LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
RFID-based supply chain partner authentication and key agreement

The growing use of RFID in supply chains brings along an indisputable added value from the business perspective, but raises a number of new interesting security challenges. One of them is the authentication of two participants of the supply chain that have possessed the same tagged item, but that have otherwise never communicated before. The situation is even more complex if we imagine that participants to the supply chain may be business competitors. We present a novel cryptographic scheme that solves this problem. In our solution, users exchange tags over the cycle of a supply chain and, if two entities have possessed the same tag, they agree on a secret common key they can use to protect their exchange of business sensitive information. No rogue user can be successful in a malicious authentication, because it would either be traceable or it would imply the loss of a secret key, which provides a strong incentive to keep the tag authentication information secret and protects the integrity of the supply chain. We provide game-based security proofs of our claims, without relying on the random oracle model.
Negotiating the role of the professional nurse: The pedagogy of simulation: a grounded theory study.

Simulation is the mainstay of laboratory education in health sciences, yet there is a void of pedagogy-the art and science of teaching. Nursing faculty does not have adequate evidence-based resources related to how students learn through simulation. The research questions that were addressed were as follows: (a) How do students learn using simulation? (b) What is the process of learning with simulations from the students' perspective? (c) What faculty teaching styles promote learning? and (d) How can faculty support students during simulation? Grounded theory methodology was used to explore how senior baccalaureate nursing students learn using simulation. Twenty-six students participated in this research study. Sixteen nursing students who completed two semesters of simulation courses volunteered for in-depth audio-taped interviews. In addition, there were two focus groups with five senior students in each group who validated findings and identified faculty teaching styles and supportive interventions. Negotiating the Role of the Professional Nurse was the core category, which included the following phases (I) feeling like an imposter, (II) trial and error, (III) taking it seriously, (IV) transference of skills and knowledge, and (V) professionalization. Faculty traits and teaching strategies for teaching with simulation were also identified. A conceptual model of the socialization process was developed to assist faculty in understanding the ways students learn with simulation and ways to facilitate their development. These findings provide a midrange theory for the pedagogy of simulation and will help faculty gain insight and help to assimilate into teaching-learning strategies.
Security in Automotive Bus Systems

This work presents a study of current and future bus systems with respect to their security against various malicious attacks. After a brief description of the most well-known and established vehicular communication systems, we present feasible attacks and potential exposures for these automotive networks. We also provide an approach for secured automotive communication based on modern cryptographic mechanisms that provide secrecy, manipulation prevention and authentication to solve most of the vehicular bus security issues.
Cancer genetic risk assessment and referral patterns in primary care.

PURPOSE
This study was undertaken to describe cancer risk assessment practices among primary care providers (PCPs).


METHODS
An electronic survey was sent to PCPs affiliated with a single insurance carrier. Demographic and practice characteristics associated with cancer genetic risk assessment and testing activities were described. Latent class analysis supported by likelihood ratio tests was used to define PCP profiles with respect to the level of engagement in genetic risk assessment and referral activity based on demographic and practice characteristics.


RESULTS
860 physicians responded to the survey (39% family practice, 29% internal medicine, 22% obstetrics/gynecology (OB/GYN), 10% other). Most respondents (83%) reported that they routinely assess hereditary cancer risk; however, only 33% reported that they take a full, three-generation pedigree for risk assessment. OB/GYN specialty, female gender, and physician access to a genetic counselor were independent predictors of referral to cancer genetics specialists. Three profiles of PCPs, based upon referral practice and extent of involvement in genetics evaluation, were defined.


