LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
COLOMBO: Investigating the Potential of V2X for Traffic Management Purposes assuming low penetration Rates

After the Vehicular Communication (V2X) technology roll out in 2015, the number of equipped vehicles is assumed to increase slowly. While many Day One V2X applications are related to traffic safety and require a high penetration rate and communication reliability, traffic management applications could still benefit from even few equipped vehicles. Considering local V2X-based traffic surveillance based on a low rate of V2X technology, traffic light control could dynamically adapt priorities depending on traffic flows and volumes. In order to mitigate the low rate of V2X technology, already deployed solutions for wireless ad-hoc communications, such as WiFi-direct, available on most smartphones (often on-board of regular vehicles), should be investigated and exploited as complementary source of information, with full awareness of their strong reliability and performance limitations. The COLOMBO project, which is co-funded by the European Commission and presented within this report, focuses on such use of information either from a small subset of V2X-equipped vehicles only, or complementary to other wireless ad-hoc technologies and tries to exploit this information for traffic surveillance and an adaptive, optimized control of traffic lights.
Flexible traffic management in broadband access networks using Software Defined Networking

Over the years, the demand for high bandwidth services, such as live and on-demand video streaming, steadily increased. The adequate provisioning of such services is challenging and requires complex network management mechanisms to be implemented by Internet service providers (ISPs). In current broadband network architectures, the traffic of subscribers is tunneled through a single aggregation point, independent of the different service types it belongs to. While having a single aggregation point eases the management of subscribers for the ISP, it implies huge bandwidth requirements for the aggregation point and potentially high end-to-end latency for subscribers. An alternative would be a distributed subscriber management, adding more complexity to the management itself. In this paper, a new traffic management architecture is proposed that uses the concept of Software Defined Networking (SDN) to extend the existing Ethernet-based broadband network architecture, enabling a more efficient traffic management for an ISP. By using SDN-enabled home gateways, the ISP can configure traffic flows more dynamically, optimizing throughput in the network, especially for bandwidth-intensive services. Furthermore, a proof-of-concept implementation of the approach is presented to show the general feasibility and study configuration tradeoffs. Analytic considerations and testbed measurements show that the approach scales well with an increasing number of subscriber sessions.
The impact of blended teaching on knowledge, satisfaction, and self-directed learning in nursing undergraduates: a randomized, controlled trial.

AIM
This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a blended-teaching intervention using Internet-based tutorials coupled with traditional lectures in an introduction to research undergraduate nursing course. Effects of the intervention were compared with conventional, face-to-face classroom teaching on three outcomes: knowledge, satisfaction, and self-learning readiness.


METHOD
A two-group, randomized, controlled design was used, involving 112 participants. Descriptive statistics and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) were performed.


RESULTS
The teaching method was found to have no direct impact on knowledge acquisition, satisfaction, and self-learning readiness. However, motivation and teaching method had an interaction effect on knowledge acquisition by students. Among less motivated students, those in the intervention group performed better than those who received traditional training.


CONCLUSION
These findings suggest that this blended-teaching method could better suit some students, depending on their degree of motivation and level of self-directed learning readiness.
A novel approach to OFDM radar processing

In this paper a novel approach for the calculation of the radar range profile in OFDM radar systems is presented. The proposed algorithm operates directly on the modulation symbols and overcomes the typical drawbacks of correlation based baseband signal processing. An example system configuration as well as simulation results from a dedicated MatLab model will be presented and discussed.
Autoencoders trained with relevant information: Blending Shannon and Wiener's perspectives

It is almost seventy years after the publication of Claude Shannon's “A Mathematical Theory of Communication” [1] and Norbert Wiener's “Extrapolation, Interpolation and Smoothing of Stationary Time Series” [2]. The pioneering works of Shannon and Wiener lay the foundation of communication, data storage, control, and other information technologies. This paper briefly reviews Shannon and Wiener's perspectives on the problem of message transmission over noisy channel and also experimentally evaluates the feasibility of integrating these two perspectives to train autoencoders close to the information limit. To this end, the principle of relevant information (PRI) is used and validated to optimally encode input imagery in the presence of noise.
SHAPE: a computer program package for quantitative evaluation of biological shapes based on elliptic Fourier descriptors.

