LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
New reaction paths for advanced SiAlON/TiN composites

.................................................................................................................................. III Publications ............................................................................................................................. V Presentations ........................................................................................................................... V Acknowledgments .................................................................................................................. VI Table of
Planning by Incremental Dynamic Programming

Planning by Incremental Dynamic Programming Richard S. Sutton GTE Laboratories Incorporated Waltham, MA 02254 sutton@gte.com Abstract This paper presents the basic results and ideas of dynamic programming as they relate most directly to the concerns of planning in AI. These form the theoretical basis for the incremental planning methods used in the integrated architecture Dyna. These incremental planning methods are based on continually updating an evaluation function and the situation-action mapping of a reactive system. Actions are generated by the reactive system and thus involve minimal delay, while the incremental planning process guarantees that the actions and evaluation function will eventually be optimal|no matter how extensive a search is required. These methods are well suited to stochastic tasks and to tasks in which a complete and accurate model is not available. For tasks too large to implement the situation-action mapping as a table, supervised-learning methods must be used, and their capabilities remain a signi cant limitation of the approach.
Cultural repertoires and food-related household technology within colonia households under conditions of material hardship

UNLABELLED
BSTRACT:


INTRODUCTION
Mexican-origin women in the U.S. living in colonias (new-destination Mexican-immigrant communities) along the Texas-Mexico border suffer from a high incidence of food insecurity and diet-related chronic disease. Understanding environmental factors that influence food-related behaviors among this population will be important to improving the well-being of colonia households. This article focuses on cultural repertoires that enable food choice and the everyday uses of technology in food-related practice by Mexican-immigrant women in colonia households under conditions of material hardship. Findings are presented within a conceptual framework informed by concepts drawn from sociological accounts of technology, food choice, culture, and material hardship.


METHODS
Field notes were provided by teams of promotora-researchers (indigenous community health workers) and public-health professionals trained as participant observers. They conducted observations on three separate occasions (two half-days during the week and one weekend day) within eight family residences located in colonias near the towns of Alton and San Carlos, Texas. English observations were coded inductively and early observations stressed the importance of technology and material hardship in food-related behavior. These observations were further explored and coded using the qualitative data package Atlas.ti.


RESULTS
Technology included kitchen implements used in standard and adapted configurations and household infrastructure. Residents employed tools across a range of food-related activities identified as forms of food acquisition, storage, preparation, serving, feeding and eating, cleaning, and waste processing. Material hardships included the quality, quantity, acceptability, and uncertainty dimensions of food insecurity, and insufficient consumption of housing, clothing and medical care. Cultural repertoires for coping with material hardship included reliance on inexpensive staple foods and dishes, and conventional and innovative technological practices. These repertoires expressed the creative agency of women colonia residents. Food-related practices were constrained by climate, animal and insect pests, women's gender roles, limitations in neighborhood and household infrastructure, and economic and material resources.


CONCLUSIONS
This research points to the importance of socioeconomic and structural factors such as gender roles, economic poverty and material hardship as constraints on food choice and food-related behavior. In turn, it emphasizes the innovative practices employed by women residents of colonias to prepare meals under these constraints.
Comparison between single-and double-bundle anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: a prospective, randomized, single-blinded clinical trial.

BACKGROUND
Double-bundle ACL reconstruction popularity is increasing with the aim to reproduce native ACL anatomy and improve ACL reconstruction outcome. However, to date, only a few randomized clinical studies have been published.


PURPOSE
The aim of this study was to prospectively compare the clinical results of single- and double-bundle ACL reconstruction.


STUDY DESIGN
Randomized controlled clinical trial; Level of evidence, 1.


METHODS
Seventy patients with a chronic unilateral ACL rupture who underwent arthroscopically assisted ACL reconstruction using a hamstring graft were randomized to receive a single- (SB) or double-bundle (DB) reconstruction. Both groups were comparable with regard to preoperative data. A double-incision surgical technique was adopted in both groups. The graft was fixed by looping the hamstring tendons around a bony (DB) or a metallic (SB) bridge on the tibial side and with interference screws reinforced with a staple on the femur. The same rehabilitation protocol was adopted. Outcome assessment was performed by a blinded, independent observer using the visual analog scale (VAS) score, the new International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) form, the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), and KT-1000 arthrometer evaluation.


