LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Dielectric spectroscopy of metal nanoparticle doped liquid crystal displays exhibiting frequency modulation response

Twisted nematic liquid crystal displays (TN-LCDs), doped with the nanoparticles of metal, such as Pd, Ag, or Ag-Pd, which are protected with ligand molecules, such as nematic liquid crystal, exhibit a frequency modulation (FM) electro-optical (EO) response with short response time of milliseconds (ms) or sub-ms order together with the ordinary rms voltage response. These devices are called FM/AM-TN-LCDs; they are distinct from the ordinary LCDs featured by the amplitude modulation (AM) response. The phenomena of the FM/AM LCDs may be attributed to the dielectric dispersion of a heterogeneous dielectric medium known as the Maxwell-Wagner effect. It is experimentally shown that the frequency range spreads from several tens hertz to several tens kilohertz and the spectrum is more or less centered about the dielectric relaxation frequency. We formulated a theory based on an equivalent circuit model to evaluate the dielectric relaxation frequency and the dielectric strengths; and we succeeded in explaining the dependence of the dielectric relaxation frequency on the concentration of nanoparticles and the their dielectric and electrical properties, whereas conventional theories based on electromagnetic theory are unable to explain this concentration dependence. This paper reports on the experimental results of the EO effects and the dielectric spectroscopy including the dielectric relaxation times and the dielectric strengths of nematic liquid crystal, 5CB (4-pentyl-4'-cyanobiphenyl), doped with the metal nanoparticles of I'd alone and Ag-Pd composite; and discusses how the observed dielectric relaxation frequency or dielectric relaxation time depend on the concentration of the doped nanoparticles and also their electrical and dielectric properties
Spritz: a server for the prediction of intrinsically disordered regions in protein sequences using kernel machines

Intrinsically disordered proteins have long stretches of their polypeptide chain, which do not adopt a single native structure composed of stable secondary and tertiary structure in the absence of binding partners. The prediction of intrinsically disordered regions in proteins from sequence is increasingly becoming of interest, as the presence of many such regions in the complete genome sequences are discovered and important functional roles are associated with them. We have developed a machine learning approach based on two support vector machines (SVM) to discriminate disordered regions from sequence. The SVM are trained and benchmarked on two sets, representing long and short disordered regions. A preliminary version of Spritz was shown to perform consistently well at the recent biannual CASP-6 experiment [Critical Assessment of Techniques for Protein Structure Prediction (CASP), 2004]. The fully developed Spritz method is freely available as a web server at http://distill.ucd.ie/spritz/ and http://protein.cribi.unipd.it/spritz/.
Modelling organizations' structural adjustment to BIM adoption: a pilot study on estimating organizations

Building information Modelling (BIM) promises a fairly radical revolution in all segments of the construction industry. Vital evidence has been used in many studies to elicit how fragmented processes in conventional construction systems, predominantly manual design systems and entity-based CAD often render design and project performance vulnerable. BIM is presented as having attributes that strengthen the frameworks for servicing efficiency in design and project performance. As BIM adoption continues to improve, various stake-holding practices that are involved in developing projects through integrated systems do require process models to help them simplify issues relating to multi-disciplinary integration – a direct opposite of what they are used to in fragmented systems. They also need to develop appropriate skills and strategies, including new marketing and administrative stratagems, to service intensive collaboration and other ethos of BIM. These are some of the inevitable changes to which organizations must respond in order to generate efficient results when adopting and deploying BIM. To examine organizational response to those process changes as promised in BIM, different organization models are explored with emphasis on their functional structures, namely: (1) matrix (2) networked (3) functional (4) divisional structure models. Data were collected from 8 construction and software development organizations in Australia through focus group discussions. 18 participants in core BIM skills took part in the study. Some interesting discoveries were made and reported on the industry’s reactions to BIM adoption. Conclusively, this study confirms the nature and direction of potential changes that BIM trigger.
1.1 kV 4H-SiC power UMOSFETs

Silicon Carbide (4H-SiC), power UMOSFETs were fabricated and characterized from room temperature to 200/spl deg/C. The devices had a 12-/spl mu/m thick lightly doped n-type drift layer, and a nominal channel length of 4 /spl mu/m. When tested under Fluorinert/sup TM/ at room temperature, blocking voltages ranged from 1.0 kV to 1.2 kV. Effective channel mobility ranged from 1.5 cm/sup 2//V.s at room temperature with a gate bias of 32 V (3.5 MV/cm) up to 7 cm/sup 2//V.s at 100/spl deg/C with an applied gate bias of 26 V (2.9 MV/cm). Specific on-resistance (R/sub on,sp/) was calculated to be as low as 74 m/spl Omega/.cm/sup 2/ at 100/spl deg/C under the same gate bias.
The Impact of Case Finding on the Recruitment Yield for COPD Research in Primary Care: An Observational Study.

