LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
The Fiscal Impact of Population Change

Throughout the industrial world and in much of the Third World, populations are aging. This population aging results in part from lower fertility and in part from longer life. Lower fertility reduces the rate of population growth, so that recent generations are smaller than earlier generations, and therefore the relative number of older people is greater. This kind of aging raises the share of the elderly population, but it does not alter their health status, vigor, or remaining life expectancy. Population aging due to increasing longevity is a different matter. The very processes that lead to longer life may alter the health status of the surviving population, for better or for worse. Fortunately, there is growing evidence that in the United States at least, the years of life added by declining mortality are mostly healthy years, and that at any given age, the health and the functional status of the population are improving (Manton et al. 1997; Crimmins et al. 1997; Freedman and Martin 1999). Apparently, years of healthy life are increasing roughly as fast as total life expectancy. Population aging due to low fertility reflects a choice made by individuals to raise fewer children. In earlier times, elderly parents were often supported by their adult children, and the desire for old age support was a factor in deciding how many children to raise. Public sector pensions disconnect old age support from individual fertility and
Socio-economic elements in Public Choice research

Abstract The sub-discipline of economics called Public Choice, although mainly concerned with selfish or egotistical motives, has been open to socio-economic ideas. This is seen by examining the importance it accords to ideology in explaining the voting behavior of legislators as well as articles and book reviews found in its journal, Public Choice . Most definitions of ideology include its relationship to groups and values. Public Choice's openness to alternative views may be growing. Therefore, it is an area of economics that socio-economists should use as a vehicle to reach traditional economists and make them aware of new models of individual behavior.
Neuroticism-related personality traits are related to symptom severity in patients with premenstrual dysphoric disorder and to the serotonin transporter gene-linked polymorphism 5-HTTPLPR

Neuroticism has been linked to a functional polymorphism in the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR), with short-allele carriers being overrepresented among high-scorers on neuroticism. Studies evaluating neuroticism-related personality traits in relation to the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism among patients with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) and are lacking. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between PMDD and neuroticism-related personality traits, and secondly, to relate the personality trait scores of PMDD patients to experienced symptom severity and to the 5-HTTLPR short allele. Thirty PMDD patients and 55 asymptomatic healthy controls were included in the study. The Swedish Universities Scale of Personality was used to evaluate personality traits. Genotype analyses were available in 27 PMDD patients and 18 healthy controls. Women with PMDD displayed higher levels of neuroticism-related personality traits (psychic trait anxiety, somatic trait anxiety, embitterment, stress susceptibility and mistrust) than healthy controls, and these effects were most prominent in women with more severe luteal phase symptoms. Furthermore, PMDD patients with at least one copy of the short allele of the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism scored higher on psychic trait anxiety and lack of assertiveness than PMDD patients who were homozygous for the long allele. PMDD patients who suffer from more severe luteal phase symptoms also display increased scores of neuroticism-related personality traits in comparison with healthy controls. Within the group of PMDD patients, differences in certain personality trait scores are associated with the short allele of the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism.
Is neurofeedback an efficacious treatment for ADHD? A randomised controlled clinical trial.

BACKGROUND
For children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a reduction of inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity by neurofeedback (NF) has been reported in several studies. But so far, unspecific training effects have not been adequately controlled for and/or studies do not provide sufficient statistical power. To overcome these methodological shortcomings we evaluated the clinical efficacy of neurofeedback in children with ADHD in a multisite randomised controlled study using a computerised attention skills training as a control condition.


METHODS
102 children with ADHD, aged 8 to 12 years, participated in the study. Children performed either 36 sessions of NF training or a computerised attention skills training within two blocks of about four weeks each (randomised group assignment). The combined NF treatment consisted of one block of theta/beta training and one block of slow cortical potential (SCP) training. Pre-training, intermediate and post-training assessment encompassed several behaviour rating scales (e.g., the German ADHD rating scale, FBB-HKS) completed by parents and teachers. Evaluation ('placebo') scales were applied to control for parental expectations and satisfaction with the treatment.


RESULTS
For parent and teacher ratings, improvements in the NF group were superior to those of the control group. For the parent-rated FBB-HKS total score (primary outcome measure), the effect size was .60. Comparable effects were obtained for the two NF protocols (theta/beta training, SCP training). Parental attitude towards the treatment did not differ between NF and control group.


CONCLUSIONS
Superiority of the combined NF training indicates clinical efficacy of NF in children with ADHD. Future studies should further address the specificity of effects and how to optimise the benefit of NF as treatment module for ADHD.
Solar water splitting cells.

