LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Decreased platelet APP isoform ratios in autosomal dominant Alzheimer's disease: baseline data from a DIAN cohort subset.

INTRODUCTION
This study examines platelet amyloid precursor protein (APP) isoform ratios of 120KDa to 110KDa (APPr) between mutation carriers (MC) carrying a mutation for autosomal dominant Alzheimer's disease (ADAD) and non-carriers (NC). Two previous studies reported no significant difference in APPr between ADAD MC and NC, which may have been due to the small sample size in both studies. The current study examines APPr in MC versus NC in a larger sample. In addition, it investigated whether APPr correlate with neuroimaging data, neuropsychological data and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers in a cohort subset derived from the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network (DIAN) study.


METHODS
APPr were quantified by western blotting. Fifteen MC (symptomatic and asymptomatic) were compared against twelve NC using univariate general linear model. All participants underwent neuroimaging and neuropsychological testing which were correlated with APPr using Pearson's correlation coefficient (r).


RESULTS
APPr were lower in MC compared to NC (p=0.003) while Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores were not significantly different (p>0.1). Furthermore, APPr inversely correlated with amyloid imaging in the Caudate Nucleus (r=-0.505; p<0.05) and Precuneus (r=-0.510; p<0.05).


CONCLUSION
APPr are lower in ADAD MC compared to NC, and inversely correlated with brain amyloid load prior to significant differences in cognitive health. However, the use of APPr as a biomarker needs to be explored further.
Detection of Backlash Phenomena Appearing in a Single Cement Kiln Drive Using the Current and the Electromagnetic Torque Signature

Fault diagnosis in electromechanical drives has been widely investigated over the last decades, and many diagnostic methods have been proposed based on the reported faults. Additionally to already published works which have dealt with gear faults inside low reduction ratio gearboxes, this paper aims to present a simple and effective method for the early diagnosis of evolving faults in a high reduction ratio gear transmission system used in cement kiln drives. The under study system basically consists of a three-phase induction motor mechanically connected to a gearbox. The output shaft of the gearbox drives a gear pinion which, in turn, rotates a girth gear rim surrounding the cement kiln. The identification of mechanical vibrations due to backlash phenomena appearing between the pinion gear and the girth gear rim of the kiln is realized using the motor current signature analysis and processing the motor electromagnetic torque. The proposed diagnostic method is presented, analyzing the experimental results from an under-scale laboratory simulating system.
Visual teach and repeat, repeat, repeat: Iterative Learning Control to improve mobile robot path tracking in challenging outdoor environments

This paper presents a path-repeating, mobile robot controller that combines a feedforward, proportional Iterative Learning Control (ILC) algorithm with a feedback-linearized path-tracking controller to reduce path-tracking errors over repeated traverses along a reference path. Localization for the controller is provided by an on-board, vision-based mapping and navigation system enabling operation in large-scale, GPS-denied, extreme environments. The paper presents experimental results including over 600 m of travel by a four-wheeled, 50 kg robot travelling through challenging terrain including steep hills and sandy turns and by a six-wheeled, 160 kg robot at gradually-increased speeds up to three times faster than the nominal, safe speed. In the absence of a global localization system, ILC is demonstrated to reduce path-tracking errors caused by unmodelled robot dynamics and terrain challenges.
High-variance multivariate time series forecasting using machine learning