Quantitative evaluation of the shapes of biological organs is often required in various research fields, such as agronomy, medicine, genetics, ecology, and taxonomy. Elliptic Fourier descriptors (EFDs), proposed by Kuhl and Giardina (1982), can delineate any type of shape with a closed two-dimensional contour and have been effectively applied to the evaluation of various biological shapes in animals (Bierbaum and Ferson 1986; Diaz et al. 1989; Ferson et al. 1985; Rohlf and Archie 1984) and plants (Furuta et al. 1995; Iwata et al. 1998; McLellan 1993; Ohsawa et al. 1998; White et al. 1988). Quantization of shapes is a prerequisite for evaluating the inheritance of morphological traits in quantitative genetics. There are many reports showing that measurements based on EFDs are helpful for such quantization of the shapes of plant and animal organs. For instance, Iwata et al. (2000) conducted a diallele analysis of the shape of Japanese radish (Raphanus sativus L.) roots, using the principal component scores of the EFDs as shape characteristics. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis has also been conducted using the principal component scores of EFDs concerning the shape of the male genitalia of Drosophila species (Laurie et al. 1997; Liu et al. 1996). The shape evaluation method based on EFDs can be a powerful tool for analyzing biological shapes, but it is not easy for a researcher to use this method because it involves several complex procedures, such as image processing, contour recording, derivation of the descriptors, and multivariate analysis of the descriptors. In this article we present SHAPE, a package of programs for evaluating biological contour shapes based on EFDs. This package contains programs for image processing, contour recording, derivation of EFDs, principal component analysis of EFDs, and visualization of shape variations estimated by the principal components. With the aid of this package, a researcher can easily analyze shapes on a personal computer without special knowledge about the procedures related to the method. The principal component scores obtained by the procedures can be used directly as observed values of shape characteristics for the subsequent analyses. SHAPE is characterized by the following features: (1) The packaged programs are easily operated with the aid of a graphical user interface (GUI); (2) No special computer devices for image processing are required; (3) A large number of samples (say 1,000) can be treated; (4) The scores of principal components are stored in tabbed text format files and can be easily exported for analysis by other software; and (5) The variations in shape accounted for by the principal components can be visualized and printed out.
Which unruptured cerebral aneurysms should be treated? A cost-utility analysis.

OBJECTIVE
To determine which unruptured cerebral aneurysms should be treated considering the risks. benefits, and costs.


BACKGROUND
Asymptomatic unruptured cerebral aneurysms are commonly treated by surgical clipping or endovascular coil embolization to prevent subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH).


METHODS
We performed a cost-utility analysis comparing surgical clipping and endovascular coil embolization with no treatment for unruptured aneurysms. Eight clinical scenarios were defined based on aneurysm size, symptoms, and history of SAH from a different aneurysm. Health outcomes of a hypothetical cohort of 50-year-old women were modeled over the projected lifetime of the cohort. Costs were assessed from the societal perspective. We compared net quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and cost per QALY of each therapy to no treatment.


RESULTS
For an asymptomatic unruptured aneurysm less than 10 mm in diameter in patients with no history of SAH from a different aneurysm, both procedures resulted in a net loss in QALYs, and confidence intervals (CI) were not compatible with a benefit from treatment (clipping, loss of 1.6 QALY [95% CI 1.1 to 2.1]; coiling, loss of 0.6 QALY [95% CI 0.2 to 0.8]). For larger aneurysms (> or = 10 mm), those producing symptoms by compressing neighboring nerves and brain structures, or in patients with a history of SAH from a different aneurysm, treatment was cost-effective. Coiling appeared more effective and cost-effective than clipping but these differences depended on relatively uncertain model parameters.


