LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Software project risk assessment model based on fuzzy theory

Many uncertainties always exist in the development and management process of software project, the awareness and ability of software project risk management must be strengthened, in order to effectively prevent the occurrence of the failure of it. In this paper, on the basis of the analysis of the software project risk management process, a model based on fuzzy theory in software project risk assessment is provided. Using the fuzzy language to assess the consequences and the loss of the risk, the model can measure a combination of impact of a certain risk from a variety of risk and the combined effects of the overall consequences from individual risk, which resolves the uncertainty of expert assessment, enhances the prediction and response capabilities of the software project risk and provide a new way to effectively reduce the risk probability and increase the rate of the success of the software development.
ESB federation for large-scale SOA

Embracing service-oriented architectures in the context of large systems, such as the Web, rises a set of new and challenging issues: increased size and load in terms of users and services, distribution, and dynamicity. A top-down federation of service infrastructure support that we name "service cloud" and that is capable of growing to the scale of the Internet, is seen as a promising response to such new challenges. In this paper, we define the service cloud concept, its promises and the requirements in terms of architecture and the corresponding middleware. We present some preliminary proofs of concept through the integration of a JBI-compliant enterprise service bus, extended to our needs, and a scalable semantic space infrastructure, both relying on an established grid middleware environment. The new approach offers service consumers and providers a fully transparent, distributed and federated means to access, compose and deploy services on the Internet. Technically, our contribution advances core service bus technology towards the service cloud by scaling the registries and message routers to the level of federations via a hierarchical approach, and by incorporating the communication and coordination facilities offered by a global semantic space.
Quantum theory : a philosopher's overview

Given its general motivation, " Quantum Theory: a Philosopher's Overview " by Salvator Cannavo is a very interesting book. The fundamental question is: Can quantum mechanics be an explanatory theory? In a nutshell, his answer is: " No ". I respectfully disagree. Before we enter into the merits of his case, let me describe the book. In Chapter 1 the author nicely reviews quantum theory. On the one hand, quantum mechanics (in the text " QT ") has had an unprecedented and overwhelming experimental success. On the other hand, however, quantum mechanics raises profound conceptual problems which are equally unprecedented. Since its discovery, the theory has generated a large philosophical debate about its ultimate intelligibility and its metaphysical implications. As Cannavo points out, " nothing of this glorious classical history, however, has been quite as stunning as the success of quantum theory – a success that has seemed utterly magical. [...] What quantum mechanics has not yet found itself is a universally accepted interpretation [...]. " (p.3). As the author discusses in Chapters 2 and 3, quantum physics presents most puzzling features, among which are the wave-like behavior of particles and vice versa, the macroscopic superpositions, the active role of a conscious observer, and nonlocality. " The natural response to the baffling aspects of quantum physics is the demand for an interpretation for QT " (p.39). In Chapter 4 Cannavo presents the Copenhagen interpretation and Bohm's hidden variable theory, while in Chapter 5 he discusses the many-worlds interpretations, the many-minds interpretations, decoherence theory, GRW theory, and quantum logic. The conclusion is that the situation is hopeless: all these interpretations are inadequate, for they all fall short of providing the sort of explanation an interpretation should give. After describing the distinction between explanatory and algorithmic theories (the former being able to make predictions and explanation, the latter just predictions), Cannavo shows in Chapter 6 how quantum theory has always been ultimately and irreducibly algorithmic, so that " […] the very long history of failed efforts at formulating a generally acceptable interpretation strongly suggests that the interpretational program is deeply impractical, if not utterly futile […] " (p. xii). We should recognize, Cannavo claims, that it is in the nature of quantum mechanics of not being able to explain phenomena. Physicists have developed new theories, like quantum electrodynamics, quantum field theory and string theory (to which Cannavo refers as " quantumized theories …
Maximum voluntary ventilation as a sensitive measure to monitor the ventilatory function in cervical spondylotic myelopathy

Study design:A prospective clinical cohort study.Objectives:To test if maximum voluntary ventilation (MVV), which is currently underutilized in diseases, serves for assessing subclinical ventilatory impairment in cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM).Setting:Kochi Medical School, Japan.Methods:We studied ventilatory function in 49 CSM patients and 20 age- and sex-matched control patients with either lumbar stenosis or lower limb osteoarthritis. All patients underwent ventilatory function studies consisting of flow volume curves, vital capacity (VC) and the MVV in 12 s before and after surgery. Tetraparesis was assessed by the functional scale of the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA).Results:The CSM group had significantly smaller %forced VC , %peak expiratory flow rate (%PEFR) and %MVV than the control group preoperatively. In contrast to the control group, the CSM group showed a significant increase in %MVV from 74.9±18.7% preoperatively to 80.3±19.0% postoperatively (P<0.005), but not in any other ventilatory measures. This postoperative increase in %MVV significantly correlated with the JOA score (r=0.493; P<0.001). As a possible effect of diaphragmatic recovery, the %PEFR significantly increased postoperatively only in patients with the primary site of involvement at or rostral to C3–4.Conclusion:Of the various ventilatory measurements, MVV was most sensitive to changes in tetraparesis in CSM, presumably because MVV, unlike the other ventilatory measures, reflects the coordination in addition to the strength of respiratory muscles.
A randomised controlled feasibility trial for an educational school-based mental health intervention: study protocol