RESULTS
All the patients reached a minimum follow-up of 2 years. No differences between the 2 groups were observed in terms of KOOS and IKDC subjective score. A statistically significant difference in favor of the DB group was found with the VAS (P < .03). The objective IKDC final scores showed statistically significantly more "normal knees" in the DB group than in the SB group (P = .03). There was 1 stability failure in the DB group and 3 in the SB group. The KT-1000 arthrometer data showed a statistically significant decrease in the average anterior tibial translation in the DB group (1.2 mm DB vs 2.1 mm SB; P < .03). The incidence of a residual pivot-shift glide was 14% in DB and 26% in SB (P = .08).


CONCLUSION
In the 2-year minimum follow-up, DB ACL reconstructions showed better VAS, anterior knee laxity, and final objective IKDC scores than SB. However, longer follow-up and accurate instrumented in vivo rotational stability assessment are needed.
Spherical Latent Spaces for Stable Variational Autoencoders

A hallmark of variational autoencoders (VAEs) for text processing is their combination of powerful encoder-decoder models, such as LSTMs, with simple latent distributions, typically multivariate Gaussians. These models pose a difficult optimization problem: there is an especially bad local optimum where the variational posterior always equals the prior and the model does not use the latent variable at all, a kind of “collapse” which is encouraged by the KL divergence term of the objective. In this work, we experiment with another choice of latent distribution, namely the von Mises-Fisher (vMF) distribution, which places mass on the surface of the unit hypersphere. With this choice of prior and posterior, the KL divergence term now only depends on the variance of the vMF distribution, giving us the ability to treat it as a fixed hyperparameter. We show that doing so not only averts the KL collapse, but consistently gives better likelihoods than Gaussians across a range of modeling conditions, including recurrent language modeling and bag-ofwords document modeling. An analysis of the properties of our vMF representations shows that they learn richer and more nuanced structures in their latent representations than their Gaussian counterparts.1
In situ steam generation (ISSG) versus standard steam technology: impact on oxide reliability

This work studies the reliability behaviour of gate oxides grown by in situ steam generation technology. A comparison with standard steam oxides is performed, investigating interface and bulk properties. A reduced conduction at low fields and an improved reliability is found for ISSG oxide. The initial lower bulk trapping, but with similar degradation rate with respect to standard oxides, explains the improved reliability results. 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Evaluation of gold and aluminum wire bond performance for high temperature (500 /spl deg/C) silicon carbide (SiC) power modules

This paper describes an investigation of aluminum and gold wire bonding processes for high temperature electronics. Ultrasonic wire bonding of 8 and 15 mil aluminum wire and 3 mil gold wire on various metallized substrates was investigated. Aluminum wire bonds to nickel-plated aluminum nitride (AlN) and silicon nitride (SiN) substrates were thermally cycled between -55 /spl deg/C and 400 /spl deg/C, and gold wires bonded to gold-coated AlN and SiN substrates were thermally cycled between -55 /spl deg/C and 500 /spl deg/C. The thermal cycling was accomplished according to MIL-STD-883E criteria. An environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) was used to examine the wire/pad and pad/substrate interface areas before and after the thermal cycling. After thermal cycling, the samples were subjected to destructive pull testing at room temperature. The results of the testing revealed no significant degradation of the bonds after thermal cycling.
Preliminary randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial of tryptophan combined with fluoxetine to treat major depressive disorder: antidepressant and hypnotic effects.

OBJECTIVE
Because the initial phase of treatment of depression with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor is often complicated by a delayed onset of action of the antidepressant or severe insomnia or both, we investigated whether tryptophan, an amino acid with both antidepressant-augmenting and hypnotic effects, would benefit patients with depression at the beginning of treatment with fluoxetine.