There are several tools and models found in machine learning that can be used to forecast a certain time series; however, it is not always clear which model is appropriate for selection, as different models are suited for different types of data, and domain-specific transformations and considerations are usually required. This research aims to examine the issue by modeling four types of machineand deep learning algorithms support vector machine, random forest, feed-forward neural network, and a LSTM neural network on a high-variance, multivariate time series to forecast trend changes one time step in the future, accounting for lag. The models were trained on clinical trial data of patients in an alcohol addiction treatment plan provided by a Uppsala-based company. The results showed moderate performance differences, with a concern that the models were performing a random walk or naive forecast. Further analysis was able to prove that at least one model, the feed-forward neural network, was not undergoing this and was able to make meaningful forecasts one time step into the future. In addition, the research also examined the effect of optimization processes by comparing a grid search, a random search, and a Bayesian optimization process. In all cases, the grid search found the lowest minima, though its slow runtimes were consistently beaten by Bayesian optimization, which contained only slightly lower performances than the grid search. Key words— Data science, alcohl abuse, time series, forecasting, machine learning, deep learning, neural networks, regression
Disrupted Brain Connectivity Networks in Drug-Naive, First-Episode Major Depressive Disorder

BACKGROUND
Neuroimaging studies have shown that major depressive disorder (MDD) is accompanied by structural and functional abnormalities in specific brain regions and connections; yet, little is known about alterations of the topological organization of whole-brain networks in MDD patients.


METHODS
Thirty drug-naive, first-episode MDD patients and 63 healthy control subjects underwent a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scan. The whole-brain functional networks were constructed by thresholding partial correlation matrices of 90 brain regions, and their topological properties (e.g., small-world, efficiency, and nodal centrality) were analyzed using graph theory-based approaches. Nonparametric permutation tests were further used for group comparisons of topological metrics.


RESULTS
Both the MDD and control groups showed small-world architecture in brain functional networks, suggesting a balance between functional segregation and integration. However, compared with control subjects, the MDD patients showed altered quantitative values in the global properties, characterized by lower path length and higher global efficiency, implying a shift toward randomization in their brain networks. The MDD patients exhibited increased nodal centralities, predominately in the caudate nucleus and default-mode regions, including the hippocampus, inferior parietal, medial frontal, and parietal regions, and reduced nodal centralities in the occipital, frontal (orbital part), and temporal regions. The altered nodal centralities in the left hippocampus and the left caudate nucleus were correlated with disease duration and severity.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that depressive disorder is associated with disruptions in the topological organization of functional brain networks and that this disruption may contribute to disturbances in mood and cognition in MDD patients.
Effects of skin rehabilitation massage therapy on pruritus, skin status, and depression in burn survivors.

PURPOSE
Hypertrophic scarring and depression are the principal problems of burn rehabilitation. This study was done to verify the effects of skin rehabilitation massage therapy (SRMT) on pruritus, skin status, and depression for Korean burn survivors.


METHODS
A pretest-posttest design using a nonequivalent control group was applied to examine the effects of SRMT for 3 months in a group of 18 burn survivors. The major dependent variables-including pruritus, objective and subjective scar status, and depression-were measured at the beginning and at the end of the therapy to examine the effects of SRMT.


RESULTS
Burn survivors receiving SRMT showed reduced pruritus, improved skin status, and depression. The remaining scar also showed improvement in skin pigmentation, pliability, vascularity, and height (compared to the surrounding skin) as measured on the Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS).


CONCLUSIONS
The findings demonstrate that SRMT for burn survivors may improve their scars both objectively and subjectively, and also reduce pruritus and depression.
2 Quality Control , Screening , Toxicity , and Regulation of Herbal Drugs