BACKGROUND
With the burden of mental illness estimated to be costing the English economy alone around £22.5 billion a year 1, coupled with growing evidence that many mental disorders have their origins in adolescence, there is increasing pressure for schools to address the emotional well-being of their students, alongside the stigma and discrimination of mental illness. A number of prior educational interventions have been developed and evaluated for this purpose, but inconsistency of findings, reporting standards, and methodologies have led the majority of reviewers to conclude that the evidence for the efficacy of these programmes remains inconclusive.


METHODS/DESIGN
A cluster randomised controlled trial design has been employed to enable a feasibility study of 'SchoolSpace', an intervention in 7 UK secondary schools addressing stigma of mental illness, mental health literacy, and promotion of mental health. A central aspect of the intervention involves students in the experimental condition interacting with a young person with lived experience of mental illness, a stigma reducing technique designed to facilitate students' engagement in the project. The primary outcome is the level of stigma related to mental illness. Secondary outcomes include mental health literacy, resilience to mental illness, and emotional well-being. Outcomes will be measured pre and post intervention, as well as at 6 month follow-up.


DISCUSSION
The proposed intervention presents the potential for increased engagement due to its combination of education and contact with a young person with lived experience of mental illness. Contact as a technique to reduce discrimination has been evaluated previously in research with adults, but has been employed in only a minority of research trials investigating the impact on youth. Prior to this study, the effect of contact on mental health literacy, resilience, and emotional well-being has not been evaluated to the authors' knowledge. If efficacious the intervention could provide a reliable and cost-effective method to reduce stigma in young people, whilst increasing mental health literacy, and emotional well-being.


TRIAL REGISTRATION
ISRCTN: ISRCTN07406026.
Relationship of Smartphone Use Severity with Sleep Quality, Depression, and Anxiety in University Students

BACKGROUND AND AIMS
The usage of smartphones has increased rapidly in recent years, and this has brought about addiction. The aim of the current study was to investigate the relationship between smartphone use severity and sleep quality, depression, and anxiety in university students.


METHODS
In total, 319 university students (203 females and 116 males; mean age = 20.5 ± 2.45) were included in the study. Participants were divided into the following three groups: a smartphone non-user group (n = 71, 22.3%), a low smartphone use group (n = 121, 37.9%), and a high smartphone use group (n = 127, 39.8%). All participants were evaluated using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory; moreover, participants other than those in the smartphone non-user group were also assessed with the Smartphone Addiction Scale.


RESULTS
The findings revealed that the Smartphone Addiction Scale scores of females were significantly higher than those of males. Depression, anxiety, and daytime dysfunction scores were higher in the high smartphone use group than in the low smartphone use group. Positive correlations were found between the Smartphone Addiction Scale scores and depression levels, anxiety levels, and some sleep quality scores.


CONCLUSIONS
The results indicate that depression, anxiety, and sleep quality may be associated with smartphone overuse. Such overuse may lead to depression and/or anxiety, which can in turn result in sleep problems. University students with high depression and anxiety scores should be carefully monitored for smartphone addiction.
Oral poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor olaparib in patients with <ce:italic>BRCA1</ce:italic> or <ce:italic>BRCA2</ce:italic> mutations and advanced breast cancer: a proof-of-concept trial

BACKGROUND
Olaparib, a novel, orally active poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor, induced synthetic lethality in BRCA-deficient cells. A maximum tolerated dose and initial signal of efficacy in BRCA-deficient ovarian cancers have been reported. We therefore assessed the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of olaparib alone in women with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations and advanced breast cancer.


METHODS
Women (aged >or=18 years) with confirmed BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations and recurrent, advanced breast cancer were assigned to two sequential cohorts in a phase 2 study undertaken in 16 centres in Australia, Germany, Spain, Sweden, the UK, and the USA. The first cohort (n=27) was given continuous oral olaparib at the maximum tolerated dose (400 mg twice daily), and the second (n=27) was given a lower dose (100 mg twice daily). The primary efficacy endpoint was objective response rate (ORR). This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00494234.