DESIGN
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.


PATIENTS
Thirty individuals with major depressive disorder.


INTERVENTIONS
Treatment over 8 weeks with 20 mg of fluoxetine per day and either tryptophan (2 to 4 g per day) or placebo.


OUTCOME MEASURES
Mood was assessed using the 29-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS-29) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Laboratory sleep studies were done at baseline and after 4 and 8 weeks of treatment using standard procedures.


RESULTS
During the first week of treatment, there was a significantly greater decrease in HDRS-29 depression scores, and a similar trend in BDI scores, in the tryptophan/fluoxetine group than in the placebo/fluoxetine group. No significant differences were noted at later time points. With respect to sleep measures, there was a significant group-by-time interaction for slow-wave sleep at week 4. Further analysis revealed a significant decrease in slow-wave sleep after 4 weeks of treatment in the placebo/fluoxetine group, but not in the tryptophan/fluoxetine group. No cases of serotonin syndrome occurred, and the combination was well tolerated, although the 4 g per day dosage of tryptophan produced daytime drowsiness.


CONCLUSIONS
Combining 20 mg of fluoxetine with 2 g of tryptophan daily at the outset of treatment for major depressive disorder appears to be a safe protocol that may have both a rapid antidepressant effect and a protective effect on slow-wave sleep. Further large-scale studies are needed to confirm these initial findings.
3p22.1p21.31 microdeletion identifies CCK as Asperger syndrome candidate gene and shows the way for therapeutic strategies in chromosome imbalances

In contrast to other autism spectrum disorders, chromosome abnormalities are rare in Asperger syndrome (AS) or high-functioning autism. Consequently, AS was occasionally subjected to classical positional cloning. Here, we report on a case of AS associated with a deletion of the short arm of chromosome 3. Further in silico analysis has identified a candidate gene for AS and has suggested a therapeutic strategy for manifestations of the chromosome rearrangement. Using array comparative genomic hybridization, an interstitial deletion of 3p22.1p21.31 (~2.5 Mb in size) in a child with Asperger’s syndrome, seborrheic dermatitis and chronic pancreatitis was detected. Original bioinformatic approach to the prioritization of candidate genes/processes identified CCK (cholecystokinin) as a candidate gene for AS. In addition to processes associated with deleted genes, bioinformatic analysis of CCK gene interactome indicated that zinc deficiency might be a pathogenic mechanism in this case. This suggestion was supported by plasma zinc concentration measurements. The increase of zinc intake produced a rise in zinc plasma concentration and the improvement in the patient’s condition. Our study supported previous linkage findings and had suggested a new candidate gene in AS. Moreover, bioinformatic analysis identified the pathogenic mechanism, which was used to propose a therapeutic strategy for manifestations of the deletion. The relative success of this strategy allows speculating that therapeutic or dietary normalization of metabolic processes altered by a chromosome imbalance or genomic copy number variations may be a way for treating at least a small proportion of cases of these presumably incurable genetic conditions.
Having your cake and eating it too: A habit of comfort food may link chronic social stress exposure and acute stress-induced cortisol hyporesponsiveness

Stress has been tied to changes in eating behavior and food choice. Previous studies in rodents have shown that chronic stress increases palatable food intake which, in turn, increases visceral fat and inhibits acute stress-induced hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity. The effect of chronic stress on eating behavior in humans is less understood, but it may be linked to HPA responsivity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of chronic social stress and acute stress reactivity on food choice and food intake. Forty-one women (BMI=25.9±5.1 kg/m(2), age range=41 to 52 years) were subjected to the Trier Social Stress Test or a control task (nature movie) to examine HPA responses to an acute laboratory stressor and then invited to eat from a buffet containing low- and high-calorie snacks. Women were also categorized as high chronic stress or low chronic stress based on Wheaton Chronic Stress Inventory scores. Women reporting higher chronic stress and exhibiting low cortisol reactivity to the acute stress task consumed significantly more calories from chocolate cake on both stress and control visits. Chronic stress in the low cortisol reactor group was also positively related to total fat mass, body fat percentage, and stress-induced negative mood. Further, women reporting high chronic stress consumed significantly less vegetables, but only in those aged 45 years and older. Chronic stress in women within the higher age category was positively related to total calories consumed at the buffet, stress-induced negative mood and food craving. Our results suggest an increased risk for stress eating in persons with a specific chronic stress signature and imply that a habit of comfort food may link chronic social stress and acute stress-induced cortisol hyporesponsiveness.
The influences of the material properties on ceramic micro-stereolithography

