LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Variable frequency and constant frequency modulation techniques for GaN based MHz H-bridge PFC

This paper explores two modulation techniques for power factor corrector (PFC) based on critical conduction mode (CRM) and proposes a new modulation technique which has the benefits of CRM and allows quasi constant switching frequency also. The converter is designed for MHz range switching frequency as high frequency reduces the size of the EMI filter. However at high frequency, the switching losses become the dominant losses making soft switching a necessity. CRM allows zero current switching (ZCS) turn-on but it's not able to achieve zero voltage switching (ZVS) turn-on when the input voltage is greater than half of the output voltage. To achieve ZVS turn-on over the entire mains cycle, triangular current mode (TCM) was proposed by Marxgut, C. et al.[1] but both these methods have the drawback of variable switching frequency. The new method proposed modifies TCM so that the switching frequency is quasi constant and ZVS turn-on is also achieved over the entire mains cycle. Based on analytical loss model of Cascode GaN transistor, the efficiency of the three modulation techniques is compared. Also, the parameters of the EMI filter required are compared based on simulated noise measurement. As variable switching frequency is not preferred in three phase systems, the quasi constant frequency approach finds its benefits in three phase PFC.
Outcome of totally implantable venous-access port-related infections.

OBJECTIVE
We aimed to study factors associated with the outcome of totally implantable venous-access port (TIVAP)-related infections.


PATIENTS AND METHODS
We conducted a prospective and observational cohort study of patients presenting with a solid tumor and TIVAP-related infection.


RESULTS
We monitored 97 patients for 12weeks. The case fatality at 12weeks was high (54%). Factors associated with case fatality at week 12 included patients' underlying cancer (metastatic status, parenteral nutrition, home care). Infectious complications (local abscess, hematogenous metastases, infection recurrence, septic shock) were frequently observed (48%). The delay in TIVAP removal was the only variable significantly associated with complications (TIVAP removed more than a week after removal decision, P=0.001, or more than a week after onset of clinical symptoms, P=0.002). On the basis of IDSA guidelines, we also observed that 25% of patients whose TIVAP had been removed could have benefited from a conservative treatment. Infections occurring within a month of TIVAP implantation were significantly associated with a Staphylococcus aureus infection (P=0.008).


CONCLUSION
Case fatality is high in this population of patients due to the poor status of patients. TIVAP should be promptly removed when appropriate but the patient's poor status might delay or even prevent its removal. Some patients could instead benefit from a conservative treatment. There is currently no recommendation for this therapeutic option and studies are needed to clarify its efficacy. Additionally, infection occurring within a month of TIVAP insertion could be a supplementary criterion for removal as S. aureus is associated with early infection.
Effect of manual lymph drainage in addition to guidelines and exercise therapy on arm lymphoedema related to breast cancer: randomised controlled trial

OBJECTIVE
To determine the preventive effect of manual lymph drainage on the development of lymphoedema related to breast cancer.


DESIGN
Randomised single blinded controlled trial.


SETTING
University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.


PARTICIPANTS
160 consecutive patients with breast cancer and unilateral axillary lymph node dissection. The randomisation was stratified for body mass index (BMI) and axillary irradiation and treatment allocation was concealed. Randomisation was done independently from recruitment and treatment. Baseline characteristics were comparable between the groups.


INTERVENTION
For six months the intervention group (n = 79) performed a treatment programme consisting of guidelines about the prevention of lymphoedema, exercise therapy, and manual lymph drainage. The control group (n = 81) performed the same programme without manual lymph drainage.


MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Cumulative incidence of arm lymphoedema and time to develop arm lymphoedema, defined as an increase in arm volume of 200 mL or more in the value before surgery.