Medicinal plants constitute a source of raw materials for both traditional systems of medicine (e.g. Ayurvedic, Chinese, Unani, Homeopathy, and Siddha) and modern medicine. Nowadays, plant materials are employed throughout the industrialized and developing world as home remedies, over-the-counter drugs, and ingredients for the pharmaceutical industry. As such, they represent a substantial proportion of the global drug market. Most rural populations, especially in the developing world, depend on medicinal herbs as their main source of primary health care. Although most medicinal herbs are not, in their natural state, fit for administration, preparations suitable for administration are made according to pharmacopeia directions. The therapeutic potential of a herbal drugs depends on its form: whether parts of a plant, or simple extracts, or isolated active constituents. Herbal remedies consist of portions of plants or unpurified plant extracts containing several constituents, which often work together synergistically. The herbal drug preparation in its entirety is regarded as the active substance and the constituents are either of known therapeutic activity or are chemically defined substances or group of substances generally accepted to contribute substantially to the therapeutic activity of the drug. Phytochemical screening involves botanical identification, extraction with suitable solvents, purification, and characterization of the active constituents of pharmaceutical importance. Qualitative chemical examination employing different analytical techniques is conducted to detect and isolate the active constituent(s). In general, all medicines, whether they are synthetic or of plant origin, should fulfill the basic requirements of being efficacious and safe. Ultimate proof of these can only be achieved by some form of clinical research. A defined and constant composition of the drug is therefore one of the most important prerequisites for any kind of clinical experiment. Quality control for the efficacy and safety of herbal products is essential. The quality control of phytopharmaceuticals may be defined as the status of a drug, which is determined either by identity, purity, content, and other chemical, physical or biological properties, or by the manufacturing process. Compared with syn25
Metal-Ion Enhanced Helicity in the Gas Phase

Recent studies have shown that protonated polyalanine peptides (Alan+H) are not helical in the gas phase, 1,2 despite alanine’s high helix propensity in solution. 3 Here we show that substituting an alkali metal ion (Li +, Na+, K+, Rb+, or Cs+) for the proton leads to a transformation from a random globule to a rigid helix. While metal ions have been found to enhance the helicity of small peptides in aqueous solution, 4-8 this often involves residues with high metal affinities locking in the helical conformation by formation of metal-mediated cross-links. The peptides discussed here do not have metal-complexing side chains. The enhanced helicity apparently results because the oxyphilic metal ions coordinate to CO groups at the C-terminus. This “caps” the helix9,10 and allows favorable interactions between the metal ion and the helix dipole. 11-13
Penalties for success: reactions to women who succeed at male gender-typed tasks.

A total of 242 subjects participated in 3 experimental studies investigating reactions to a woman's success in a male gender-typed job. Results strongly supported the authors' hypotheses, indicating that (a) when women are acknowledged to have been successful, they are less liked and more personally derogated than equivalently successful men (Studies 1 and 2); (b) these negative reactions occur only when the success is in an arena that is distinctly male in character (Study 2); and (c) being disliked can have career-affecting outcomes, both for overall evaluation and for recommendations concerning organizational reward allocation (Study 3). These results were taken to support the idea that gender stereotypes can prompt bias in evaluative judgments of women even when these women have proved themselves to be successful and demonstrated their competence. The distinction between prescriptive and descriptive aspects of gender stereotypes is considered, as well as the implications of prescriptive gender norms for women in work settings.
Chemical functionalization of graphene nanoribbons

We review the electronic properties of graphene nanoribbons functionalized by various elements and functional groups. Graphene nanoribbons are strips of graphene, the honeycomb lattice of carbon with sp2 hybridization. Basically nanoribbons can be classified into two categories, according to the geometry of their edge, armchair, and zigzag, which determine their electronic structure. Due to their fascinating electronic and magnetic properties many applications has been suggested for these materials. One of the major methods to use graphene nanoribbons in future applications is chemical functionalization of these materials to make an engineering on their band gap. In this review, we introduce various types of modifying graphene nanoribbons to meet their promising applications.
Time Symmetry and the Many-Worlds Interpretation

An attempt to solve the collapse problem in the framework of a time-symmetric quantum formalism is reviewed. Although the proposal does not look very attractive, its concept a world defined by two quantum states, one evolving forwards and one evolving backwards in time is found to be useful in modifying the many-worlds picture of Everett’s theory.
First-line treatment in senior adults with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer: A prospective international registry.

AIMS
To compare the efficacy and tolerability of taxane and nontaxane therapy in senior adults with chemonaïve metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), and examine the effect of patient health status on outcomes.