CONCLUSIONS
Treatment of small, asymptomatic, unruptured cerebral aneurysms in patients without a history of SAH worsens clinical outcomes, and thus is neither effective nor cost-effective. For aneurysms that are > or = 10 mm or symptomatic, or in patients with a history of SAH, treatment appears to be cost-effective.
Asherman syndrome--one century later.

OBJECTIVE
To provide an update on the current knowledge of Asherman syndrome.


DESIGN
Literature review.


SETTING
The worldwide reports of this disease.


PATIENT(S)
Patients with Asherman syndrome who presented with amenorrhea or hypomenorrhea, infertility, or recurrent pregnancy loss.


INTERVENTION(S)
Hysteroscopy and hysteroscopic surgery have been the gold standard of diagnosis and treatment respectively for this condition.


MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S)
The etiology, pathology, symptomatology, diagnosis, treatment, and reproductive outcomes were analyzed.


RESULT(S)
This syndrome occurs mainly as a result of trauma to the gravid uterine cavity, which leads to the formation of intrauterine and/or intracervical adhesions. Despite the advances in hysteroscopic surgery, the treatment of moderate to severe Asherman syndrome still presents a challenge. Furthermore, pregnancy after treatment remains high risk with complications including spontaneous abortion, preterm delivery, intrauterine growth restriction, placenta accrete or praevia, or even uterine rupture.


CONCLUSION(S)
The management of moderate to severe disease still poses a challenge, and the prognosis of severe disease remains poor. Close antenatal surveillance and monitoring are necessary for women who conceive after treatment.
A twin study of genetic and dietary influences on nephrolithiasis: a report from the Vietnam Era Twin (VET) Registry.

BACKGROUND
Nephrolithiasis is a complex phenotype that is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. We conducted a large twin study to examine genetic and nongenetic factors associated with stones.


METHODS
The VET Registry includes approximately 7500 male-male twin pairs born between 1939 to 1955 with both twins having served in the military from 1965 to 1975. In 1990, a mail and telephone health survey was sent to 11,959 VET Registry members; 8870 (74.2%) provided responses. The survey included a question asking if the individual had ever been told of having a kidney stone by a physician. Detailed dietary habits were elicited. In a classic twin study analysis, we compared concordance rates in monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins. We also conducted a cotwin control study of dietary risk factors in twins discordant for stones.


RESULTS
Among dizygotic twins, there were 17 concordant pairs and 162 discordant pairs for kidney stones. Among monozygotic twins, there were 39 concordant pairs and 163 discordant pairs. The proband concordance rate in MZ twins (32.4%) was significantly greater than the rate in DZ twins (17.3%) (chi(2)= 12.8; P < 0.001), consistent with a genetic influence. The heritability of the risk for stones was 56%. In the multivariate analysis of twin pairs discordant for kidney stones, we found a protective dose-response pattern of coffee drinking (P= 0.03); those who drank 5 or more cups of coffee were half as likely to develop kidney stones as those who did not drink coffee (OR = 0.4, 95% CI 0.2, 0.9). Those who drank at least 1 cup of milk per day were half as likely to report kidney stones (OR = 0.5, 95% CI 0.3, 0.8). There were also marginally significant protective effects of increasing numbers of cups of tea per day and frequent consumption of fruits and vegetables. Other factors such as the use of calcium supplements, alcohol drinking, consumption of solid dairy products, and the amount of animal protein consumed were not significantly related to kidney stones in the multivariate model.


CONCLUSION
These results confirm that nephrolithiasis is at least in part a heritable disease. Coffee, and perhaps tea, fruits, and vegetables were found to be protective for stone disease. This is the first twin study of kidney stones, and represents a new approach to elucidating the relative roles of genetic and environmental factors associated with stone formation.
Organic pollutants removal in wastewater by heterogeneous photocatalytic ozonation.