RESULTS
Four patients in the intervention group and two in the control group were lost to follow-up. At 12 months after surgery, the cumulative incidence rate for arm lymphoedema was comparable between the intervention group (24%) and control group (19%) (odds ratio 1.3, 95% confidence interval 0.6 to 2.9; P = 0.45). The time to develop arm lymphoedema was comparable between the two group during the first year after surgery (hazard ratio 1.3, 0.6 to 2.5; P = 0.49). The sample size calculation was based on a presumed odds ratio of 0.3, which is not included in the 95% confidence interval. This odds ratio was calculated as (presumed cumulative incidence of lymphoedema in intervention group/presumed cumulative incidence of no lymphoedema in intervention group)×(presumed cumulative incidence of no lymphoedema in control group/presumed cumulative incidence of lymphoedema in control group) or (10/90)×(70/30).


CONCLUSION
Manual lymph drainage in addition to guidelines and exercise therapy after axillary lymph node dissection for breast cancer is unlikely to have a medium to large effect in reducing the incidence of arm lymphoedema in the short term. Trial registration Netherlands Trial Register No NTR 1055.
Licensing Software Engineers?

To further your professional development, should you aim to become a licensed professional software engineer? The author answers this question, as well as questions about when and where licensing is important.
Substance use and substance use disorders in recently deployed and never deployed soldiers.

BACKGROUND
Military studies investigating the prevalence of substance use (SU) and substance use disorders (SUD) and the relation between SU and mental disorders often lack a comprehensive assessment of SU, SUD and mental disorders and comparable groups of deployed and non-deployed personnel. There is also limited data regarding SU and SUD in the German military to date.


METHODS
Cross-sectional examination of n=1483 soldiers recently deployed in Afghanistan and 889 never deployed soldiers using a fully-standardized diagnostic interview (MI-CIDI) including a comprehensive substance section.


RESULTS
Across both groups, 12-months prevalence of DSM-IV alcohol use disorders was 3.1%, 36.9% reported binge drinking, 13.9% heavy drinking, 1.3% illegal drug use. 55.1% were regular smokers, 10.9% nicotine dependent. Although recently deployed soldiers revealed slightly higher rates in some measures, there were no significant differences to the never deployed regarding SU und SUD except that recently deployed soldiers smoked more cigarettes per day. The association of SU with mental mental disorders was substantially different though, revealing significant associations between SU and mental disorders only among recently deployed soldiers.


CONCLUSIONS
We do not find remarkable differences in the prevalence of SU and SUD between recently deployed and never deployed soldiers. Especially binge drinking and regular smoking were prevalent across both samples indicating needs for improved interventions. The finding that SU and mental disorders are only associated in recently deployed soldiers might have implications for improved screening and prevention and suggests that deployment might promote different pathways and mechanisms involved in the evolution of SU and mental disorders.
Neural Network Ensembles

We propose several means for improving the performance and training of neural networks for classification. We use crossvalidation as a tool for optimizing network parameters and architecture. We show further that the remaining residual “generalization” error can be reduced by invoking ensembles of similar networks. Zndex Terms-Crossvalidation, fault tolerant computing, neural networks, N-version programming.
On the maximal universal acceleration in deterministic Finslerian models

The existence of a Maximal Acceleration for Deterministic Finslerian Models at the Planck scale is shown. The meaning of this result is analyzed and as a consequence, the relativity group O(1, 6) is introduced and discussed. The connection with bosonic string theory is noted.
Compensated broadband five-section directional coupler for application in butler matrices

A broadband five-section symmetrical 3 dB directional coupler has been designed. In order to improve the frequency characteristic of the coupler a recently proposed compensation technique has been used. The developed coupler operates in 2–12 GHz frequency band and can be applied in a broadband 4×4 Butler matrix.
Amplitude convergence in children²s conversational speech with animated personas

