LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Illumination Distribution from Brightness in Shadows: Adaptive Estimation of Illumination Distribution with Unknown Reflectance Properties in Shadow Regions

This paper describes a new method for estimating the illumination distribution of a real scene from a radiance distribution inside shadows cast by an object in the scene. First, the illumination distribution of the scene is approximated by discrete sampling of an extended light source. Then the illumination distribution of the scene is estimated from a radiance distribution inside shadows cast by an object of known shape onto another object in the scene. Instead of assuming any particular reflectance properties of the surface inside the shadows, both the illumination distribution of the scene and the reflectance properties of the surface are estimated simultaneously, based on iterative optimization framework. In addition, this paper introduces an adaptive sampling of the illumination distribution of a scene. Rather than using a uniform discretization of the overall illumination distribution, we adaptively increase sampling directions of the illumination distribution based on the estimation at the previous iteration. Using the adaptive sampling framework, we are able to estimate overall illumination more efficiently by using fewer sampling directions. The proposed method is effective for estimating an illumination distribution even under a complex illumination environment.
Asymmetric funnel plots and publication bias in meta-analyses of diagnostic accuracy.

BACKGROUND
Despite the great possibility of publication bias in studies of diagnostic test research, empirical studies about publication bias have mainly focused on studies of treatment effect.


METHODS
A sample of 28 meta-analyses of diagnostic accuracy was selected from the Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness (DARE). Methods used to deal with publication and related biases in these meta-analyses were examined. Asymmetry of funnel plot of estimated test accuracy against corresponding precision for each meta-analysis was assessed by three statistical methods: rank correlation method, regression analysis, and Trim and Fill method.


RESULTS
In reviews of diagnostic accuracy, there was a general lack of consideration of appropriate literature searching to minimize publication bias, and the impact of possible publication bias has not been systematically assessed. The results of the three different statistical methods consistently showed that in a large proportion of the 28 meta-analyses evaluated, the smaller studies were associated with a greater diagnostic accuracy. Exploratory analyses found that the fewer the literature databases searched, the greater the funnel plot asymmetry in meta-analyses. Funnel plot asymmetry tended to be greater in meta-analyses that included smaller number of primary studies. Our data revealed no consistent relationship between funnel plot asymmetry and language restriction in reviews.


CONCLUSIONS
Further research is required to explain why smaller studies tended to report greater test accuracy in a large proportion of meta-analyses of diagnostic tests. In systematic reviews of diagnostic studies, literature search should be sufficiently comprehensive and possible impact of publication bias should be assessed.
Predictions ofmb/mτandmtin an asymptotically nonfree theory

We discuss an extension of the minimal supersymmetric standard model with five generations of matter superfields. The extra generations are assumed to form a generation{endash}mirror-generation pair (the fourth and antifourth generations) enabling the extra fermions to have SU(2){sub L}{times}U(1){sub Y}-invariant masses. Because of the contribution of the extra generations, all three running gauge couplings of SU(3){sub C}{times}SU(2){sub L}{times}U(1){sub Y} become asymptotically nonfree while preserving gauge coupling unification at the grand unified theory (GUT) scale. We show that, due to the asymptotically nonfree character of the gauge couplings, (1) the top and bottom Yukawa couplings are strongly focused onto infrared fixed points as they are evolved down in scale making their values at {mu}=M{sub Z} insensitive to their initial values at {mu}=M{sub GUT}, (2) the model predicts R{sub b{tau}}(M{sub Z}){equivalent_to}Y{sub b}/Y{sub {tau}}{vert_bar}{sub {mu}=M{sub Z}}{approx}1.8, which is consistent with the experimental value provided we take the ratio of Yukawa couplings at the GUT scale to be R{sub b{tau}}(M{sub GUT})=Y{sub b}/Y{sub {tau}}{vert_bar}{sub {mu}=M{sub GUT}}=1/3, and (3) the t mass prediction comes out to be m{sub t}{approx}180 GeV which is also consistent with experiment. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}
Evaluation of bioaccumulation using in vivo laboratory and field studies.