Ceramic micro-stereolithography (mSL) was recently introduced in the fabrication of complex 3D ceramic microstructures. Light scattering is found as an important factor in the mSL of ceramics. In this work, the Monte Carlo ray tracing method is employed to investigate the in¯uences of the important materials properties on the scattering during the ceramic mSL. It is found that the scattering is the strongest when the size of the ceramic powders approaches to the laser wavelength (0.364 mm). It was also found that the higher the refractive index contrast between the particle and the resin, the stronger the light scattering. High laser intensity is required to fabricate absorbing ceramic materials to compensate for the laser energy absorbed by the ceramic particle. The mSL of three typical ceramic powders: silica, alumina, and lead zirconate titanate (PZT) are examined by the numerical model. The numerical model has been demonstrated as an ef®cient tool to optimize the mSL process. Finally, the ceramic micro green structures have been successfully fabricated.
The role of diagnostic radiology in compressive and entrapment neuropathies

Diagnostic imaging is increasingly being utilised to aid the diagnosis of compression and entrapment neuropathies. Cross-sectional imaging, primarily ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging, can provide exquisite anatomical detail of peripheral nerves and the changes that may occur as a result of compression. Imaging can provide a useful diagnostic aid to clinicians, which may supplement clinical evaluation, and may eventually provide an alternative to other diagnostic techniques such as nerve conduction studies. This article describes the abnormalities that may be demonstrated by current imaging techniques, and critically analyses the impact of imaging in diagnosis of peripheral compressive neuropathy.
Average-8T Differential-Sensing Subthreshold SRAM With Bit Interleaving and 1k Bits Per Bitline

This paper presents a new average-8T write/read decoupled (A8T-WRD) SRAM architecture for low-power sub/near-threshold SRAM in power-constraint applications such as biomedical implants and autonomous sensor nodes. The proposed architecture consists of several novel concepts in dealing with issues in sub/near-threshold SRAM including: 1) the differential and data-independent-leakage read port that facilitates robust and faster read operation and alleviates issues in the half-selected cell (pseudo-write) while reducing the area compared to the conventional 8T cell and 2) the various configurations from 14T for a baseline cell to 6.5T for an area-efficient 16-bit cell. These configurations reduce the overall bitcell area and enable low operating voltage. Two memory blocks based on the proposed architecture at the size of 16 and 64 kb, respectively, are fabricated in 0.13-μm CMOS process. The 64 kb prototype has an active area of 0.512 mm2 which is 16% less than that of the conventional 8T-cell-based design. The chip is fully functional for the read operation with 260 mV at 245 kHz and 270 mV for the write operation at 1 MHz. It can hold data down to 170 mV where the standby power consumption is only 884 nW.
Hepatitis Delta Virus Infection in Romania: Prevalence and Risk Factors.

BACKGROUND
Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) infection is associated with accelerated progression of fibrosis, early occurrence of hepatic decompensation and an increased risk for hepatocellular carcinoma. Epidemiological data on hepatitis delta virus (HDV) in Romania are still lacking.


AIM
To assess the prevalence, virological, clinical and epidemiological features of HDV infection in Romanian patients.


METHODS
We conducted a multicenter study in 10 centers. Data on sociodemographic characteristics and potential risk factors were collected through a questionnaire. Virological markers of HBV and HDV infection, biochemical and clinical features of liver disease were evaluated.