PATIENTS AND METHODS
Between 2009 and 2011, 333 patients aged≥70 years with mCRPC were enrolled in a prospective international registry. Patients were categorized as having received taxane-based or nontaxane therapy, and classified as fit, vulnerable, frail, or terminal, according to investigator judgement or International Society of Geriatric Oncology guidelines. Efficacy measures included overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival. Grade 3/4 toxicities were recorded. Predictors of OS were identified using multivariate Cox regression.


RESULTS
The proportions of fit/vulnerable/frail patients were 65%/14%/17% (International Society of Geriatric Oncology), and 39%/43%/17% (investigator). In single-factor analyses, taxane therapy improved OS (hazard ratio [95%CI] = 0.53 [0.30-0.93]; P = 0.027) and progression-free survival (hazard ratio [95% CI] = 0.55 [0.40-0.76]; P<0.001) vs. nontaxane therapy. Patients with frailty also benefited from taxane therapy (adapted regimen in 52%). In multivariate analysis, taxanes improved OS even with poor prognostic factors present (P = 0.017); age was unrelated to prognosis. Taxane therapy was well tolerated; most common grade 3/4 toxicities (taxane vs. nontaxane) were fatigue (17% vs. 4%), nausea/vomiting (14% vs. 5%) and neutropenia (10% vs. 1%).


CONCLUSIONS
The results of this nonrandomized, observational study suggest that first-line taxane therapy may benefit senior adults with mCRPC more than alternative therapies. Treatment decisions should not be based on chronological age.
Broadcasting in VANET

In this paper, we report the first complete version of a multi-hop broadcast protocol for vehicular ad hoc networks (VANET). Our results clearly show that broadcasting in VANET is very different from routing in mobile ad hoc networks (MANET) due to several reasons such as network topology, mobility patterns, demographics, traffic patterns at different times of the day, etc. These differences imply that conventional ad hoc routing protocols such as DSR and AODV will not be appropriate in VANETs for most vehicular broadcast applications. We identify three very different regimes that a vehicular broadcast protocol needs to work in: i) dense traffic regime; ii) sparse traffic regime; and iii) regular traffic regime. We build upon our previously proposed routing solutions for each regime and we show that the broadcast message can be disseminate efficiently. The proposed design of the distributed vehicular broadcast (DV-CAST) protocol integrates the use of various routing solutions we have previously proposed.
EFFECTS OF EXPOSURE TO PORTLAND CEMENT DUST ON LUNG FUNCTION IN PORTLAND CEMENT FACTORY WORKERS IN KHASH, IRAN

The present study was done to assess cement dust exposure and its relationship to respiratory health effects, both acute and chronic respiratory symptoms and ventilatory function impairment among Portland cement factory workers in Khash located in the south part of Iran. A cross-sectional study was conducted at Khash Portland cement producing factory in Iran in 2001. A total of 170 exposed and 170 unexposed employees were selected. Air transmitted personal respirable dust and total dust samples were collected in a full-time (8h/day) shift. Dust level was determined by the gravimetric method. An intervieweradministered questionnaire was used to collect information and history of respiratory health among workers (exposed and unexposed to dust) and measurements of lung function were made using a spirometer in both groups. Concentrations of personal respirable dust ranged from 3.7 mg/m in the kilns to 23 mg/m in the ore crushing area, and total dust ranged from 15 mg/m in the kilns to 95 mg/m. Cough and phlegm, with or without shortness of breath, were significantly related to dust concentration. Measuring pulmonary functions of workers exposed to dust and unexposed group showed a significant decrease in vital capacity, forced vital capacity, FEF25-75 and Forced Expiratory Volume in the first second (P<0.05). Findings suggest that occupational exposure to Portland cement dust may lead to higher prevalence of respiratory symptoms and the reduction of ventilator capacity due to existence of quartz in row material of cement dusts. The study revealed that cement dust exposure is associated with acute as well as chronic respiratory health effects. It is recommended that engineering measures must be taken to reduce the dust level in cement factories, accompanied with health monitoring of exposed employees.
Comprehensive Survey on Distance / Similarity Measures between Probability Density Functions

Distance or similarity measures are essential to solve many pattern recognition problems such as classification, clustering, and retrieval problems. Various distance/similarity measures that are applicable to compare two probability density functions, pdf in short, are reviewed and categorized in both syntactic and semantic relationships. A correlation coefficient and a hierarchical clustering technique are adopted to reveal similarities among numerous distance/similarity measures.
The aging physician.