A primary consideration in the evaluation of chemicals is the potential for substances to be absorbed and retained in an organism's tissues (i.e., bioaccumulated) at concentrations sufficient to pose health concerns. Substances that exhibit properties that enable biomagnification in the food chain (i.e., amplification of tissue concentrations at successive trophic levels) are of particular concern due to the elevated long-term exposures these substances pose to higher trophic organisms, including humans. Historically, biomarkers of in vivo chemical exposure (e.g., eggshell thinning, bill deformities) retrospectively led to the identification of such compounds, which were later categorized as persistent organic pollutants. Today, multiple bioaccumulation metrics are available to quantitatively assess the bioaccumulation potential of new and existing chemicals and identify substances that, upon or before environmental release, may be characterized as persistent organic pollutants. This paper reviews the various in vivo measurement approaches that can be used to assess the bioaccumulation of chemicals in aquatic or terrestrial species using laboratory-exposed, field-deployed, or collected organisms. Important issues associated with laboratory measurements of bioaccumulation include appropriate test species selection, test chemical dosing methods, exposure duration, and chemical and statistical analyses. Measuring bioaccumulation at a particular field site requires consideration of which test species to use and whether to examine natural populations or to use field-deployed populations. Both laboratory and field methods also require reliable determination of chemical concentrations in exposure media of interest (i.e., water, sediment, food or prey, etc.), accumulated body residues, or both. The advantages and disadvantages of various laboratory and field bioaccumulation metrics for assessing biomagnification potential in aquatic or terrestrial food chains are discussed. Guidance is provided on how to consider the uncertainty in these metrics and develop a weight-of-evidence evaluation that supports technically sound and consistent persistent organic pollutant and persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic chemical identification. Based on the bioaccumulation information shared in 8 draft risk profiles submitted for review under the United Nations Stockholm Convention, recommendations are given for the information that is most critical to aid transparency and consistency in decision making.
Expression of Neuron-Specific Enolase in Multiple Myeloma and Implications for Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment

OBJECTIVE
To determine the expression of neuron-specific enolase (NSE) in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) and to evaluate its clinical value as a tumor marker and, an indicator of disease progression and treatment efficacy.


METHODS
Using electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA), we measured the serum levels of NSE in 47 healthy subjects (control group), 25 patients with small cell lung cancer (lung cancer group), and 52 patients with MM (MM group). For the MM group, serum NSE levels were measured and other disease indicators and related symptoms were monitored before and after chemotherapy. The relationship between NSE expression and other MM-related factors was analyzed. In addition, immunohistochemical staining was performed on bone marrow biopsy specimens from patients with MM.


RESULTS
In the control group, serum NSE levels were within the normal range as previously reported, while the lung cancer group and the untreated MM group exhibited NSE levels that were significantly higher relative to the control group (P<0.05). The difference in NSE expression between the lung cancer group and untreated MM group was statistically significant (P<0.05). NSE levels were significantly decreased in MM patients after chemotherapy and were positively correlated with an MM disease index [beta-2 microglobulin (β2-MG)]. Changes in NSE were not related to the response rate to chemotherapy but rather were correlated with progression-free survival.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients with MM may have increased serum NSE levels, and changes in NSE may provide insight into treatment efficacy of chemotherapy and disease progression. Perhaps NSE expression is a viable biomarker for MM and can be a useful reference for the design and adjustment of clinical MM treatment programs.
Automatic generation of test vectors for SCR-style specifications

This paper provides the basis for integrating the Software Cost Reduction (SCR) specification method with the T-VEC (Test VECtor) test vector generator and specification analysis system. The SCR model is mapped to the T-VEC model to support automatic test vector generation for SCR specifications. The T-VEC system generated test vectors for an example SCR specification that was translated into the T-VEC language. The relationships between the models and the resulting test vectors are described. Two general guidelines for the translation process were identified that are fundamental for testing specifications that use event operators and for structuring the specifications to provide tests for all specified requirements.
Randomized controlled trial of specific spinal stabilization exercises and conventional physiotherapy for recurrent low back pain.

