LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Cultural preferences for formal versus intuitive reasoning

The authors examined cultural preferences for formal versus intuitive reasoning among East Asian (Chinese and Korean), Asian American, and European American university students. We investigated categorization (Studies 1 and 2), conceptual structure (Study 3), and deductive reasoning (Studies 3 and 4). In each study a cognitive conflict was activated between formal and intuitive strategies of reasoning. European Americans, more than Chinese and Koreans, set aside intuition in favor of formal reasoning. Conversely, Chinese and Koreans relied on intuitive strategies more than European Americans. Asian Americans’ reasoning was either identical to that of European Americans, or intermediate. Differences emerged against a background of similar reasoning tendencies across cultures in the absence of conflict between formal and intuitive strategies. © 2002 Ara Norenzayan. Published by Cognitive Science Society, Inc. All rights reserved.
The role of emotion regulation in autism spectrum disorder.

OBJECTIVE
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with amplified emotional responses and poor emotional control, but little is known about the underlying mechanisms. This article provides a conceptual and methodologic framework for understanding compromised emotion regulation (ER) in ASD.


METHOD
After defining ER and related constructs, methods to study ER were reviewed with special consideration on how to apply these approaches to ASD. Against the backdrop of cognitive characteristics in ASD and existing ER theories, available research was examined to identify likely contributors to emotional dysregulation in ASD.


RESULTS
Little is currently known about ER in youth with ASD. Some mechanisms that contribute to poor ER in ASD may be shared with other clinical populations (e.g., physiologic arousal, degree of negative and positive affect, alterations in the amygdala and prefrontal cortex), whereas other mechanisms may be more unique to ASD (e.g., differences in information processing/perception, cognitive factors [e.g., rigidity], less goal-directed behavior and more disorganized emotion in ASD).


CONCLUSIONS
Although assignment of concomitant psychiatric diagnoses is warranted in some cases, poor ER may be inherent in ASD and may provide a more parsimonious conceptualization for the many associated socioemotional and behavioral problems in this population. Further study of ER in youth with ASD may identify meaningful subgroups of patients and lead to more effective individualized treatments.
A Resource-Efficient Planning for Pressure Ulcer Prevention

Pressure ulcer is a critical problem for bed-ridden and wheelchair-bound patients, diabetics, and the elderly. Patients need to be regularly repositioned to prevent excessive pressure on a single area of body, which can lead to ulcers. Pressure ulcers are extremely costly to treat and may lead to several other health problems, including death. The current standard for prevention is to reposition at-risk patients every 2 h. Even if it is done properly, a fixed schedule is not sufficient to prevent all ulcers. Moreover, it may result in nurses being overworked by turning some patients too frequently. In this paper, we present an algorithm for finding a nurse-effort optimal repositioning schedule that prevents pressure ulcer formation for a finite planning horizon. Our proposed algorithm uses data from a commercial pressure mat assembled on the bed's surface and provides a sequence of next positions and the time of repositioning for each patient.
Cooperative spectrum sensing using quantized soft decision combining

In this paper, a novel method combining cooperative spectrum sensing with quantized soft decision combining is introduced. In order to allow cognitive radios and cognitive networks to opportunistically use spectrum, it is a prerequisite that the license owner or primary user of the spectrum will not be harmfully interfered and the spectrum band will be vacated as soon as the primary user starts its own transmission. There are results indicating that the reliability of sensing information can be improved by exploiting the spatial dimension via cooperation between cognitive radios. Our approach is to further improve the reliability by sharing sensing information between cooperative radios using quantized soft decision combining. Simulations are conducted for the proposed two bit quantized soft decision combining, hard decision combining and nonquantized soft decision combining in an additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel using Welch's periodogram. Hard decision combining is considered with three different decision making rules and the obtained simulation results are verified with analytical performance results for Welch's periodogram. The results show substantial improvement in the detection probability when sensing information between cooperating nodes is shared using two bits instead of one. By using an additional bit it is possible to reach detection probabilities that in hard decision combining would have required one or more additional cooperative users. The results also indicate that the increase in probability of detection is not as significant when full observation of the signal energy is shared between cooperative radios instead of two bits. Thus, almost all the achievable benefit from soft decision combining can be obtained with the proposed quantized soft decision combining.
Reinforcement Learning with A* and a Deep Heuristic