During interpersonal conversation, both children and adults adapt the basic acoustic-prosodic features of their speech to converge with those of their conversational partner. In this study, 7-to-10year-old children interacted with a conversational interface in which animated characters used text-to-speech output (TTS) to answer questions about marine biology. Analysis of children’s speech to different animated characters revealed a 29% average change in energy when they spoke to an extroverted loud software partner (E), compared with an introverted soft-spoken one (I). The majority, or 77% of children, adapted their amplitude toward their partner’s TTS voice. These adaptations were bi-directional, with increases in amplitude observed during I to E condition shifts, and ecreases during E to I shifts. Finally, these results generalized across different user groups and TTS voices. Implications are discussed for guiding children’s speech to remain within system processing bounds, and for the future development of robust and adaptive conversational interf ac s.
Improving legal information retrieval using the Wikipedia knowledge base, legal ontology and the Eurovoc Thesaurus

The ability to find relevant legal information is a fundamental component of a legal experts and AI. We propose a model for legal information retrieval that exploits the capabilities of a legal ontology enriching it with knowledge extracted from Wikipedia.
Achieving and Managing Availability SLAs with ITIL Driven Processes, DevOps, and Workflow Tools

System and application availability continues to be a fundamental characteristic of IT services. In recent years the IT Operations team at Wolters Kluwer CT Corporation has placed special focus on this area. Using a combination of goals, metrics, processes, organizational models, communication methods, corrective maintenance, root cause analysis, preventative engineering, automated alerting, and workflow automation significant progress has been made in meeting availability SLAs or Service Level Agreements. This paper presents the background of this work, approach, details of its implementation, and results. A special focus is provided on the use of a classical ITIL view as operationalized in an Agile and DevOps environment. Keywords: System Availability, Software Reliability, ITIL, Workflow Automation, Process Engineering, Production Support, Customer Support, Product Support, Change Management, Release Management, Incident Management, Problem Management, Organizational Design, Scrum, Agile, DevOps, Service Level Agreements, Software Measurement, Microsoft SharePoint.
Downregulation of FOXO3a promotes tumor metastasis and is associated with metastasis-free survival of patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

PURPOSE
To explore the mechanisms underlying clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) metastasis using transcriptional profiling and bioinformatics analysis of ccRCC samples, and to elucidate the role of FOXO3a in ccRCC metastasis.


EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN
Gene expression profiling was performed using four primary metastatic and five primary nonmetastatic ccRCC samples. The mRNA and protein levels of FOXO3a in ccRCC samples were investigated by real-time reverse transcription PCR and immunohistochemistry, respectively. The association between metastasis-free survival of patients with ccRCC and FOXO3a mRNA levels was analyzed. Biologic functions of FOXO3a in renal cancer cell lines were investigated. The influence of FOXO3a on tumor metastasis was also studied in vivo orthotopic xenograft tumor model. Finally, the mechanism by which FOXO3a attenuation could increase invasion and migration of tumor cells was explored.


RESULTS
Bioinformatics analysis of the profiling data identified FOXO3a as a key factor in ccRCC metastasis. FOXO3a expression was decreased in primary metastatic ccRCC samples. Patients with low FOXO3a mRNA levels had poor metastasis-free survival (P = 0.003). Knocking down FOXO3a induced tumor cell invasion and migration in the nonmetastatic ccRCC cells. Induced FOXO3a overexpression in SN12-PM6 cells could inhibit tumor metastasis in vivo. Downregulation of FOXO3a increased SNAIL1 expression, thereby activating the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of RCC cell lines.


CONCLUSIONS
The loss of FOXO3a induced EMT of tumor cells by upregulating SNAIL1, which promoted tumor cells metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Thus, FOXO3a could be considered as an independent prognostic factor in ccRCC metastasis and could be a marker of occult metastases.
Middle Square Weyl Sequence RNG

In this article, we propose a new implementation of John von Neumann's middle square random number generator (RNG). A Weyl sequence is utilized to keep the generator running through a long period.
New Linear-Time Algorithms for Edge-Coloring Planar Graphs