STUDY DESIGN
Pragmatic, multicentered randomized controlled trial, with 12-month follow-up.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effect of adding specific spinal stabilization exercises to conventional physiotherapy for patients with recurrent low back pain (LBP) in the United Kingdom.


SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA
Spinal stabilization exercises are a popular form of physiotherapy management for LBP, and previous small-scale studies on specific LBP subgroups have identified improvement in outcomes as a result.


METHODS
A total of 97 patients (18-60 years old) with recurrent LBP were recruited. Stratified randomization was undertaken into 2 groups: "conventional," physiotherapy consisting of general active exercise and manual therapy; and conventional physiotherapy plus specific spinal stabilization exercises. Stratifying variables used were laterality of symptoms, duration of symptoms, and Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire score at baseline. Both groups received The Back Book, by Roland et al. Back-specific functional disability (Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire) at 12 months was the primary outcome. Pain, quality of life, and psychologic measures were also collected at 6 and 12 months. Analysis was by intention to treat.


RESULTS
A total of 68 patients (70%) provided 12-month follow-up data. Both groups showed improved physical functioning, reduced pain intensity, and an improvement in the physical component of quality of life. Mean change in physical functioning, measured by the Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire, was -5.1 (95% confidence interval -6.3 to -3.9) for the specific spinal stabilization exercises group and -5.4 (95% confidence interval -6.5 to -4.2) for the conventional physiotherapy group. No statistically significant differences between the 2 groups were shown for any of the outcomes measured, at any time.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients with LBP had improvement with both treatment packages to a similar degree. There was no additional benefit of adding specific spinal stabilization exercises to a conventional physiotherapy package for patients with recurrent LBP.
ASSOCIATION BETWEEN SOCIAL MEDIA USE AND DEPRESSION AMONG U.S. YOUNG ADULTS.

BACKGROUND
Social media (SM) use is increasing among U.S. young adults, and its association with mental well-being remains unclear. This study assessed the association between SM use and depression in a nationally representative sample of young adults.


METHODS
We surveyed 1,787 adults ages 19 to 32 about SM use and depression. Participants were recruited via random digit dialing and address-based sampling. SM use was assessed by self-reported total time per day spent on SM, visits per week, and a global frequency score based on the Pew Internet Research Questionnaire. Depression was assessed using the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Depression Scale Short Form. Chi-squared tests and ordered logistic regressions were performed with sample weights.


RESULTS
The weighted sample was 50.3% female and 57.5% White. Compared to those in the lowest quartile of total time per day spent on SM, participants in the highest quartile had significantly increased odds of depression (AOR = 1.66, 95% CI = 1.14-2.42) after controlling for all covariates. Compared with those in the lowest quartile, individuals in the highest quartile of SM site visits per week and those with a higher global frequency score had significantly increased odds of depression (AOR = 2.74, 95% CI = 1.86-4.04; AOR = 3.05, 95% CI = 2.03-4.59, respectively). All associations between independent variables and depression had strong, linear, dose-response trends. Results were robust to all sensitivity analyses.


CONCLUSIONS
SM use was significantly associated with increased depression. Given the proliferation of SM, identifying the mechanisms and direction of this association is critical for informing interventions that address SM use and depression.
Improving Sentence Representations with Multi-view Frameworks