Energy harvested directly from sunlight offers a desirable approach toward fulfilling, with minimal environmental impact, the need for clean energy. Solar energy is a decentralized and inexhaustible natural resource, with the magnitude of the available solar power striking the earth’s surface at any one instant equal to 130 million 500 MW power plants.1 However, several important goals need to be met to fully utilize solar energy for the global energy demand. First, the means for solar energy conversion, storage, and distribution should be environmentally benign, i.e. protecting ecosystems instead of steadily weakening them. The next important goal is to provide a stable, constant energy flux. Due to the daily and seasonal variability in renewable energy sources such as sunlight, energy harvested from the sun needs to be efficiently converted into chemical fuel that can be stored, transported, and used upon demand. The biggest challenge is whether or not these goals can be met in a costeffective way on the terawatt scale.2
Utility of Electronic Medical Records to Assess the Relationship Between Parenteral Nutrition and Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections in Adult Hospitalized Patients.

BACKGROUND
Parenteral nutrition is associated with increased central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs). Electronic databases are important for identifying independent risk factors for prevention strategies. Our aims were to evaluate the utility of using electronic data sources to identify risk factors for CLABSIs, including parenteral nutrition (PN), and to assess the association between CLABSI and PN administration.


METHODS
Data were obtained for all discharges of adult patients in whom a central line was inserted between September 1, 2007, and December 31, 2008, in a large, academically affiliated hospital in New York City. CLABSI was defined electronically using a modified definition from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A manual chart review was also undertaken to assess validity/reliability of the electronic database and gather additional information. Risk factors for CLABSI were examined using logistic regression.


RESULTS
Among 4840 patients, there were 220 CLABSIs, an incidence of 5.4 CLABSIs per 1000 central line days. Risk factors included PN (odds ratio [OR], 4.33; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.50-7.48), intensive care unit stay (OR, 2.26; 95% CI, 1.58-3.23), renal disease (OR, 2.79; 95% CI, 2.00-3.88), and immunodeficiency (OR, 2.26; 95% CI, 1.70-3.00). Diabetes mellitus was associated with reduced CLABSI rates (OR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.45-0.88).


CONCLUSIONS
The utility of electronic medical records for determining risk factors is limited by such things as free-text data entry. Using a hybrid between fully electronic and manual chart review, reliable data were obtained. PN is associated with a high risk for CLABSI in a population highly selected for indications for PN.
Integration of INS and GPS using radial basis function neural networks for vehicular navigation

Navigation systems used in recent days rely mainly on Kalman filter to fuse data from global positioning system (GPS) and the inertial navigation system (INS). In common, INS/GPS data fusion provides reliable navigation solution by overcoming drawbacks such as signal blockage for GPS and increase in position errors with time for INS. Kalman filtering INS/GPS integration techniques used in present days have some inadequacies related to the stochastic error models of inertial sensors, immunity to noise, and observability. This paper aims to introduce a new system integration approach for fusing data from INS and GPS utilizing artificial neural networks (ANN). A multi-layer perceptron ANN has been recently suggested to fuse data from INS and differential GPS (DGPS). Though the integrated system using multi-layer perceptron scheme improves the positioning accuracy, it has shortcomings like complexity with respect to the architecture of multi-layer perceptron networks and limitation of online training algorithm to provide real-time capabilities. This paper, therefore, proposes the use of an alternative ANN architecture. The proposed architecture is based on radial basis function (RBF) neural networks, which generally have simpler architecture and faster training procedures than multi-layer perceptron networks. The RBF-ANN module is trained to predict the INS position error and provide accurate positioning of the moving vehicle.
GROWING ROLE OF SOLVENT EXTRACTION IN COPPER ORES PROCESSING

Heap leaching of oxide copper ores and cathode copper recovery by solvent extraction (SX) and electrowinning (EW) has been well established as a primary low-cost hydrometallurgical copper recovery method. Subsequently, hydrometallurgy was also gradually developed and applied for sulphidic ores and concentrates. Presently, more than 20 % of total world production of copper is achieved through the solvent extraction route. The success of this method led to a significant revival in the development of hydrometallurgical processes to recover copper from ores both sulphidic and oxidized. This work reviews the major problems related to solvent extraction from pregnant leach solutions (PLS) after leaching oxide and sulphide copper minerals.
Reduced Pressure Ice Fog Technique for Controlled Ice Nucleation during Freeze-Drying

A method to achieve controlled ice nucleation during the freeze-drying process using an ice fog technique was demonstrated in an earlier report. However, the time required for nucleation was about 5 min, even though only one shelf was used, which resulted in Ostwald ripening (annealing) in some of the vials that nucleated earlier than the others. As a result, the ice structure was not optimally uniform in all the vials. The objective of the present study is to introduce a simple variation of the ice fog method whereby a reduced pressure in the chamber is utilized to allow more rapid and uniform freezing which is also potentially easier to scale up. Experiments were conducted on a lab scale freeze dryer with sucrose as model compound at different concentration, product load, and fill volume. Product resistance during primary drying was measured using manometric temperature measurement. Specific surface area of the freeze-dried cake was also determined. No difference was observed either in average product resistance or specific surface area for the different experimental conditions studied, indicating that with use of the reduced pressure ice fog technique, the solutions nucleated at very nearly the same temperature (−10°C). The striking feature of the “Reduced Pressure Ice Fog Technique” is the rapid ice nucleation (less than a minute) under conditions where the earlier procedure required about 5 min; hence, effects of variable Ostwald ripening were not an issue.
Acellular dermal matrix for the treatment and prevention of implant-associated breast deformities.