When are physicians too old to practise medicine? In 1905, at the age of 55 years, Sir William Osler publicly spoke of the “comparative uselessness” of men older than 40 years of age. He contended that men should retire after age 60 and jokingly suggested that at 60 years of age, men be allowed
Resolution of exercise oscillatory ventilation with adaptive servoventilation in patients with chronic heart failure and Cheyne-Stokes respiration: preliminary study.

BACKGROUND
Exercise oscillatory ventilation (EOV) is a common pattern of breathing in heart failure (HF) patients, and indicates a poor prognosis.


AIM
To investigate the effects of adaptive servoventilation (ASV) on ventilatory response during exercise.


METHODS
We studied 39 HF patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) £ 45. Cardiorespiratory polygraphy, cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET), echocardiography, and measurement of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) concentration were performed. Twenty patients with Cheyne-Stokes respiration and apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI) ≥ 15/h were identified. Of these, 11 patients were successfully titrated on ASV and continued therapy. In the third month of ASV treatment, polygraphy, CPET, echocardiography, and measurement of NT-proBNP concentration were performed again.


RESULTS
The EOV was detected at baseline in 12 (31%) HF patients, including eight (67%) who underwent ASV. The EOV was associated with significantly lower LVEF, peak oxygen uptake (VO(2)), and ventilatory anaerobic threshold (VAT), and a significantly higher left ventricular diastolic diameter (LVDD), slope of ventilatory equivalent for carbon dioxide (VE/VCO(2)), AHI, central AHI and NT-proBNP concentration. In seven patients with EOV, reversal of EOV in the third month of ASV therapy was observed; only in one patient did EOV persist (p = 0.0156).


CONCLUSIONS
The EOV can be reversed with ASV therapy. The EOV in association with central sleep apnoea and Cheyne- -Stokes respiration (CSA/CSR) is prevalent in HF patients and correlates with severity of the disease.
A Field Study of the Software Design Process for Large Systems

The problems of designing large software systems were studied through interviewing personnel from 17 large projects. A layered behavioral model is used to analyze how three of these problems—the thin spread of application domain knowledge, fluctuating and conflicting requirements, and communication bottlenecks and breakdowns—affected software productivity and quality through their impact on cognitive, social, and organizational processes.
OpenFlow: The Next Generation of the Network?

Software-defined-network technologies like OpenFlow could change how datacenters, cloud systems, and perhaps even the Internet handle tomorrow's heavy network loads.
Syzygium cumini : An overview

Aim of this article briefly focus on the potential phytochemicals and pharmacological activity of Syzygium cumini. Various parts of plant including seeds, bark, leaves and fruits had been studied and investigated for various pharmacological properties. The phytochemicals like malieic acid, oxalic acid, gallic acid, tannins, cynidin glycoside, oleanolic acid, flavonoids, essential oils, betulinic acid, friedelin have been reported for significant, antianaemic, gingivititis, antidiarrhieal, antipyretic, antibacterial, antineoplastic, anti-inflammetry, hypoglycemic, gastro protective and hypolipidemic properties. Further investigations exploring possible use of these phytochemicals as pharmacological agents are warranted. This is an attempt to compile and documented information on different aspect of Syzygium cumini pharmacological properties and highlight the need for research and their potential development. Key word: Syzgium cumin, Tannins, Flavonoids, Essential oils, Phytochemicals . _________________________________________________________________________