Multi-view learning can provide self-supervision when different views are avail1 able of the same data. Distributional hypothesis provides another form of useful 2 self-supervision from adjacent sentences which are plentiful in large unlabelled 3 corpora. Motivated by the asymmetry in the two hemispheres of the human brain 4 as well as the observation that different learning architectures tend to emphasise 5 different aspects of sentence meaning, we present two multi-view frameworks for 6 learning sentence representations in an unsupervised fashion. One framework uses 7 a generative objective and the other a discriminative one. In both frameworks, 8 the final representation is an ensemble of two views, in which, one view encodes 9 the input sentence with a Recurrent Neural Network (RNN), and the other view 10 encodes it with a simple linear model. We show that, after learning, the vectors 11 produced by our multi-view frameworks provide improved representations over 12 their single-view learned counterparts, and the combination of different views gives 13 representational improvement over each view and demonstrates solid transferability 14 on standard downstream tasks. 15
Fractional CO(2) laser-assisted drug delivery.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Ablative fractional resurfacing (AFR) creates vertical channels that might assist the delivery of topically applied drugs into skin. The purpose of this study was to evaluate drug delivery by CO(2) laser AFR using methyl 5-aminolevulinate (MAL), a porphyrin precursor, as a test drug.


MATERIALS AND METHODS
Two Yorkshire swine were treated with single-hole CO(2) laser AFR and subsequent topical application of MAL (Metvix(R), Photocure ASA, Oslo, Norway), placebo cream and no drug. MAL-induced porphyrin fluorescence was measured by fluorescence microscopy at skin depths down to 1,800 microm. AFR was performed with a 10.6 microm wavelength prototype CO(2) laser, using stacked single pulses of 3 millisecond and 91.6 mJ per pulse.


RESULTS
AFR created cone-shaped channels of approximately 300 microm diameter and 1,850 microm depth that were surrounded by a 70 microm thin layer of thermally coagulated dermis. There was no porphyrin fluorescence in placebo cream or untreated skin sites. AFR followed by MAL application enhanced drug delivery with significantly higher porphyrin fluorescence of hair follicles (P<0.0011) and dermis (P<0.0433) versus MAL alone at skin depths of 120, 500, 1,000, 1,500, and 1,800 microm. AFR before MAL application also enhanced skin surface (epidermal) porphyrin fluorescence. Radial diffusion of MAL from the laser-created channels into surrounding dermis was evidenced by uniform porphyrin fluorescence up to 1,500 microm from the holes (1,000, 1,800 microm depths). Skin massage after MAL application did not affect MAL-induced porphyrin fluorescence after AFR.


CONCLUSIONS
Ablative fractional laser treatment facilitates delivery of topical MAL deeply into the skin. For the conditions of this study, laser channels approximately 3 mm apart followed by MAL application could produce porphyrins throughout essentially the entire skin. AFR appears to be a clinically practical means for enhancing uptake of MAL, a photodynamic therapy drug, and presumably many other topical skin medications.
On the Syntax and Translation of Finnish Discourse Clitics

Motto One criterion is to think of the description as material for machine translation—that is the level of specificity I'd like to achieve. The description of the clitics should support translation between correct uses of clitics and corresponding devices in other languages.
Opening up to Big Data: Computer-Assisted Analysis of Textual Data in Social Sciences

Two developments in computational text analysis may change the way qualitative data analysis in social sciences is performed: 1. the availability of digital text worth to investigate is growing rapidly, and 2. the improvement of algorithmic information extraction approaches, also called text mining, allows for further bridging the gap between qualitative and quantitative text analysis. The key factor hereby is the inclusion of context into computational linguistic models which extends conventional computational content analysis towards the extraction of meaning. To clarify methodological differences of various computer-assisted text analysis approaches the article suggests a typology from the perspective of a qualitative researcher. This typology shows compatibilities between manual qualitative data analysis methods and computational, rather quantitative approaches for large scale mixed method text analysis designs.
Determining the Sentiment of Opinions

Identifying sentiments (the affective parts of opinions) is a challenging problem. We present a system that, given a topic, automatically finds the people who hold opinions about that topic and the sentiment of each opinion. The system contains a module for determining word sentiment and another for combining sentiments within a sentence. We experiment with various models of classifying and combining sentiment at word and sentence levels, with promising results.
Consumption of milk and calcium in midlife and the future risk of Parkinson disease.

OBJECTIVE
To examine the relation between milk and calcium intake in midlife and the risk of Parkinson disease (PD).