FINDINGS
Patients had been given a median of three previous chemotherapy regimens (range 1-5 in cohort 1, and 2-4 in cohort 2). ORR was 11 (41%) of 27 patients (95% CI 25-59) in the cohort assigned to 400 mg twice daily, and six (22%) of 27 (11-41) in the cohort assigned to 100 mg twice daily. Toxicities were mainly at low grades. The most frequent causally related adverse events in the cohort given 400 mg twice daily were fatigue (grade 1 or 2, 11 [41%]; grade 3 or 4, four [15%]), nausea (grade 1 or 2, 11 [41%]; grade 3 or 4, four [15%]), vomiting (grade 1 or 2, three [11%]; grade 3 or 4, three [11%]), and anaemia (grade 1 or 2, one [4%]; grade 3 or 4, three [11%]). The most frequent causally related adverse events in the cohort given 100 mg twice daily were nausea (grade 1 or 2, 11 [41%]; none grade 3 or 4) and fatigue (grade 1 or 2, seven [26%]; grade 3 or 4, one [4%]).


INTERPRETATION
The results of this study provide positive proof of concept for PARP inhibition in BRCA-deficient breast cancers and shows a favourable therapeutic index for a novel targeted treatment strategy in patients with tumours that have genetic loss of function of BRCA1-associated or BRCA2-associated DNA repair. Toxicity in women with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations was similar to that reported previously in those without such mutations.


FUNDING
AstraZeneca.
A comparative study of 3 portable oxygen concentrators during a 6-minute walk test in patients with chronic lung disease.

BACKGROUND
The purpose of this study was to compare the ability of 3 portable oxygen concentrators (POCs) to maintain S(pO2) ≥ 90% during exercise in patients with chronic lung disease.


METHODS
Twenty-one subjects with chronic lung disease (18 with COPD, 3 with pulmonary fibrosis) and documented room air exertional S(pO2) ≤ 85% performed four 6-min walk tests: a control walk using the subject's current oxygen system and prescribed exertional flow rate, and 1 walk with each of the 3 POCs (Eclipse 3, EverGo, and iGo) at their maximum pulse-dose setting.


RESULTS
S(pO2) was significantly higher pre-walk and post-walk with the Eclipse 3, compared to the other POCs (all P < .01). The subjects also walked farther and maintained a mean S(pO2) ≥ 90% with the Eclipse 3 (both P < .01), which delivers the largest oxygen bolus. The subjects indicated that they preferred the EverGo's physical characteristics, but that the Eclipse 3 responded best to their breathing. The iGo was rated less favorably than Eclipse 3 or EverGo.


CONCLUSIONS
The Eclipse 3 was best at meeting the subjects' clinical needs. POC users should be appropriately tested during all activities of daily living, to ensure adequate oxygenation. The healthcare provider should provide information and help to direct the subject toward the most clinically appropriate oxygen system, while being mindful of the patient's preferences and lifestyle. (Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01653730).
Indebted to Fair Trade? Coffee and crisis in Nicaragua

This paper explores the following general question: Why are Fair Trade coffee farmers in Nicaragua burdened by debt? Nearly five years from ‘‘the end” of the coffee crisis, peasant farming households committed to Fair Trade standards continue to struggle with a legacy of indebtedness caused by years of low farm-gate prices and declining productivity between 2000 and 2004. Through ethnographic observation and interviews with peasant farmers in Nicaragua, I explore how farmers experience a simple reproduction squeeze that hinders them from ‘‘bootstrapping” their own economic development. I argue that the effort to raise the Fair Trade minimum price and premium for coffee through Fair Trade Labelling Organizations International (FLO) in 2008 demonstrated a good first step toward improving farm-gate prices, however, these gains must be understood in the context of long-term indebtedness as well as rising production costs and household consumption costs. 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Questionnaires and pocket spirometers provide an alternative approach for COPD screening in the general population.

BACKGROUND
In response to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality statement questioning the usefulness of “screening spirometry,” the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the COPD Foundation held a consensus conference in June 2008 to establish a procedure to detect cases of COPD in the general population. Conference participants developed a three-stage approach, using a brief questionnaire, peak flow measurement with a pocket spirometer, and diagnostic quality spirometry. The overall objective of this study was to examine the usefulness of a simple questionnaire and peak flow measurement in screening for COPD in a self-selected population. We hypothesized that this combination would efficiently screen for clinically relevant COPD.


METHODS
We queried individuals attending public events regarding the presence of wheeze and/or asthma, mucus production, dyspnea, exposure to irritants, and tobacco use. Peak expiratory flow (PEF) was then measured with a pocket spirometer. If PEF was < 70% predicted, spirometry was performed. In order to estimate the false-negative rate, a random sample of every 10th participant was also selected for spirometry.