Heterogeneous photocatalysis and ozonation are robust advanced oxidation processes for eliminating organic contaminants in wastewater. The combination of these two methods is carried out in order to enhance the overall mineralization of refractory organics. An apparent synergism between heterogeneous photocatalysis and ozonation has been demonstrated in many literatures, which gives rise to an improvement of total organic carbon removal. The present overview dissects the heterogeneous catalysts and the influences of different operational parameters, followed by the discussion on the kinetics, mechanism, economic feasibility and future trends of this integrated technology. The enhanced oxidation rate mainly results from a large amount of hydroxyl radicals generated from a synergistically induced decomposition of dissolved ozone, besides superoxide ion radicals and the photo-induced holes. Six reaction pathways possibly exist for the generation of hydroxyl radicals in the reaction mechanism of heterogeneous photocatalytic ozonation.
Asthma and genes encoding components of the vitamin D pathway

BACKGROUND
Genetic variants at the vitamin D receptor (VDR) locus are associated with asthma and atopy. We hypothesized that polymorphisms in other genes of the vitamin D pathway are associated with asthma or atopy.


METHODS
Eleven candidate genes were chosen for this study, five of which code for proteins in the vitamin D metabolism pathway (CYP27A1, CYP27B1, CYP2R1, CYP24A1, GC) and six that are known to be transcriptionally regulated by vitamin D (IL10, IL1RL1, CD28, CD86, IL8, SKIIP). For each gene, we selected a maximally informative set of common SNPs (tagSNPs) using the European-derived (CEU) HapMap dataset. A total of 87 SNPs were genotyped in a French-Canadian family sample ascertained through asthmatic probands (388 nuclear families, 1064 individuals) and evaluated using the Family Based Association Test (FBAT) program. We then sought to replicate the positive findings in four independent samples: two from Western Canada, one from Australia and one from the USA (CAMP).


RESULTS
A number of SNPs in the IL10, CYP24A1, CYP2R1, IL1RL1 and CD86 genes were modestly associated with asthma and atopy (p < 0.05). Two-gene models testing for both main effects and the interaction were then performed using conditional logistic regression. Two-gene models implicating functional variants in the IL10 and VDR genes as well as in the IL10 and IL1RL1 genes were associated with asthma (p < 0.0002). In the replicate samples, SNPs in the IL10 and CYP24A1 genes were again modestly associated with asthma and atopy (p < 0.05). However, the SNPs or the orientation of the risk alleles were different between populations. A two-gene model involving IL10 and VDR was replicated in CAMP, but not in the other populations.


CONCLUSION
A number of genes involved in the vitamin D pathway demonstrate modest levels of association with asthma and atopy. Multilocus models testing genes in the same pathway are potentially more effective to evaluate the risk of asthma, but the effects are not uniform across populations.
HIV-Specific Probabilistic Models of Protein Evolution

Comparative sequence analyses, including such fundamental bioinformatics techniques as similarity searching, sequence alignment and phylogenetic inference, have become a mainstay for researchers studying type 1 Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV-1) genome structure and evolution. Implicit in comparative analyses is an underlying model of evolution, and the chosen model can significantly affect the results. In general, evolutionary models describe the probabilities of replacing one amino acid character with another over a period of time. Most widely used evolutionary models for protein sequences have been derived from curated alignments of hundreds of proteins, usually based on mammalian genomes. It is unclear to what extent these empirical models are generalizable to a very different organism, such as HIV-1-the most extensively sequenced organism in existence. We developed a maximum likelihood model fitting procedure to a collection of HIV-1 alignments sampled from different viral genes, and inferred two empirical substitution models, suitable for describing between-and within-host evolution. Our procedure pools the information from multiple sequence alignments, and provided software implementation can be run efficiently in parallel on a computer cluster. We describe how the inferred substitution models can be used to generate scoring matrices suitable for alignment and similarity searches. Our models had a consistently superior fit relative to the best existing models and to parameter-rich data-driven models when benchmarked on independent HIV-1 alignments, demonstrating evolutionary biases in amino-acid substitution that are unique to HIV, and that are not captured by the existing models. The scoring matrices derived from the models showed a marked difference from common amino-acid scoring matrices. The use of an appropriate evolutionary model recovered a known viral transmission history, whereas a poorly chosen model introduced phylogenetic error. We argue that our model derivation procedure is immediately applicable to other organisms with extensive sequence data available, such as Hepatitis C and Influenza A viruses.
Optimal bounding cones of vectors in three dimensions