BACKGROUND
Recruiting patients for research in primary care is difficult with diseases that tend to remain underdiagnosed, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Researchers may consider introducing case finding into patient recruitment, but the impact on recruitment yield is largely unknown.


OBJECTIVES
To assess the impact of case finding on recruitment yield and population characteristics in primary care-based COPD research.


METHODS
For a cluster randomized controlled trial of COPD in primary care, an opportunistic case finding strategy was introduced into patient recruitment, in addition to recruiting patients with previously diagnosed COPD. The recruitment process and performance of the primary care physicians (PCPs) were analysed. The numbers and characteristics of patients identified by case finding were compared with those of patients with previously diagnosed COPD.


RESULTS
Thirty-five PCPs approached 398 patients and successfully recruited 216 patients during 1 year. The mean number of patients recruited was 6.3 (range 0-16) per PCP. Case finding contributed 71 patients (32.9%) with significantly milder disease, with FEV1 % predicted +16.7 (95% CI: +11.3 to +22.0), a COPD Assessment Test difference of -4 points (95% CI: -2 to -6; p < 0.001), and fewer exacerbations resulting in a higher rate of GOLD class A (85.9 vs. 45.5%; p < 0.001). The smoking rate was significantly higher among patients with newly diagnosed COPD (70.4 vs. 48.6%; p = 0.002).


CONCLUSION
Case finding increased the number of patients recruited by 50%. The COPD patients identified by case finding differed importantly from those with previously diagnosed COPD. Researchers should be aware of COPD underdiagnosis and the potential impact of case finding during patient recruitment.
Universally composable protocols with relaxed set-up assumptions

A desirable goal for cryptographic protocols is to guarantee security when the protocol is composed with other protocol instances. Universally composable (UC) protocols provide this guarantee in a strong sense: A protocol remains secure even when composed concurrently with an unbounded number of instances of arbitrary protocols. However, UC protocols for carrying out general tasks are known to exist only if a majority of the participants are honest, or in the common reference string (CRS) model where all parties are assumed to have access to a common string that is drawn from some pre-defined distribution. Furthermore, carrying out many interesting tasks in a UC manner and without honest majority or set-up assumptions is impossible, even if ideally authenticated communication is provided. A natural question is thus whether there exist more relaxed set-up assumptions than the CRS model that still allow for UC protocols. We answer this question in the affirmative: we propose alternative and relaxed set-up assumptions and show that they suffice for reproducing the general feasibility results for UC protocols in the CRS model. These alternative assumptions have the flavor of a "public-key infrastructure": parties have registered public keys, no single registration authority needs to be fully trusted, and no single piece of information has to be globally trusted and available. In addition, unlike known protocols in the CRS model, the proposed protocols guarantee some basic level of security even if the set-up assumption is violated.
The influence of product aesthetics and usability over the course of time: a longitudinal field experiment.

UNLABELLED
A longitudinal field experiment was carried out over a period of 2 weeks to examine the influence of product aesthetics and inherent product usability. A 2 × 2 × 3 mixed design was used in the study, with product aesthetics (high/low) and usability (high/low) being manipulated as between-subjects variables and exposure time as a repeated-measures variable (three levels). A sample of 60 mobile phone users was tested during a multiple-session usability test. A range of outcome variables was measured, including performance, perceived usability, perceived aesthetics and emotion. A major finding was that the positive effect of an aesthetically appealing product on perceived usability, reported in many previous studies, began to wane with increasing exposure time. The data provided similar evidence for emotion, which also showed changes as a function of exposure time. The study has methodological implications for the future design of usability tests, notably suggesting the need for longitudinal approaches in usability research.


PRACTITIONER SUMMARY
This study indicates that product aesthetics influences perceived usability considerably in one-off usability tests but this influence wanes over time. When completing a usability test it is therefore advisable to adopt a longitudinal multiple-session approach to reduce the possibly undesirable influence of aesthetics on usability ratings.
Adolescent Cancer Education (ACE) to increase adolescent and parent cancer awareness and communication: study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND
Raising cancer awareness among adolescents has potential to increase their knowledge and confidence in identifying cancer symptoms and seeking timely medical help in adolescence and adulthood. Detecting cancer at an early stage is important because it reduces the risk of dying of some cancers and thereby contributes to improved cancer survival. Adolescents may also play an important role in increasing cancer communication within families. However, there are no randomised controlled trials (RCT) of the effectiveness of school-based educational interventions to increase adolescents' cancer awareness, and little is known about the role of adolescents in the upward diffusion of cancer knowledge to parents/carers. The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of a school-based educational intervention to raise adolescent and parent cancer awareness and adolescent-parent cancer communication.


