled trial with 24-month follow-up.

BACKGROUND
Positive effects on the relapse from illness and compliance with medication by patients have been observed from family intervention for schizophrenia. However, little attention has been paid to the effects on family members, particularly those in non-Western countries. Inconsistent and inconclusive findings were found on the family-related outcomes and longer-term effects of family intervention.


OBJECTIVE
This study tested the effects of a nine-month family-led mutual support group for Chinese people with schizophrenia, compared with a psycho-education group and standard psychiatric care over a 24-month follow-up.


DESIGN
A randomised controlled trial [registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT00940394)] with repeated-measures, three-group design.


SETTINGS
Two regional psychiatric outpatient clinics in Hong Kong.


PARTICIPANTS
One hundred and thirty-five Chinese family caregivers and their patients with schizophrenia were randomly recruited, of whom 45 family dyads received family-led mutual support group, a psycho-education group, or standard care.


METHODS
After completing the pre-test questionnaire, the participants were randomly assigned into one of the three study groups. The mutual support and psycho-education groups comprised 14 two-hour group sessions, with patients participating in at least 5 sessions. Those in standard care (and two treatment groups) received routine psychiatric care. Multiple patient and family-related psychosocial outcomes were compared at recruitment and at one week, 12 months, and 24 months following interventions.


RESULTS
One hundred and twenty-six of 135 family dyads completed the three post-tests and 43 (95.6%) attended at least nine group sessions (60%) of the mutual support group programme. Mean ages of the family caregivers in the study ranged from 41.2 (SD=7.0) to 42.7 (SD=7.6) years. About two-thirds of the caregivers were male and patients' parent or spouse. The results of multivariate analysis of variance followed by Helmert contrasts tests indicated that the participants in the mutual support group indicated significantly greater improvement in family and patient functioning [F(2, 132)=5.40, p=0.005 and F(2, 132)=6.88, p=0.001, respectively] and social support for families [F(2, 131)=5.01, p=0.005], and in reducing patients' symptom severity [F(2, 132)=4.65, p=0.01] and length of re-hospitalisations [F(2, 132)=4.78, p=0.01] at 12- and 24-month follow-ups.


CONCLUSIONS
Family-led mutual support group for schizophrenia produces longer-term benefits to both the patients' and families' functioning and relapse prevention for patients, compared with psycho-education and standard care. This group programme can be an effective family intervention for Chinese people with schizophrenia.
An Improved Microcontroller-Based Sensorless Brushless DC (BLDC) Motor Drive for Automotive Applications

The direct back-electromotive-force (EMF) detection method previously described in a sensorless brushless dc (BLDC) motor-drive system (Proc. IEEE APEC, 2002, pp. 33-38) synchronously samples the motor back EMF during the pulsewidth-modulation (PWM) off time without the need to sense or reconstruct the motor neutral. Since this direct back-EMF-sensing scheme requires a minimum PWM off time to sample the back-EMF signal, the duty cycle is limited to something less than 100%. In this paper, an improved direct back-EMF detection scheme that samples the motor back EMF synchronously during either the PWM on time or the PWM off time is proposed to overcome the problem. In this paper, some techniques for automotive applications, such as motor-rotation detection, and current sensing are proposed as well. Experimental results are presented
Epidemiology of ocular allergy and co-morbidities in adolescents.

OBJECTIVE
The prevalence of allergic conjunctivitis (AC) has not been established. Estimates suggest that ocular allergies affect 15% to 20% of the worldwide population, yet most epidemiological studies encompass nasal and ocular allergy symptoms and have not been specific to AC. The aim of this study was to verify the prevalence of ocular allergy symptoms, co-morbidities, and their impact on adolescents.


METHODS
Adolescents were selected from a sample of schools, and completed in classrooms a previously validated questionnaire on symptoms of AC. AC diagnosis was considered when more than three episodes of ocular itching were reported in the past 12 months. Related symptoms such as tearing, photophobia, foreign body sensation, impact on daily activities, and diagnosis of AC were analyzed.


RESULTS
Questionnaires were obtained from 3,120 adolescents (mean age 13.3±1.1 years). Ocular itching in the past 12 months occurred in 1,592 (51%). The most frequently associated symptom was tearing (74%), followed by photophobia (50.1%) and foreign body sensation (37.1%). The prevalence of AC was 20.7%, affecting more females than males (56.1% versus 45.9%; p= 0.01). The risks of an adolescent with ocular allergy to present asthma, rhinitis, and atopic eczema were (OR= 5.7; 95% CI: 4.5 to 7.1), (OR=3.6; 95% CI: 3.0 to 4.3), and (OR=2.6; 95% CI: 2.0 to 3.5), respectively. Severe interference in daily activities was reported by 30.5%.


CONCLUSIONS
Symptoms of ocular allergy are common, frequently associated to other allergic diseases, and impact the daily activities of adolescents.
On Bias , Variance , 0 / 1-Loss , and the Curse-of-Dimensionality

The purpose of this document is to summarize the main points from the paper, “On Bias, Variance, 0/1 Loss, and the Curse of Dimensionality”, written by Jerome H.Friedman(1997).
Does gender matter? A vignette study of general practitioners' management skills in handling patients with alcohol-related problems.

AIMS
The aims of this study were to analyse the perceptions of female and male primary care physicians (PCPs) of alcohol problems in male and female patients, their recommendations to reduce or abstain from alcohol, their referrals to treatment and their views of safe levels of drinking for male and female patients. These factors were related to the physicians' own alcohol consumption.


METHODS
A slightly adjusted version of the WHO Collaborative Study Questionnaire for General Practitioners was posted to all PCPs (n = 132) in the district of Skaraborg, Sweden, of whom 68 PCPs responded. In the questionnaire, the PCPs' perceptions of two patient vignettes were analysed.


RESULTS
Both the gender of the patients in the vignettes and of the PCPs influenced the advice and the referrals that the patients received: 83% of male excessive drinkers and 47% of female excessive drinkers were recommended to cut down on drinking. In 50% of cases, the male excessive drinker was not referred, compared with 25% for the female excessive drinker. This was statistically significant only for excessive drinkers. The odds ratio for referral to any treatment was 0.33 (CI = 0.12-0.93) for the male excessive drinker compared with the female excessive drinker. The male PCP referred the excessive drinker less often to any treatment than did the female PCP, odds ratio 0.26 (CI = 0.08-0.90). The upper limit of alcohol consumption before the PCPs would advise the patient to cut down was significantly higher for PCPs with the AUDIT-C score >or= 3. The limit was 146 g/week for male patients and 103 g/week for female patients. Corresponding figures for PCP with the AUDIT-C score <or= 2 were 89 and 68 g/week.


CONCLUSION
Male patients were less likely to be advised to stop drinking altogether than female patients and were less likely to be referred, according to this vignette study. Taking into account that male patients have a higher prevalence of alcohol problems, this may be of considerable importance for men's health outcomes. Implications of these findings are the need to increase awareness of male excessive drinking and that gendered perceptions might bias alcohol management recommendations.