CONCLUSION
Profiles of physician characteristics associated with varying levels of engagement with cancer genetic risk assessment and testing can be identified. These profiles may ultimately be useful in targeting decision support tools and services.
Examining technology acceptance by school teachers: a longitudinal study

The role of information technology (IT) in education has significantly increased, but resistance to technology by public school teachers worldwide remains high. This study examined public school teachers’ technology acceptance decision-making by using a research model that is based on key findings from relevant prior research and important characteristics of the targeted user acceptance phenomenon. The model was longitudinally tested using responses from more than 130 teachers attending an intensive 4-week training program on Microsoft PowerPoint, a common but important classroom presentation technology. In addition to identifying key acceptance determinants, we examined plausible changes in acceptance drivers over the course of the training, including their influence patterns and magnitudes. Overall, our model showed a reasonably good fit with the data and exhibited satisfactory explanatory power, based on the responses collected from training commencement and completion. Our findings suggest a highly prominent and significant core influence path from job relevance to perceived usefulness and then technology acceptance. Analysis of data collected at the beginning and the end of the training supports most of our hypotheses and sheds light on plausible changes in their influences over time. Specifically, teachers appear to consider a rich set of factors in initial acceptance but concentrate on fundamental determinants (e.g. perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use) in their continued acceptance. # 2003 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Characterization, Modeling, and Application of 10-kV SiC MOSFET

Ten-kilovolt SiC MOSFETs are currently under development by a number of organizations in the United States, with the aim of enabling their applications in high-voltage high-frequency power conversions. The aim of this paper is to obtain the key device characteristics of SiC MOSFETs so that their realistic application prospect can be provided. In particular, the emphasis is on obtaining their losses in various operation conditions from the extensive characterization study and a proposed behavioral SPICE model. Using the validated MOSFET SPICE model, a 20-kHz 370-W dc/dc boost converter based on a 10-kV 4H-SiC DMOSFET and diodes is designed and experimentally demonstrated. In the steady state of the boost converter, the total power loss in the 15.45-mm2 SiC MOSFET is 23.6 W for the input power of 428 W. The characterization study of the experimental SiC MOSFET and the experiment of the SiC MOSFET-based boost converter indicate that the turn-on losses of SiC MOSFETs are the dominant factors in determining their maximum operation frequency in hard-switched circuits with conventional thermal management. Replacing a 10-kV SiC PiN diode with a 10-kV SiC JBS diode as a boost diode and using a small external gate resistor, the turn-on loss of the SiC MOSFET can be reduced, and the 10-kV 5-A SiC MOSFET-based boost converter is predicted to be capable of a 20-kHz operation with a 5-kV dc output voltage and a 1.25-kW output power by the PSpice simulation with the MOSFET model. The low losses and fast switching speed of 10-kV SiC MOSFETs shown in the characterization study and the preliminary demonstration of the boost converter make them attractive in high-frequency high-voltage power-conversion applications.
Experimental Studies of Symbolic Shortest-Path Algorithms

Graphs can be represented symbolically by the Ordered Binary Decision Diagram (OBDD) of their characteristic function. To solve problems in such implicitly given graphs, specialized symbolic algorithms are needed which are restricted to the use of functional operations offered by the OBDD data structure. In this paper, two symbolic algorithms for the single-source shortest-path problem with nonnegative positive integral edge weights are presented which represent symbolic versions of Dijkstra’s algorithm and the Bellman-Ford algorithm. They execute O ( N ·log(NB) ) resp. O ( NM ·log(NB) ) OBDD-operations to obtain the shortest paths in a graph with N nodes, M edges, and maximum edge weight B. Despite the larger worst-case bound, the symbolic BellmanFord-approach is expected to behave much better on structured graphs because it is able to handle updates of node distances effectively in parallel. Hence, both algorithms have been studied in experiments on random, grid, and threshold graphs with different weight functions. These studies support the assumption that the Dijkstra-approach behaves efficient w. r. t. space usage, while the Bellman-Ford-approach is dominant w. r. t. runtime.
A Comparison of the Effects of Stabilization Exercises Plus Manual Therapy to Those of Stabilization Exercises Alone in Patients With Nonspecific Mechanical Neck Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

STUDY DESIGN
Randomized clinical trial.