A∗ is a popular path-finding algorithm, but it can only be applied to those domains where a good heuristic function is known. Inspired by recent methods combining Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) and trees, this study demonstrates how to train a heuristic represented by a DNN and combine it with A∗ . This new algorithm which we call א∗ can be used efficiently in domains where the input to the heuristic could be processed by a neural network. We compare א∗ to N-Step Deep QLearning (DQN Mnih et al. 2013) in a driving simulation with pixel-based input, and demonstrate significantly better performance in this scenario.
Myopia is Inversely Associated With the Prevalence of Diabetic Retinopathy in the South Korean Population.

PURPOSE
Diabetic retinopathy is a major cause of irreversible vision loss. Recent studies have suggested that myopia may be negatively correlated with the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy. We sought to further investigate the association between refractive error and the likelihood of having diabetic retinopathy in a cross-sectional, population-based study of the South Korean population.


DESIGN
Cross-sectional study.


METHODS
Data were included from right eyes of 13 424 participants who were 40 years and older with gradable fundus photographs of the Fourth and the Fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Diabetic retinopathy was graded using standard fundus photographs. Autorefraction data were collected to calculate spherical equivalent of refraction in diopters (D) and further classified into 4 groups: hyperopia (≥1.0 D), emmetropia (-0.99 D to 0.99 D), mild myopia (-1.0 D to -2.99 D), and moderate to high myopia (≤-3.0 D). Demographic, comorbidity, and health-related behavior information was obtained via interview. A multivariate model was used to evaluate the association between the diagnosis of any diabetic retinopathy and the refractive status.


RESULTS
Mild myopia and moderate to high myopia groups were negatively associated with development of any diabetic retinopathy (odds ratio [OR] 0.42; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.18-0.97 and OR 0.14; 95% CI 0.02-0.88, respectively). In addition, for every 1 D increase in spherical equivalent, there was a 30% increase of having diabetic retinopathy (OR 1.30; 95% CI, 1.08-1.58).


CONCLUSIONS
Our results from a population-based study suggest that myopic status is associated with lower odds of having diabetic retinopathy in the South Korean population.
Tables of 64-bit Mersenne twisters

We give new parameters for a Mersenne Twister pseudorandom number gene rator for 64-bit word machines.
Randomized controlled trial of mindfulness-based stress reduction delivered to human immunodeficiency virus-positive patients in Iran: effects on CD4⁺ T lymphocyte count and medical and psychological symptoms.

OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the immediate and long-term effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) on biological and symptomatological markers of health among human immunodeficiency virus-positive (HIV+) patients in Tehran, Iran.


METHODS
Using a randomized controlled trial design, data from 173 HIV+ patients (CD4 count > 250) not yet receiving antiretroviral therapy, who participated in either an 8-week MBSR (n = 87) or a brief education and support condition (n = 86) at the Imam Khomeini Hospital, were analyzed. Assessments included CD4 count, Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90R), and Medical Symptom Checklist (MSCL) at baseline, immediate post-treatment, and at the 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-month follow-up periods.


RESULTS
The treatment-adherent sample had a mean (standard deviation) age of 35.1 (6.5) years and 69% were male. Linear mixed-model estimates indicated that, in the MBSR condition, the mean CD4 count increased from baseline up to 9 months after treatment and then returned to baseline level at 12 months. Improvements in mean SCL-90R (up to 6 months) and MSCL (up to 12 months) scores were observed for the MBSR condition, whereas education and support condition scores remained the same over time; however, only MSCL improvements significantly differed between groups and these changes lasted up to the final assessment.