BACKGROUND
Acellular dermal matrix has been increasingly accepted in prosthetic breast reconstruction. Observed benefits include improved control and support of implant position, better implant coverage, and the suggestion of a decreased capsular contracture rate. Based on this positive experience, it is not surprising that acellular dermal matrix would be applied to other challenging implant-related problems. This study investigates the use of acellular dermal matrix for correction or prevention of implant-associated breast deformities.


METHODS
Patients who underwent primary aesthetic breast surgery or secondary aesthetic or reconstructive breast surgery using acellular dermal matrix and implants between November of 2003 and October of 2009 were reviewed retrospectively. Patient demographics, indications for acellular dermal matrix, and acellular dermal matrix type and inset pattern were identified. Preoperative and postoperative photographs, success or failure of the procedure, complications, and need for related or unrelated revision surgery were recorded.


RESULTS
Fifty-two patients had acellular dermal matrix placed alongside 77 breast prostheses, with a mean follow-up of 8.6 months (range, 0.4 to 30.4 months). Indications included prevention of implant bottoming-out (n = 6), treatment of malposition (n = 32), rippling (n = 20), capsular contracture (n = 16), and skin flap deficiency (n = 16). Seventy-four breasts (96.1 percent) were managed successfully with acellular dermal matrix. Three failures consisted of one breast with bottoming-out following treatment of capsular contracture, one breast with major infection requiring device explantation, and one breast with recurrent rippling. There was a 9.1 percent total complication rate, consisting of three mild infections, one major infection necessitating explantation, one hematoma, and one seroma.


CONCLUSION
Based on this experience in 77 breasts, acellular dermal matrix has shown promise in treating and preventing capsular contracture, rippling, implant malposition, and soft-tissue thinning.
Strut coverage and late malapposition with paclitaxel-eluting stents compared with bare metal stents in acute myocardial infarction: optical coherence tomography substudy of the Harmonizing Outcomes with Revascularization and Stents in Acute Myocardial Infarction (HORIZONS-AMI) Trial.

BACKGROUND
The safety of drug-eluting stents in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) continues to be debated. Pathological studies have demonstrated an association between uncovered struts and subsequent stent thrombosis. Optical coherence tomography can detect stent strut coverage in vivo on a micron-scale level. We therefore used optical coherence tomography to examine strut coverage in patients with STEMI treated with paclitaxel-eluting stents (PES) and bare metal stents (BMS).


METHODS AND RESULTS
In the Harmonizing Outcomes With Revascularization and Stents in Acute Myocardial Infarction (HORIZONS-AMI) trial, patients with STEMI were randomized 3:1 to PES or BMS implantation. In a formal substudy, optical coherence tomography at 13 months was performed in 118 consecutive randomized patients (89 PES, 29 BMS) in whom 188 stents were assessed (146 PES and 42 BMS). A total of 44 139 stent struts were analyzed by an independent core laboratory blinded to stent assignment. The primary prespecified end point, the percentage of uncovered stent struts per lesion at follow-up, was 1.1 ± 2.5% in BMS lesions versus 5.7 ± 7.0% in PES lesions (P < 0.0001). Malapposed struts were observed in 0.1 ± 0.2% of BMS lesions versus 0.9 ± 2.1% of PES lesions (P = 0.0003). Percentage net volume obstruction was 36.0 ± 15.4% with BMS and 19.2 ± 11.3% with PES (P < 0.0001).


CONCLUSIONS
In patients with STEMI undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention, implantation of PES as compared with BMS significantly reduces neointimal hyperplasia but results in higher rates of uncovered and malapposed stent struts as assessed by optical coherence tomography at 13-month follow-up. Further studies are required to determine the clinical significance of these findings.


CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION
URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00433966.
Sneak-path Testing of Memristor-based Memories

Memristors are an attractive option for use in future memory architectures due to their non-volatility, low power operation and compactness. Notwithstanding these advantages, memristors and memristor-based memories are prone to high defect densities due to the non-deterministic nature of nanoscale fabrication. As a first step, we will examine the defect mechanisms in memristors and develop efficient fault models. Next, the memory subsystem has to be tested. The typical approach to testing a memory subsystem entails testing one memory element at a time. This is time consuming and does not scale for dense, memristor-based memories. We propose an efficient testing technique to test memristor-based memories. The proposed scheme uses sneak-paths inherent in crossbar memories to test multiple memristors at the same time and thereby reduces the test time by ~32%.
Risk factors for glucocorticoid-induced obesity in children with steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome

The objective of this work was to determine the prevalence of obesity, defined as BMI >95th percentile, in children treated with glucocorticoids for steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome (SSNS), and to identify risk factors for the development for glucocorticoid-induced obesity. The experimental design involved a cross-sectional study of 96 individuals (4 to 21 yrs) treated with glucocorticoids for SSNS and 186 healthy reference subjects. Logistic regression was used to generate odds ratios for obesity. Glucocorticoid exposure was classified as recent in the 54 subjects treated with glucocorticoids in the prior six months, and remote in the remaining 42 subjects. Recent exposure was associated with significantly increased odds of obesity [odds ratio (95% CI): 26.14 (7.54, 90.66)] in non-blacks only. Each one-unit increase in maternal BMI was associated with a 35% increase in the odds of obesity in recent SSNS subjects (p=0.003). The effect of maternal BMI on the odds of obesity was significantly greater in recent SSNS subjects than in reference subjects (test for interaction p=0.038). The odds of obesity were also significantly increased [odds ratio 5.22 (1.77, 15.41), p=0.003] in all subjects with remote glucocorticoid exposure (black and non-black). These results indicate that non-black race and increased maternal BMI are risk factors for glucocorticoid-induced obesity in subjects with recent exposure.
The ABCs of solute carriers: physiological, pathological and therapeutic implications of human membrane transport proteins

The Human Genome Organisation (HUGO) Nomenclature Committee Database provides a list of transporter families of the solute carrier (SLC) gene series (see http://www.gene.ucl.ac.uk/nomenclature/ ). Currently, it includes 43 families and 298 transporter genes. This special issue features mini-reviews on each of these SLC families written by the experts in each field. A WEB site has been established ( http://www.pharmaconference.org/slctable.asp ) that gives the latest updates for the SLC families and their members as well as relevant links to gene databases and reviews in the literature. A list of all currently known SLC families, a discussion of additional SLC families and family members as well as a brief summary of non-SLC transporter genes is included in this introduction.
A Novel Secure Architecture for the Internet of Things

The "Internet of Things"(IoT) opens opportunities for devices and softwares to share information on an unprecedented scale. However, such a large interconnected network poses new challenges to system developers and users. In this article, we propose a layered architecture of IoT system. Using this model, we try to identify and assess each layer's challenges. We also discuss several existing technologies that can be used make this architecture secure.
Strategies to implement evidence into practice to improve palliative care: recommendations of a nominal group approach with expert opinion leaders

BACKGROUND
In the past decades, many new insights and best practices in palliative care, a relatively new field in health care, have been published. However, this knowledge is often not implemented. The aim of this study therefore was to identify strategies to implement improvement activities identified in a research project within daily palliative care practice.


METHODS
A nominal group technique was used with members of the IMPACT consortium, being international researchers and clinicians in cancer care, dementia care and palliative care. Participants identified and prioritized implementation strategies. Data was analyzed qualitatively using inductive coding.


RESULTS
Twenty international clinicians and researchers participated in one of two parallel nominal group sessions. The recommended strategies to implement results from a research project were grouped in five common themes: 1. Dissemination of results e.g. by publishing results tailored to relevant audiences, 2. Identification and dissemination of unique selling points, 3. education e.g. by developing e-learning tools and integrating scientific evidence into core curricula, 4. Stimulation of participation of stakeholders, and 5. consideration of consequences e.g. rewarding services for their implementation successes but not services that fail to implement quality improvement activities.


DISCUSSION
The added value of this nominal group study lies in the prioritisation by the experts of strategies to influence the implementation of quality improvement activities in palliative care. Efforts to ensure future use of scientific findings should be built into research projects in order to prevent waste of resources.
A universal weak method

The weak methods occur pervasively in AI systems and may form die basic methods for all intelligent systems. The purpose of this paper is to characterize die weak methods and to explain how and why they arise in intelligent systems. We propose an organization, called a universal weak method that provides functionality of all the weak methods.* A universal weak method is an organizational scheme for knowledge that produces the appropriate search behavior given the available task-domain knowledge. We present a problem solving architecture, called SOAR, in which we realize a universal weak method. We then demonstrate the universal weak method with a variety of weak methods on a set of tasks. This research was sponsored by die Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DOD), ARPA Order No: 3597, monitored by die Air Force Avionics Laboratory Under Contract F33515-78-C-155L The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of die Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency or the US Government.