BACKGROUND
Little is known about the efficacy of providing manual therapy in addition to cervical and scapulothoracic stabilization exercises in people with mechanical neck pain (MNP). Objectives To compare the effects of stabilization exercises plus manual therapy to those of stabilization exercises alone on disability, pain, range of motion (ROM), and quality of life in patients with MNP.


METHODS
One hundred two patients with MNP (18-65 years of age) were recruited and randomly allocated into 2 groups: stabilization exercise without (n = 51) and with (n = 51) manual therapy. The program was carried out 3 days per week for 4 weeks. The Neck Disability Index, visual analog pain scale, digital algometry of pressure pain threshold, goniometric measurements, and Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey were used to assess participants at baseline and after 4 weeks.


RESULTS
Improvements in Neck Disability Index score, night pain, rotation ROM, and the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey score were greater in the group that received stabilization exercise with manual therapy compared to the group that only received stabilization exercise. Between-group differences (95% confidence interval) were 2.2 (0.1, 4.3) points for the Neck Disability Index, 1.1 (0.0, 2.3) cm for pain at night measured on the visual analog scale, -4.3° (-8.1°, -0.5°) and -5.0° (-8.2°, -1.7°) for right and left rotation ROM, respectively, and -2.9 (-5.4, -0.4) points and -3.1 (-6.2, 0.0) points for the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey physical and mental components, respectively. Changes in resting and activity pain, pressure pain threshold, and cervical extension or lateral flexion ROM did not differ significantly between the groups. Pressure pain threshold increased only in those who received stabilization exercise with manual therapy (P<.05).


CONCLUSION
The results of this study suggest that stabilization exercises with manual therapy may be superior to stabilization exercises alone for improving disability, pain intensity at night, cervical rotation motion, and quality of life in patients with MNP.


LEVEL OF EVIDENCE
Therapy, level 1b.
The association of family social support, depression, anxiety and self-efficacy with specific hypertension self-care behaviours in Chinese local community

This study aimed to test the role of family social support, depression, anxiety and self-efficacy on specific self-care behaviours. In a local community health center, 318 patients with hypertension completed a questionnaire assessing self-care, family social support, depression, anxiety and self-efficacy in 2012. Each self-care behaviour was separately analyzed with logistic regression models. The mean score of perceived family social support for hypertension treatment was 20.91 (maximum=60). Adult children were identified as the primary support source. Approximately 22.3% and 15.4% of participants reported symptoms of anxiety and depression, respectively. Participants had moderately positive levels of confidence performing self-care (42.1±13.3 out of 60). After adjusting for demographic and health variables, a 10-unit increase in family social support increased the odds ratio (OR) of taking medication by 1.39 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03–1.87) and increased the OR for measuring blood pressure (BP) regularly by 1.33 (95% CI 1.02–1.74). Depression and anxiety were not associated with any self-care behaviours. A10-unit increase in self-efficacy increased the adjusted OR for performing physical exercise to 1.25 (95% CI 1.04–1.49). In conclusion, family social support was positively associated with medication adherence and regular BP measurement. Strategies to improve family social support should be developed for hypertension control, yet further prospective studies are needed to understand the effects of family social support, depression, anxiety and self-efficacy on self-care behaviours.
Multiple sclerosis that is progressive from the time of onset: clinical characteristics and progression of disability.

OBJECTIVE
To use the new consensus definitions of primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) and progressive relapsing multiple sclerosis (PRMS) to report the demographic, clinical, and natural history characteristics of multiple sclerosis (MS) that is progressive from the time of onset.


DESIGN
Retrospective study by database/chart review and telephone interview.


SETTING
Multiple sclerosis clinic at a university teaching hospital.


PATIENTS
Eighty-three patients (prevalence, 6.9%) with PPMS and 12 patients (prevalence, 1.0%) with PRMS were studied.