We show efficient algorithms for edge-coloring planar graphs. Our main result is a linear-time algorithm for coloring planar graphs with maximum degree Δ with max {Δ,9} colors. Thus the coloring is optimal for graphs with maximum degree Δ≥9. Moreover for Δ=4,5,6 we give linear-time algorithms that use Δ+2 colors. These results improve over the algorithms of Chrobak and Yung (J. Algorithms 10:35–51, 1989) and of Chrobak and Nishizeki (J. Algorithms 11:102–116, 1990) which color planar graphs using max {Δ,19} colors in linear time or using max {Δ,9} colors in $\mathcal{O}(n\log n)$ time.
The sitting position in neurosurgery: indications, complications and results. a single institution experience of 600 cases

The benefit of the sitting position for surgery of the posterior fossa and cervical spine is still a matter of controversy. In our study we analyzed the outcome after sitting position surgery at our institution. We compared the incidence of venous air embolism (VAE) as recognized with different monitoring techniques and the severity of complications. We retrospectively analyzed 600 patients, who underwent surgery for different posterior fossa and cervical spine pathologies, respectively, in the sitting position at our institution from 1995 to 2011. Intraoperative monitoring for VAE included endtidal CO2 level, Doppler ultrasound or intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). We defined VAE as a decrease of the endtidal CO2 levels by more than 4 mm Hg, a characteristic sound in the thoracic Doppler, or any sign of air in the TEE. We found an overall incidence of VAE in 19 % of all patients, whereas the rate of severe complications associated with VAE such as a decline of partial oxygen pressure (pO2) or a drop of blood pressure was only 3.3 % in all patients. Only three out of 600 operations had to be terminated because of non-controllable VAE (0.5 %). There was no mortality resulting from VAE in our series. We also found a difference in the incidence of VAE depending on the monitoring technique. The VAE rate as monitored with TEE was 25.6 % whereas the incidence of VAE in patients monitored with Doppler ultrasound was 9.4 %. The rate of a significant VAE was comparable in both methods 4.8 % vs. 1.2 %. All patients were preoperatively screened for persisting foramen ovale (PFO); 24 patients with clinically confirmed PFO were included in this series. There was no case of paradox air embolism. In our series, VAE was detected in 19 % of all patients in the sitting position. However, in only 0.5 % of cases a termination of the surgical procedure became necessary. In all other cases, the cause of air embolism could be found and eliminated during surgery. TEE was found to be the monitoring technique with the highest sensitivity. In our opinion, the sitting position is a safe positioning technique if TEE monitoring is used.
To Give Is Better Than to Receive: The Benefits of Peer Review to the Reviewer's Own Writing.

Although peer review has been shown to be beneficial in many writing classrooms, the benefits of peer review to the reviewer, or the student giving feedback, has not been thoroughly investigated in second-language writing research. The purpose of this study is to determine which is more beneficial to improving student writing: giving or receiving peer feedback. The study was conducted at an intensive English institute with ninety-one students in nine writing classes at two proficiency levels. The ‘‘givers’’ reviewed anonymous papers but received no peer feedback over the course of the semester, while the ‘‘receivers’’ received feedback but did not review other students’ writing. An analysis in the gains in writing ability measured from writing samples collected at the beginning and end of the semester indicated that the givers, who focused solely on reviewing peers’ writing, made more significant gains in their own writing over the course of the semester than did the receivers, who focused solely on how to use peer feedback. Results also indicated that givers at the lower proficiency level made more gains than those at higher proficiency levels and that slightly more gains were observed on global than local aspects of writing. # 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Pilot Testing Fall TIPS (Tailoring Interventions for Patient Safety): a Patient-Centered Fall Prevention Toolkit.

BACKGROUND
Patient falls during an acute hospitalization cause injury, reduced mobility, and increased costs. The laminated paper Fall TIPS Toolkit (Fall TIPS) provides clinical decision support at the bedside by linking each patient's fall risk assessment with evidence-based interventions. Strategies were needed to integrate this evidence into clinical practice.