RESULTS
The study population comprised 2,761 HBsAg(+) patients with a mean age of 43.8+/-13.8 years, out of whom 5.2% were HBeAg(+) and 55.7% were males. Liver cirrhosis was detected in 17.9% of patients, while 80.4% had chronic hepatitis. The prevalence of IgG anti-HDV(+) patients was 23.1%, out of whom 16.4% were HDV RNA positive. The highest prevalence of HDV infection was encountered in patients aged 50-59 years (28.9%) and patients aged >/= 60 (24.8%) (p=0.0001). Seroprevalence of HDV was significantly higher in AgHBs(+) cirrhotics vs. noncirrhotics (43.4% vs 19.0%, p=0.0001). Risk factors for HDV infection were: occupational hazard, no HCV chronic infection, lack of anti-HBV vaccination, presence of blood transfusions, any previous surgery, frequent hospitalization or endoscopies, tattoos, body piercing, use of glass syringes, number of female sexual partners.


CONCLUSIONS
HBsAg(+) population in Romania is characterized by a high prevalence of HBeAg(-) HBV infection as well as HDV co-infection. A cohort phenomenon for HDV prevalence is also observed similar to that of HCV/HBV monoinfections.
Inspiratory Muscle Strength and Endurance in Children and Adolescents with Cystic Fibrosis.

BACKGROUND
Pulmonary changes that occur in cystic fibrosis may influence inspiratory muscle strength and endurance. We evaluated inspiratory muscle strength and endurance in children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis in comparison with healthy subjects.


METHODS
This is a cross-sectional observational study with subjects with cystic fibrosis and paired healthy individuals, age 6-18 y. Spirometry, impulse oscillometry, plethysmography, manovacuometry, and a protocol of inspiratory muscle endurance were performed.


RESULTS
Subjects with cystic fibrosis (n = 34) had higher maximum percent-of-predicted inspiratory pressure (PImax) than healthy (n = 68) subjects (118.5 ± 25.8% vs 105.8 ± 18.0%) and no significant difference in endurance (60.9 ± 13.3% vs 65.3 ± 12.3%). When restricting the analysis to subjects without Pseudomonas aeruginosa colonization and with FEV1 > 80%, PImax values were significantly higher, and inspiratory muscle endurance was lower, in comparison with the control group. PImax correlated significantly with FVC (r = 0.44, P = .02) and FEV1 (r = 0.41, P = .02), whereas endurance correlated better with total airway resistance (r = 0.35, P = .045) and with central airway resistance (r = 0.48, P = .004).


CONCLUSIONS
Children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis with no colonization by P. aeruginosa and normal lung function present increased inspiratory muscle strength and decreased endurance compared with healthy individuals, indicating that changes in the respiratory muscle function seem to be distinctly associated with pulmonary involvement. Strength was related to pulmonary function parameters, whereas endurance was associated with airway resistance.
Hybrid PV/T solar systems for domestic hot water and electricity production

Hybrid photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) solar systems can simultaneously provide electricity and heat, achieving a higher conversion rate of the absorbed solar radiation than standard PV modules. When properly designed, PV/T systems can extract heat from PV modules, heating water or air to reduce the operating temperature of the PV modules and keep the electrical efficiency at a sufficient level. In this paper, we present TRNSYS simulation results for hybrid PV/T solar systems for domestic hot water applications both passive (thermosyphonic) and active. Prototype models made from polycrystalline silicon (pc-Si) and amorphous silicon (a-Si) PV module types combined with water heat extraction units were tested with respect to their electrical and thermal efficiencies, and their performance characteristics were evaluated. The TRNSYS simulation results are based on these PV/T systems and were performed for three locations at different latitudes, Nicosia (35 ), Athens (38 ) and Madison (43 ). In this study, we considered a domestic thermosyphonic system and a larger active system suitable for a block of flats or for small office buildings. The results show that a considerable amount of thermal and electrical energy is produced by the PV/T systems, and the economic viability of the systems is improved. Thus, the PVs have better chances of success especially when both electricity and hot water is required as in domestic applications. 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.