RESULTS
Fifty-nine percent of the patients with PPMS (n=49) and 67% of the patients with PRMS (n=8) were women. Mean +/- SD ages at the time of onset were 41.2 +/- 10.5 and 38.0 +/- 7.3 years, respectively; mean disease duration was 14.2 +/- 8.8 and 12.2 +/- 6.5 years, respectively. The initial symptoms involved leg weakness in 94% of the patients with PPMS (n = 78) and 100% of the patients with PRMS (n= 12). For the PPMS cohort, a syndrome consistent with isolated myelopathy was found in 36% of patients (n = 30) and arm weakness without leg weakness did not occur. Mean +/- SEM time of progression to a score of 6.0 on the Expanded Disability Status Scale was 10.2 +/- 1.0 years for patients with PPMS and 10.9 +/- 2.6 years for patients with PRMS.


CONCLUSIONS
The clinical characteristics and disability progression of these MS subtypes were indistinguishable, with the exception of 1 or 2 relapses in patients with PRMS that occurred 8 months to 9 years after the onset of symptoms. We see little reason to consider PPMS and PRMS separate clinical entities; however, whether they can be better distinguished by radiological, histopathological, or immunological markers of disease activity remains unknown.
Automatic Generation of Kinematic Models for the Conversion of Human Motion Capture Data into Humanoid Robot Motion

Human motion capture is a promising technique for the generation of humanoid robot motions. To convert human motion into humanoid robot motion, we need to relate the humanoid robot kinematics to the kinematics of a human performer. In this paper we propose an automatic approach for scaling of humanoid robot kinematic parameters to the kinematic parameters of a human performer. The kinematic model is constructed directly from the motion capture data without any manual measurements. We discuss the use of the resulting kinematic model for the generation of humanoid robot motions based on the observed human motions. The results of the proposed technique on real human motion capture data are presented.
FPGA Based Parallel Architectures for Normalized Cross-Correlation

As a similarity measure, normalized cross-correlation has found application in a broad range of image processing. A dedicated hardware implementation of normalized cross-correlation is crucial for the requirements of real-time high-speed tasks such as automatic target matching, recognition and tracking. Two efficient parallel architectures for real-time implementation of normalized cross-correlation using field programmable gate array (FPGA) are proposed in this paper. In these architectures, several novel efficient approaches are proposed to reduce logic resource usage and computation time. These two architectures can be applied in different situations according to the practical available resource of the FPGA chip used. Function and timing simulation with Quartus II 8.0 and practical experiment in target recognition using image matching have shown that these architectures can effectively improve the speed performance of the practical target recognition system.
Anatomic characteristics and clinical implications of angiographic coronary thrombus: insights from a patient-level pooled analysis of SYNTAX, RESOLUTE, and LEADERS Trials.

BACKGROUND
The distribution of thrombus-containing lesions (TCLs) in an all-comer population admitted with a heterogeneous clinical presentation (stable, ustable angina, or an acute coronary syndrome) and treated with percutaneous coronary intervention is yet unclear, and the long-term prognostic implications are still disputed. This study sought to assess the distribution and prognostic implications of coronary thrombus, detected by coronary angiography, in a population recruited in all-comer percutaneous coronary intervention trials.


METHODS AND RESULTS
Patient-level data from 3 contemporary coronary stent trials were pooled by an independent academic research organization (Cardialysis, Rotterdam, the Netherlands). Clinical outcomes in terms of major adverse cardiac events (major adverse cardiac events, a composite of death, myocardial infarction, and repeat revascularization), death, myocardial infarction, and repeated revascularization were compared between patients with and without angiographic TCL. Preprocedural TCL was present in 257 patients (5.8%) and absent in 4193 (94.2%) patients. At 3-year follow-up, there was no difference for major adverse cardiac events (25.3 versus 25.4%; P=0.683); all-cause death (7.4 versus 6.8%; P=0.683); myocardial infarction (5.8 versus 6.0%; P=0.962), and any revascularizations (17.5 versus 17.7%; P=0.822) between patients with and without TCL. The comparison of outcomes in groups weighing the jeopardized myocardial by TCL also did not show a significant difference. TCL were seen more often in the first 2 segments of the right (43.6%) and left anterior descending (36.8%) coronary arteries. The association of TCL and bifurcation lesions was present in 40.1% of the prespecified segments.