The problem of computing the minimum-angle bounding cone of a set of three-dimensional vectors has numero cations in computer graphics and geometric modeling. One such application is bounding the tangents of space cur vectors normal to a surface in the computation of the intersection of two surfaces. No optimal-time exact solution to this problem has been yet given. This paper presents a roadmap for a few strate provide optimal or near-optimal (time-wise) solutions to this problem, which are also simple to implement. Specifica worst-case running time is required, we provide an O ( logn)-time Voronoi-diagram-based algorithm, where n is the number of vectors whose optimum bounding cone is sought. Otherwise, i f one is willing to accept an, in average, efficient algorithm, we show that the main ingredient of the algorithm of Shirman and Abi-Ezzi [Comput. Graphics Forum 12 (1993) 261–272 implemented to run in optimal (n) expected time. Furthermore, if the vectors (as points on the sphere of directions) are to occupy no more than a hemisphere, we show how to simplify this ingredient (by reducing the dimension of the p without affecting the asymptotic expected running time. Both versions of this algorithm are based on computing (as an problem) the minimum spanning circle (respectively, ball) of a two-dimensional (respectively, three-dimensional) set o  2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Fast Fourier Transforms: for fun and profit

The "Fast Fourier Transform" has now been widely known for about a year. During that time it has had a major effect on several areas of computing, the most striking example being techniques of numerical convolution, which have been completely revolutionized. What exactly is the "Fast Fourier Transform"?
The inhibition of malate dehydrogenase by chlorammine-platinum complexes.

Abstract Equilibrium association constants have been calculated for various platinum (II) and platinum (IV) complexes. The association constants were greatest for the dinegatively charged state, regardless of the valence state of the platinum, and the constant decreased considerably as the charge increased. There were no measurable values for positively charged complex states. The conclusion is that the electrostatic charge of the platinum complex is the most important factor causing the inhibition of the enzyme, and the steric differences have only a minor effect, while geometric variation as in the comparison of cis and trans dichlorodiamine-platinum (II) isomers yields no differences in inhibition.
A High-Performance SPWM Controller for Three-Phase UPS Systems Operating Under Highly Nonlinear Loads

This paper presents the design of a high-performance sinusoidal pulsewidth modulation (SPWM) controller for three-phase uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems that are operating under highly nonlinear loads. The classical SPWM method is quite effective in controlling the RMS magnitude of the UPS output voltages. However, it is not good enough in compensating the harmonics and the distortion caused specifically by the nonlinear currents drawn by the rectifier loads. The distortion becomes more severe at high power where the switching frequency has to be reduced due to the efficiency concerns. This study proposes a new design strategy that overcomes the limitations of the classical RMS control. It adds inner loops to the closed-loop control system effectively that enables successful reduction of harmonics and compensation of distortion at the outputs. Simulink is used to analyze, develop, and design the controller using the state-space model of the inverter. The controller is implemented in the TMS320F2808 DSP by Texas Instruments, and the performance is evaluated experimentally using a three-phase 10 kVA transformer isolated UPS under all types of load conditions. In conclusion, the experimental results demonstrate that the controller successfully achieves the steady-state RMS voltage regulation specifications as well as the total harmonic distortion and the dynamic response requirements of major UPS standards.