RESULTS
Between June 2008 and December 2009, 5,761 adults completed the risk assessment questionnaire. The mean age of the respondents was 54 years, 58% were women, and 88% were white. Of these, 5,638 participants completed pocket spirometry, and 315 (5.6%) had PEF < 70% predicted. Of 5,323 with normal PEF, 651 underwent spirometry. The performance of PEF was assessed via positive and negative predictive values relative to a diagnosis of clinically significant airflow obstruction, defined as FEV(1)/FEV(6) < the lower limit of normal and FEV(1) < 60% predicted. Of 4,238 subjects with at least two risk factors, 267 (6.3%) had PEF < 70%, compared with 48 of the 1,400 subjects (3.4%) with fewer than two risk factors (P < .001). Based on 729 participants with acceptable spirometry, 63.1% (113 of 179) of those with abnormal PEF tested positive for clinically significant airflow obstruction, compared with 5.5% (30 of 550) with normal PEF (P < .001). The estimated prevalence of significant COPD among the 5,638 screened was 8.7%, and sensitivity and specificity were 40.7% and 97.7%, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
A staged approach to COPD screening in adults is useful for detecting clinically significant airflow obstruction in our study population.
The impact of protein supplementation on cognitive performance in frail elderly.

PURPOSE
Maintenance of cognitive abilities is important for elderly to stay independent. With the aging of the population, the call for modifiable factors is emerging. Dietary protein might improve cognitive performance; however, this has hardly been studied. Therefore, we studied the impact of 24-week dietary protein supplementation on cognitive performance in pre-frail and frail elderly people.


METHODS
Pre-frail and frail elderly subjects, according to the Fried criteria, randomly received a protein drink containing 15 g protein or a placebo drink twice a day. Cognitive performance was measured at baseline and after 24 weeks by means of a sensitive neuropsychological test battery. In addition, reaction time was assessed after both 12 and 24 weeks of intervention. Domain scores were calculated for the domains episodic memory, attention and working memory, information processing speed, and executive functioning. Analyses of covariance were used to determine differences between groups. Linear mixed models were used to determine differences in reaction time over time and per treatment.


RESULTS
In total, 65 subjects (79 ± 8 years) with a median Mini-Mental State Examination score of 28 (interquartile range 26-30) were included. Reaction time improved more in the protein group (68 ms) than in the placebo group (18 ms, P = 0.03). Dietary protein had no significant effect on any of the cognitive domain scores.


CONCLUSIONS
Protein supplementation might improve reaction time performance in pre-frail and frail elderly, but did not improve other cognitive functions.
Reconstructing Core Dumps

When a software failure occurs in the field, it is often difficult to reproduce. Guided by a memory dump at the moment of failure (a “core dump”), our RECORE test case generator searches for a series of events that precisely reconstruct the failure from primitive data. Applied on seven non-trivial Java bugs, RECORE reconstructs the exact failure in five cases without any runtime overhead in production code.
Insurance for assisting adaptation to climate change in developing countries: a proposed strategy

Adaptation to climate change, including support for insurance instruments, has emerged on the climate agenda alongside the reduction of atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations as an essential part of the response to climate change risks. It is generally accepted that industrialized countries bear a certain responsibility for adaptation to climate change in developing countries, and should bear part of the costs. Although a diversity of mechanisms, approaches and rules for funding adaptation in developing countries has been adopted by implementing agencies and Abstract
In situ formation of lead phosphates in soils as a method to immobilize lead.

Considerable evidence, both theoretical and experimental, supports the assertion that lead phosphates are the most stable environmental soil lead form and that they may form rapidly when adequate phosphate is present. This study demonstrated that the weathering of galena to insoluble lead phosphates in soils at a port facility historically used for shipment of ore concentrates is due to the presence of adequate soil phosphate. Geochemical modeling indicated that the addition of a phosphate amendment to Pb-bearing soil would result in lead phosphate formation with an estimated aqueous lead solubility of 0.1 pg/L in soil. Assessment of the potential lead bioavailability from ingestion of pyromorphite, which will be controlled by lead mineral dissolution in the acidic environment of the human stomach, indicated limited bioaccessibility of lead. The study results suggest that in situ lead stabilization through phosphate amendment may provide a cost-effective method for reducing the leaching, migration, and bioavailability of lead from soils.
Are Nigeria SMEs Effectively Utilizing ICT

This paper investigates reasons for the non-utilization of ICT by SMEs in Nigeria using a survey of 180 SMEs. The results of the study indicates that majority of Nigeria SMEs utilizes basic ICT such as word processing, fixed landlines, printers and fax machines but rarely use the computer for advance functions such as business analysis, planning and decision making. However, there are key factors that inhibit these SMEs from effectively utilizing ICT in their various businesses. The survey suggests that electricity and infrastructural inadequacies are the most prevalent factors for non-utilization of ICT amongst SMEs in the region. The overall study is relevant to SMEs in general; policy makers and stakeholders in creating initiatives that will assist in the development of these SMEs.