CONCLUSIONS
TCL involved mainly the proximal coronary segments and did not have any effect on clinical outcomes. A more detailed thrombus burden quantification is required to investigate its prognostic implications.


CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION
URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifiers: NCT00114972, NCT01443104, NCT00617084.
Fucosylated surfactant protein-D is a biomarker candidate for the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

UNLABELLED
We previously reported that knockout mice for α1,6-fucosyltransferase (Fut8), which catalyzes the biosynthesis of core-fucose in N-glycans, develop emphysema and that Fut8 heterozygous knockout mice are more sensitive to cigarette smoke-induced emphysema than wild-type mice. Moreover, a lower FUT8 activity was found to be associated with a faster decline in lung function among chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. These results led us to hypothesize that core-fucosylation levels in a glycoprotein could be used as a biomarker for COPD. We focused on a lung-specific glycoprotein, surfactant protein D (SP-D), which plays a role in immune responses and is present in the distal airways, alveoli, and blood circulation. The results of a glycomic analysis reported herein demonstrate the presence of a core-fucose in an N-glycan on enriched SP-D from pooled human sera. We developed an antibody-lectin enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for assessing fucosylation (core-fucose and α1,3/4 fucose) in COPD patients. The results indicate that fucosylation levels in serum SP-D are significantly higher in COPD patients than in non-COPD smokers. The severity of emphysema was positively associated with fucosylation levels in serum SP-D in smokers. Our findings suggest that increased fucosylation levels in serum SP-D are associated with the development of COPD.


BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE
It has been proposed that serum SP-D concentrations are predictive of COPD pathogenesis, but distinguishing between COPD patients and healthy individuals to establish a clear cut-off value is difficult because smoking status highly affects circulating SP-D levels. Herein, we focused on N-glycosylation in SP-D and examined whether or not N-glycosylation patterns in SP-D are associated with the pathogenesis of COPD. We performed an N-glycomic analysis of human serum SP-D and the results show that a core-fucose is present in its N-glycan. We also found that the N-glycosylation in serum SP-D was indeed altered in COPD, that is, fucosylation levels including core-fucosylation are significantly increased in COPD patients compared with non-COPD smokers. The severity of emphysema was positively associated with fucosylation levels in serum SP-D in smokers. Our findings shed new light on the discovery and/or development of a useful biomarker based on glycosylation changes for diagnosing COPD. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: HUPO 2014.
SDF-1/CXCR4 promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition and progression of colorectal cancer by activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF-1) and its receptor, CXCR4, play an important role in angiogenesis and are associated with tumor progression. This study aimed to investigate the role of SDF-1/CXCR4-mediated epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and the progression of colorectal cancer (CRC) as well as the underlying mechanisms. The data showed that expression of CXCR4 and β-catenin mRNA and protein was significantly higher in CRC tissues than in distant normal tissues. CXCR4 expression was associated with β-catenin expression in CRC tissues, whereas high CXCR4 expression was strongly associated with low E-cadherin, high N-cadherin, and high vimentin expression, suggesting a cross talk between the SDF-1/CXCR4 axis and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in CRC. In vitro, SDF-1 induced CXCR4-positive colorectal cancer cell invasion and EMT by activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. In contrast, SDF-1/CXCR4 axis activation-induced colorectal cancer invasion and EMT was effectively inhibited by the Wnt signaling pathway inhibitor Dickkopf-1. In conclusion, CXCR4-promoted CRC progression and EMT were regulated by the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Thus, targeting of the SDF-1/CXCR4 axis could have clinical applications in suppressing CRC progression.