METHODS
The Adolescent Cancer Education (ACE) study is a school-based, cluster RCT. Twenty secondary schools in the area covered by Glasgow City Council will be recruited. Special schools for adolescents whose additional needs cannot be met in mainstream education are excluded. Schools are randomised to receive a presentation delivered by a Teenage Cancer Trust educator in Autumn 2013 (intervention group) or Spring 2014 following completion of six-month follow-up measures (control group). Participants will be students recruited at the end of their first year of secondary education (S1) (age 12 to 13 years) and one parent/carer for each student, of the student's choice. The primary outcome is recognition of cancer symptoms two weeks post-intervention. Secondary outcomes are parents' cancer awareness and adolescent-parent cancer communication. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline (when adolescents are in the final term of S1), two-week, and six-month follow-up (when adolescents are in S2, age 13 to 14 years). Differences in outcomes between trial arms will be tested using multiple regression methods, adjusted for clustering by school. An audit of cancer-related and health-promotion activity within the school curriculum and environment during the RCT will be conducted at six-month follow-up to contextualise the intervention effect.


DISCUSSION
Results from the ACE study will provide evidence about the public health effectiveness of a school-based intervention designed to increase adolescent and parent cancer awareness and adolescent-parent cancer communication.


TRIAL REGISTRATION
ISRCTN75542411.
The Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network: Progress and Update

128 The Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN), established in 2001, is the first federally funded national network of emergency departments focusing on research in emergency medical services for children (EMSC). With more than 800000 annual pediatric visits among its 21 participating emergency departments, the network has been able to study important conditions with infrequent or rare outcomes in diverse populations. In this report, we present the accomplishments from the first 4 years of the PECARN, providing details of completed and ongoing studies, major challenges faced and overcome, methods used to measure network progress and success, and future directions. Clin Ped Emerg Med 7:128-135 a 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Scheduling Scientific Workflows Elastically for Cloud Computing

Most existing workflow scheduling algorithms only consider a computing environment in which the number of compute resources is bounded. Compute resources in such an environment usually cannot be provisioned or released on demand of the size of a workflow, and these resources are not released to the environment until an execution of the workflow completes. To address the problem, we firstly formalize a model of a Cloud environment and a workflow graph representation for such an environment. Then, we propose the SHEFT workflow scheduling algorithm to schedule a workflow elastically on a Cloud computing environment. Our preliminary experiments show that SHEFT not only outperforms several representative workflow scheduling algorithms in optimizing workflow execution time, but also enables resources to scale elastically at runtime.
An Algebraic Generalization of Frege Structures-Binding Algebras

Abstract This paper introduces a kind of second-order algebras, called binding algebras , which is an algebraic generalization of Aczel's (1980) Frege structure. It investigates the universal property of binding algebras by following Birkhoff's (1935) method. An equational logic eBA is introduced. We obtain its admissible completeness. The relationship between completeness and the admissible completeness is very close and will be discussed.
War as a Network Enterprise: The New Security Terrain and its Implications

This essay addresses the new phenomenon of network warfare as a realisation of modernity’s inner potential and surprising capacities rather than its failure. A feature of the complex capillaries of global governance, network warfare has been endemic for some time in many border regions of the world and reflects an increasing conflation of development and security. While the recent terrorist attacks on America have had a profound social and political impact, it would be wrong to suggest that they mark a wholly new or unexpected departure. What we are witnessing is a significant consolidation of systems and interconnections that have been slowly maturing for several decades. The violence of 11 September was an historic moment that quickly pulled together many existing threads to reveal a fuller sense of the design. It is now easier to appreciate the consolidation of a new security terrain shaped by the advent of a network waro . Like the Cold War before it, network war now defines the global predicament. Across this contested landscape, bounded by the opportunities and threats afforded by globalization, new forms of autonomy, resistance and organized violence engage equally singular systems of international regulation, humanitarian intervention and social reconstruction. Increasingly, what one could call the a themo and a uso components of this new security terrain Ð that is, those systems of resistance and their opposing forces of regulation and interventionÐ have to varying degrees both assumed a networked and nonterritorial appearance. While states and their security apparatuses remain pivotal, in both camps they situate themselves within and operate through complex governance networks composed of nonstate and private actors. Across the conflict zones of Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia, asymmetric forms of autonomy and organized violence have emerged that, through the shadow networks of transborder trade and the cultural and political flows of migrants and uprooted peoples, fully exploit the opportunities of the global/informational economy. In opposition, we have an expanding international security regime that operates through various forms of public-private networking. Its most widespread manifestation is in the networks of aid practice. New contractual regimes, strategic frameworks and public ± private compacts now variously interconnect leading states, NGOs, UN agencies and the business sector (Duffield 2001a). Over much of the South, such networks are busy trying to provide humanitarian assistance, reduce vulnerability, resolve conflict and
Effect of intravenous thrombolysis on MRI parameters and functional outcome in acute stroke <6 hours.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
The goals of this study were to examine MRI baseline characteristics of patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and to study the influence of intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) on MR parameters and functional outcome using a multicenter approach.