METHODS
Findings are based on dietary intake observed from 1965 to 1968 in 7,504 men ages 45 to 68 in the Honolulu Heart Program. Men were followed for 30 years for incident PD.


RESULTS
In the course of follow-up, 128 developed PD (7.1/10,000 person-years). Age-adjusted incidence of PD increased with milk intake from 6.9/10,000 person-years in men who consumed no milk to 14.9/10,000 person-years in men who consumed >16 oz/day (p = 0.017). After further adjustment for dietary and other factors, there was a 2.3-fold excess of PD (95% CI 1.3 to 4.1) in the highest intake group (>16 oz/day) vs those who consumed no milk. The effect of milk consumption on PD was also independent of the intake of calcium. Calcium from dairy and nondairy sources had no apparent relation with the risk of PD.


CONCLUSIONS
Findings suggest that milk intake is associated with an increased risk of Parkinson disease. Whether observed effects are mediated through nutrients other than calcium or through neurotoxic contaminants warrants further study.
Truth, Trust, and Sanctions: On Institutional Selection in Sender–Receiver Games*

We conduct a laboratory experiment to investigate the impact of institutions and institutional choice on truth-telling and trust in sender-receiver games. We find that in an institution with sanctioning opportunities, receivers sanction predominantly after having trusted lies. Individuals who sanction are responsible for truth-telling beyond standard equilibrium predictions and are more likely to choose the sanctioning institution. Sanctioning and non-sanctioning institutions coexist if their choice is endogenous and the former shows a higher level of truth-telling but lower material payoffs. It is shown that our experimental findings are consistent with the equilibrium analysis of a logit agent quantal response equilibrium with two distinct groups of individuals: one consisting of subjects who perceive non-monetary lying costs as senders and non-monetary costs when being lied to as receivers and one consisting of payoff maximizers. JEL Classification: A13, C72, Z13.
Diazepam withdrawal responses measured in the social interaction test of anxiety and their reversal by baclofen

After 21 days of treatment with diazepam (0.5 or 2 mg/kg/day) rats were tolerant to the effects of diazepam to increase social interaction in the low light unfamiliar test condition of the social interaction test of anxiety. When they were tested 24 h after the last of 21 injections they showed significant decreases in social interaction, indicating an anxiogenic withdrawal response. However, the social interaction scores of rats tested 48 h after withdrawal from diazepam treatment were no longer different from those of the control group. The decreased social interaction, indicating increased anxiety, detected 24 h after withdrawal of diazepam (21 daily injections of 0.5 or 2 mg/kg), could be reversed by the usual daily diazepam dose (0.5 or 2 mg/kg, respectively) or by baclofen (0.5 or 1 mg/kg). Baclofen (2 mg/kg) was sedative in both control treated and diazepam-dependent rats, but was ineffective at reversing the decrease in social interaction seen after diazepam withdrawal. Possible sites of action mediating these effects of baclofen are discussed, and it is suggested that either post-synaptic GABAB sites in the hippocampus are involved or that the reversal of the decreased social interaction detected on withdrawal of diazepam treatment is due to a baclofen-mediated inhibition of 5-HT release in the hippocampus.
The Canadian healthy infant longitudinal development birth cohort study: biological samples and biobanking.

BACKGROUND
It is hypothesised that complex interactions between genetic and environmental factors give rise to allergy and asthma in childhood. The Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development (CHILD) study was designed to explore these factors.


METHODS
CHILD is a longitudinal, general population birth cohort study following infants from mid-pregnancy to age 5 years. Over this time period, biological samples, questionnaires, clinical measures and environmental data are collected.


RESULTS
A total of 3624 families have been recruited, and many thousands of samples and questionnaires have been collected, annotated, and archived. This report outlines the rationale and methodology for collecting and storing diverse biological samples from parents and children in this study, and the mechanisms for their release for analyses.


CONCLUSIONS
The CHILD sample and data repository is a tremendous current and future resource and will provide a wealth of information not only informing studies of asthma and allergy, but also potentially in many other aspects of health relevant for Canadian infants and children.