CONCLUSIONS
Findings suggest that among treatment-adherent Iranian HIV+ patients not yet receiving antiretroviral drug treatment, MBSR seems to have the strongest potential to improve self-reported medical symptoms.


TRIAL REGISTRATION
Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials: IRCT201106084076N2.
Novel ciliate lipases for enzyme replacement during exocrine pancreatic insufficiency.

AIM AND OBJECTIVES
Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency caused by inflammation or pancreatic tumors results in nutrient malfunction by a lack of digestive enzymes and neutralization compounds. Despite satisfactory clinical results with current enzyme therapies, a normalization of fat absorption in patients is rare. An individualized therapy is required that includes high dosage of enzymatic units, usage of enteric coating, and addition of gastric proton pump inhibitors. The key goal to improve this therapy is to identify digestive enzymes with high activity and stability in the gastrointestinal tract.


METHODS
We cloned and analyzed three novel ciliate lipases derived from Tetrahymena thermophila. Using highly precise pH-STAT-titration and colorimetric methods, we determined stability and lipolytic activity under physiological conditions in comparison with commercially available porcine and fungal digestive enzyme preparations. We measured from pH 2.0 to 9.0, with different bile salts concentrations, and substrates such as olive oil and fat derived from pig diet.


RESULTS
Ciliate lipases CL-120, CL-130, and CL-230 showed activities up to 220-fold higher than Creon, pancreatin standard, and rizolipase Nortase within a pH range from pH 2.0 to 9.0. They are highly active in the presence of bile salts and complex pig diet substrate, and more stable after incubation in human gastric juice compared with porcine pancreatic lipase and rizolipase.


CONCLUSIONS
The newly cloned and characterized lipases fulfilled all requirements for high activity under physiological conditions. These novel enzymes are therefore promising candidates for an improved enzyme replacement therapy for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency.
Click chemistry in situ: acetylcholinesterase as a reaction vessel for the selective assembly of a femtomolar inhibitor from an array of building blocks.

The generation and/or optimization of lead compounds by combinatorial methods has become widely accepted in medicinal chemistry, and is the subject of continued improvement.[1±3] However, most combinatorial strategies remain dependent upon iterative cycles of synthesis and screening. The direct involvement of the target, usually a receptor or enzyme, in the selection, evolution, and screening of drug candidates can accelerate the discovery process by shortcircuiting its traditionally stepwise nature.[4±11] The use of an enzyme target to select building blocks and synthesize its own inhibitor is a relatively unexplored option. This approach depends on the simultaneous binding of two ligands, decorated with complementary reactive groups, to adjacent sites on the protein; their co-localization is then likely to accelerate the reaction that connects them.[12] When the catalysis of such bond formation is blocked by product inhibition, the higher affinity products[12±14] then serve as lead compounds. This and similar approaches that have been adopted by a number of investigators employ one of five types of connecting reactions: formation of hydrazone or Schiff base adducts, disulfide bond formation, alkylation of free thiols or amines, epoxide ring-opening, or olefin metathesis.[5, 6, 8, 11, 15±19] Most closely related to the work described herein is the generation of carbonic anhydrase inhibitors by using the SN2 reaction of a thiol with an -chloroketone in the presence of the enzyme target.[16] Most of the above strategies share the limitation that the reactive groups on the ligand probes (building blocks), being either electrophiles or nucleophiles, are likely to react in undesired ways within biochemical systems. An alternative is offered by the TMcream of the crop∫ among TMclick reactions∫[20]–the Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of azides and acetylenes to give 1,2,3-triazoles [Eq. (1)].[21±23] This water-
Persistence and adherence to overactive bladder medications in Japan: A large nationwide real-world analysis.

OBJECTIVES
To evaluate persistence and adherence to mirabegron and antimuscarinics in Japan using data from two administrative databases.