METHODS
In this open-label, nonrandomized study of AIS patients with suspected anterior circulation stroke, subjects received a multiparametric stroke MRI protocol (diffusion- and perfusion-weighted imaging and MR angiography) within 6 hours after symptom onset and on follow-up. Patients were treated either with tPA (thrombolysis group) or conservatively (no thrombolysis group). Functional outcome was assessed on day 90 (modified Rankin Score; mRS).


RESULTS
We enrolled 139 AIS patients (no thrombolysis group, n=63; thrombolysis group, n=76). Patients treated with tPA were more severely affected (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score, 10 versus 13; P=0.002). Recanalization rates were higher in the thrombolysis group (Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction criteria 1 through 3 on day 1; 66.2% versus 32.7%; P<0.001). Proximal vessel occlusions resulted in larger infarct volumes and worse outcome (P=0.02). Thrombolysis was associated with a better outcome regardless of the time point of tPA treatment (< or =3 hours or 3 to 6 hours) (univariate analysis: mRS < or =2, P=0.017; mRS < or =1, P=0.023). Age (P=0.003), thrombolytic therapy at 0 to 6 hours (P=0.01), recanalization (P=0.016), lesion volume on day 7 (P=0.001), and initial National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score (P=0.001) affected functional outcome (mRS on day 90) positively (multivariate analysis). The time point of tPA therapy affected the recanalization rate (P=0.024) but not final infarct volume.


CONCLUSIONS
In this pilot study, tPA therapy had a beneficial effect on vessel recanalization and functional outcome. Multiparametric MRI delineates tissue at risk of infarction in AIS patients, which may be helpful for the selection of patients for tPA therapy. tPA therapy appeared safe and effective beyond a 3-hour time window. This study delivers the rationale for a randomized, MR-based tPA trial.
A remark on the Higman–Neumann–Neumann embedding theorem

There does not exist an isomorphism-invariant Borel version of the Higman-Neumann-Neumann Embedding Theorem.
Right care, right time, right place: improving outcomes for people with spinal cord injury through early access to intervention and improved access to specialised care: study protocol

BACKGROUND
Traumatic spinal cord injury is a devastating condition impacting adversely on the health and wellbeing, functioning and independence, social participation and quality of life of the injured person. In Australia, there are approximately 15 new cases per million population per year; economic burden estimates suggest 2 billion dollars annually. For optimal patient outcomes expert consensus recommends expeditious transfer ("<24 hours of injury") to a specialist Spinal Cord Injury Unit, where there is an interdisciplinary team equipped to provide comprehensive care for the many and complex issues associated with traumatic spinal cord injury. No study of this patient population has been undertaken, that assessed the extent to which care received reflected clinical guidelines, or examined the patient journey and outcomes in relation to this. The aims of this study are to describe the nature and timing of events occurring before commencement of specialist care, and to quantify the association between these events and patient outcomes.


METHODS AND DESIGN
The proposed observational study will recruit a prospective cohort over two years, identified at participating sites across two Australian states; Victoria and New South Wales. Included participants will be aged 16 years and older and diagnosed with a traumatic spinal cord injury. Detailed data will be collected from the point of injury through acute care and subacute rehabilitation, discharge from hospital and community reintegration. Items will include date, time, location and external cause of injury; ambulance response, assessments and management; all episodes of hospital care including assessments, vital signs, diagnoses and treatment, inter-hospital transfers, surgical interventions and their timing, lengths of stay and complications. Telephone follow-up of survivors will be conducted at 6, 12 and 24 months.


DISCUSSION
There is limited population level data on the effect of delayed commencement of specialist care (>24 hours) in a Spinal Cord Injury Unit. Examining current health service and clinical intervention pathways in this Australian population-based sample, in relation to their outcomes, will provide an understanding of factors associated with patient flow, resource utilisation and cost, and patient and family quality of life. Barriers to streamlined effective early-care pathways and facilitators of optimal treatment for these patients will be identified.