METHODS
The Institute for Healthcare Improvement's Framework for Spread is the conceptual model for pilot implementation of Fall TIPS at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH; Boston) and Montefiore Medical Center (MMC; Bronx, New York). The key to translating the evidence into practice was engaging stakeholders by leveraging existing shared governance structures, identifying unit champions, holding training sessions for all staff, and implementing auditing to assess and provide feedback on protocol adherence and patient outcomes.


RESULTS
BWH unit compliance with using Fall TIPS averaged 82%, the mean fall rate decreased from 3.28 to 2.80 falls per 1,000 patient-days from January through June 2015 versus 2016, and the mean fall with injury rate for these periods decreased from 1.00 to 0.54 per 1,000 patient-days. At MMC, compliance averaged 91%, but the mean fall rate increased marginally from 3.04 to 3.10, while the mean fall with injury rate decreased from 0.47 to 0.31 per 1,000 patient-days. Patient knowledge survey results show improvement in knowledge of the risks for falls and the ways to prevent falls.


CONCLUSION
Engaging hospital and clinical leadership is critical in translating evidence-based care into clinical practice. Barriers to adoption of the protocol have been addressed and detailed to provide guidance for spread to other institutions.
Engineering Equipment of the Manchester School of Technology

THE report on engineering work at the British Association Meeting at Southport in your issue of October 29 contains certain criticisms with regard to the engineering equipment of the Manchester School of Technology. The responsibility for the character of this equipment rests ultimately upon me as the professional adviser of the Technical Instruction Committee, and I would therefore seek some space in your valued columns for making reply.
Password Security - A Case History

This paper describes the history of the design of the password security scheme on a remotely accessed time-sharing system. The present design was the result of countering observed attempts to penetrate the system. The result is a compromise between extreme security and ease of use.
Text summarization techniques: SVM versus neural networks

Automated text summarization is important to for humans to better manage the massive information explosion. Several machine learning approaches could be successfully used to handle the problem. This paper reports the results of our study to compare the performance between neural networks and support vector machines for text summarization. Both models have the ability to discover non-linear data and are effective model when dealing with large datasets.
Can informed choice invitations lead to inequities in intentions to make lifestyle changes among participants in a primary care diabetes screening programme? Evidence from a randomized trial.

OBJECTIVE
To test whether information about benefits and harms of screening for type 2 diabetes increases intentions to make lifestyle changes amongst attenders, predominantly among the socially advantaged and those with a strong future time orientation.


STUDY DESIGN
Planned subgroup analysis of attenders for screening participating in a randomized controlled trial of an informed choice invitation vs a standard invitation to attend for type 2 diabetes screening.


METHODS
Potentially eligible participants were identified from practice registers using routine data which were used to calculate risk scores for diabetes for all aged 40-69 years without known type 2 diabetes and area deprivation based on post code. In total, 1272 individuals in the top 25% risk category were randomized to receive one of two invitations to attend their practices for screening: an informed choice invitation or a standard invitation. The subsequent attenders completed self-report measures of future time orientation and deprivation immediately before undergoing a screening test.


RESULTS
Individual-level deprivation demonstrated a significant moderator effect [F (4,635) = 4.32, P = 0.002]: individuals who were high in deprivation had lower intentions to engage in lifestyle change following receipt of the informed choice invitation. However, intentions were not patterned by deprivation when it was assessed at the area-level using the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2007. The hypothesized moderating effect of future time orientation on invitation type was also supported [F(14,613) = 2.46, P = 0.002): individuals low in future time orientation had markedly lower intentions to engage in lifestyle change following receipt of an informed choice invitation compared with a standard invitation for screening.


CONCLUSION
Efforts to enhance informed choice where the implications of diagnosis are a requirement for lifestyle change may require that the immediate benefits are communicated, and efforts to address the apparent barriers to diabetes self-care are made, if the potential for inequity is to be avoided.