METHODS
The present retrospective study evaluated insurance claims for employees and dependents aged ≤75 years, and pharmacy claims for outpatients. From October 2012 to September 2014, new users of mirabegron or five individual antimuscarinics indicated for overactive bladder in Japan (fesoterodine, imidafenacin, propiverine, solifenacin and tolterodine) were identified and followed for 1 year. Persistence with mirabegron and antimuscarinics were evaluated using Kaplan-Meier methods. Any associations between baseline characteristics (age, sex and previous medication use) and persistence were explored. Adherence was assessed using the medication possession ratio.


RESULTS
In total, 3970 and 16 648 patients were included from the insurance and pharmacy claims databases, respectively. Mirabegron treatment was associated with longer median persistence compared with antimuscarinics (insurance claims: 44 [95% confidence intervals 37-56] vs 21 [14-28] to 30 [30-33] days, pharmacy claims: 105 [96-113] vs 62 [56-77] to 84 [77-86] days). The results were consistent when patients were stratified by age, sex and previous medication. Persistence rate at 1 year was higher for mirabegron (insurance claims: 14.0% [11.5-16.8%] vs 5.4% [4.1-7.0%] to 9.1% [5.3-14.2%], pharmacy claims: 25.9% [24.6-27.3%] vs 16.3% [14.0-18.6%] to 21.3% [20.2-22.4%]). Compared with each antimuscarinic, a higher proportion of mirabegron-treated patients had medication possession ratios ≥0.8.


CONCLUSIONS
This large nationwide Japanese study shows that persistence and adherence are greater with mirabegron compared with five antimuscarinics.
Auctions and Takeovers

auctions and takeovers. Under Delaware law (the predominant corporate law in the US), when a potential acquirer makes a serious bid for a target, the target's board of directors is required to act as would " auctioneers charged with getting the best price for the stockholders at a sale of the company. " (Revlon v. MacAndrews & Forbes, 173). The target's board may not use defensive tactics that destroy the auction process and must attempt to seek higher bids. Similarly, the Williams Act requires takeover bids to remain open for at least 20 business days on the grounds that the delay facilitates auctions. This preference for auctions follows from the view that auctions maximize shareholder returns. In addition, auctions promote efficiency by shifting corporate assets into the hands of those that value them most highly. And auctions mitigate the collective action problem of target shareholders by requiring the target board to seek the highest bid. Takeover auctions differ from traditional auctions in important respects. In a traditional auction, the seller describes what is being sold and states the auction rules in a public announcement. Takeover auctions are instead prompted by a potential buyer. Only after the buyer has expressed an interest in the target are bids from others sought. The process is governed not by a fixed set of auction rules specified by the seller, but rather by complex takeover regulations, which give the target board some latitude in the process. The process is typically not stated in advance, but evolves as bidders and bids arrive. For the most part, the regulations provide ways to defend against hostile takeovers with poison pills, greenmail, and other tactics. Despite these differences, to a first approximation takeovers are well modeled as an ascending-bid auction with significant participation costs. This essay begins by looking at takeover auctions from the point of view of a buyer, focusing on bidding strategy. Then strategies of the target are discussed. Finally, the desirability of takeover auctions is addressed. It is useful to distinguish between two ideal auction settings: common value and private value auctions. In a common value auction, every bidder has the same value for the target, but the bidders have private estimates of this uncertain value. In a private value auction, each bidder knows its own value, but not the values of other bidders. A takeover to displace bad management in which all bidders have similar …
Dose reduction of meloxicam in dogs with osteoarthritis-associated pain and impaired mobility.

BACKGROUND
Progressive nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) dose reduction appears logical; however, there is no evidence-based medicine indicating that efficacy is maintained as dose is reduced.


OBJECTIVE
To determine if NSAID dose can be reduced and pain relief and mobility can be maintained in dogs with osteoarthritis (OA).


ANIMALS
Client-owned dogs (n = 59) with OA-associated impaired mobility and pain.


METHODS
Prospective, randomized, blinded study. After 14 days wash-out, dogs were randomized to reducing dose (RDG) (n = 30) or maintenance dose (MDG) (n = 29). MDG received standard dose meloxicam. RDG received a reducing dose from D28 onward, reducing to 0% of maintenance for the final 2 weeks. Assessments were at D14, 28, 42, 56, 70, 84, 98 and 112 using subjective owner assessments, accelerometry (AM), and standing percent body weight distribution (%BW). A Kaplan-Meier survival curve described how dogs dropped out because of insufficient pain control. A Log-rank test compared the groups.


RESULTS
More dogs in RDG (13) dropped out because of owner-evaluated insufficient pain control compared with MDG (5) (P = .029; odds ratio: 3.67; median dropout time: 84 days in each group). For the dogs that did not drop out (n = 41), there were no significant differences between groups in owner assessments (P > .2 for each), %BW placed on the index limb (P = .750), or accelerometer-measured activity (P = .14).


CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Dose reduction is a less effective means of pain control compared with maintained dosing. However, NSAID dose reduction with maintained efficacy is possible, but success appears to be individual dog dependent.
Visuo-spatial ability in individuals with Down syndrome: is it really a strength?

Down syndrome (DS) is associated with extreme difficulty in verbal skills and relatively better visuo-spatial skills. Indeed, visuo-spatial ability is often considered a strength in DS. However, it is not clear whether this strength is only relative to the poor verbal skills, or, more impressively, relative to cognitive ability in general. To answer this question, we conducted an extensive literature review of studies on visuo-spatial abilities in people with Down syndrome from January 1987 to May 2013. Based on a general taxonomy of spatial abilities patterned after Lohman, Pellegrino, Alderton, and Regian (1987) and Carroll (1993) and existing studies of DS, we included five different domains of spatial abilities - visuo-spatial memory, visuo-spatial construction, mental rotation, closure, and wayfinding. We evaluated a total of 49 studies including 127 different comparisons. Most comparisons involved a group with DS vs. a group with typical development matched on mental age and compared on a task measuring one of the five visuo-spatial abilities. Although further research is needed for firm conclusions on some visuo-spatial abilities, there was no evidence that visuo-spatial ability is a strength in DS relative to general cognitive ability. Rather, the review suggests an uneven profile of visuo-spatial abilities in DS in which some abilities are commensurate with general cognitive ability level, and others are below.
Cross-border Competition and the Recession Effect on Atlantic City ’ s Gaming Volumes

Atlantic City casinos were hit by both the 2007-2009 recession and the addition of legalized gaming in Pennsylvania at about the same time. Results of this study show a significant decrease of $422.9 million in monthly slot coin-in for Atlantic City casinos when Parx and Harrah’s, the first two Pennsylvania casinos, opened. When Sands, SugarHouse, and Valley Forge opened in Pennsylvania during the following year, there was no additional significant effect to Atlantic City casinos’ slot coin-in. Atlantic City casinos also had a significant decrease in table games drop of $34.1 million monthly when table games started in Pennsylvania. The recession had no significant effect on either slots or table games volume once the effect of the new casinos in Pennsylvania was accounted for. To counteract decreased volumes, casino management needs to understand how much gaming volume they are losing to competition and to the recession.
Pigment and amylase production in Penicillium sp NIOM-02 and its radical scavenging activity

Penicillium sp NIOM-02 was isolated from the marine sediment, produced red pigment. The pigment extracted from this fungus scavenged 2, 2-diphenyl-1-pycrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical. Penicillium sp NIOM-02 grown in media containing corn steep liquor scavenged 72-88% of DPPH radical. During solid-state fermentation on wheat (S1), the fungus produced more pigment (9.232 OD Units). Penicillium sp NIOM-02 grown on sugarcane bagasse scavenged 91% of DPPH radicals. It secreted more amylase (246 U/mg) in culture medium No. 5 and the zymogram analysis revealed its molecular mass (53 kDa). The taka-amylase like character of amylase was determined by acarbose incorporated studies in the culture media. Production of pigment and radical scavenging activity of Penicillium sp NIOM-02, suggested its applications in food, pharmaceuticals and nutraceutical industries.