LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Obesity in Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVE
Obesity and overweight are well known risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD), and are expected to be increasing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) particularly among females. Therefore, we designed this study with the objective to determine the prevalence of obesity and overweight among Saudis of both gender, between the ages of 30-70 years in rural as well as in urban communities. This work is part of a major national project called Coronary Artery Disease in Saudis Study (CADISS) that is designed to look at CAD and its risk factors in Saudi population.


METHODS
This study is a community-based national epidemiological health survey, conducted by examining Saudi subjects in the age group of 30-70 years of selected households over a 5-year period between 1995 and 2000 in KSA. Data were obtained from body mass index (BMI) and were analyzed to classify individuals with overweight (BMI = 25-29.9 kg/m2), obesity (BMI >/=30 kg/m2) and severe (gross) obesity (BMI >/=40 kg/m2) to provide the prevalence of overweight and obesity in KSA.


RESULTS
Data were obtained by examining 17,232 Saudi subjects from selected households who participated in the study. The prevalence of overweight was 36.9%. Overweight is significantly more prevalent in males (42.4%) compared to 31.8% of females (p<0.0001). The age-adjusted prevalence of obesity was 35.5% in KSA with an overall prevalence of 35.6% [95% CI: 34.9-36.3], while severe (gross) obesity was 3.2%. Females are significantly more obese with a prevalence of 44% than males 26.4% (p<0.0001).


CONCLUSION
Obesity and overweight are increasing in KSA with an overall obesity prevalence of 35.5%. Reduction in overweight and obesity are of considerable importance to public health. Therefore, we recommend a national obesity prevention program at community level to be implemented sooner to promote leaner and consequently healthier community.
The EU Water Framework Directive: From great expectations to problems with implementation.

The Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC (WFD) is widely accepted as the most substantial and ambitious piece of European environmental legislation to date. It has been referred to as a once in a generation opportunity to restore Europe's waters and a potential template for future environmental regulations. However, fifteen years since it was adopted, and with many problems and delays in its implementation, the WFD has not delivered its main objectives of non-deterioration of water status and the achievement of good status for all EU waters. Putting aside the daunting technical and organisational challenges of its implementation, this paper aims to shed light on why the great expectations that came with the WFD have not yet been fully realised. It reviews how the Directive has been interpreted, focusing on its intentions and how they were applied. The findings reveal the absence of the paradigm shift towards the systems (integrated) thinking that the WFD was grounded on, as a fundamental problem with its implementation. This is also evident in cases where the Directive has been criticised as a policy tool or when implementation efforts were reviewed, indicating misunderstandings even of its core principles. This inherent departure from the Directive's systemic intention and methodological approach needs further investigation, as it could be the reason behind many of its problems and delays. Unless current implementation efforts are reviewed or revised in light of this, enabling the paradigm shift required to ensure a more sustainable and holistic approach to water management, the fading aspirations of the initial great expectations that came with the Directive could disappear for good.
Pre-school children with and without developmental delay: behaviour problems and parenting stress over time.

BACKGROUND
Children with intellectual disability are at heightened risk for behaviour problems and diagnosed mental disorder.


METHODS
The present authors studied the early manifestation and continuity of problem behaviours in 205 pre-school children with and without developmental delays.


RESULTS
Behaviour problems were quite stable over the year from age 36-48 months. Children with developmental delays were rated higher on behaviour problems than their non-delayed peers, and were three times as likely to score in the clinical range. Mothers and fathers showed high agreement in their rating of child problems, especially in the delayed group. Parenting stress was also higher in the delayed group, but was related to the extent of behaviour problems rather than to the child's developmental delay.


CONCLUSIONS
Over time, a transactional model fit the relationship between parenting stress and behaviour problems: high parenting stress contributed to a worsening in child behaviour problems over time, and high child behaviour problems contributed to a worsening in parenting stress. Findings for mothers and fathers were quite similar.
Revisiting Taxonomy Induction over Wikipedia

Guided by multiple heuristics, a unified taxonomy of entities and categories is distilled from the Wikipedia category network. A comprehensive evaluation, based on the analysis of upward generalization paths, demonstrates that the taxonomy supports generalizations which are more than twice as accurate as the state of the art. The taxonomy is available at http://headstaxonomy.com.
Lifting valid inequalities for the precedence constrained knapsack problem

This paper considers the precedence constrained knapsack problem. More specifically, we are interested in classes of valid inequalities which are facet-defining for the precedence constrained knapsack polytope. We study the complexity of obtaining these facets using the standard sequential lifting procedure. Applying this procedure requires solving a combinatorial problem. For valid inequalities arising from minimal induced covers, we identify a class of lifting coefficients for which this problem can be solved in polynomial time, by using a supermodular function, and for which the values of the lifting coefficients have a combinatorial interpretation. For the remaining lifting coefficients it is shown that this optimization problem is strongly NPhard. The same lifting procedure can be applied to (1,k)-configurations, although in this case, the same combinatorial interpretation no longer applies. We also consider K-covers, to which the same procedure need not apply in general. We show that facets of the polytope can still be generated using a similar lifting technique. For tree knapsack problems, we observe that all lifting coefficients can be obtained in polynomial time. Computational experiments indicate that these facets significantly strengthen the LP-relaxation.
Public enterprise reforms and efficiency in regulated environments: the case of the postal sector

Purpose. This paper focuses on analyzing the effect that public reforms have on the efficiency of state-owned enterprises in regulated environments. Design, methodology, approach. The research is focused in the postal sector where public and private companies must obey a legal framework related to provide a universal service. The analysis is carried out using a panel of 7 European postal operators for the period 1997-2003. The activity analyzed was the letter mail division; we take as key variable the unit cost of a letter and use a translog cost function where as independent variables we include traffic levels, labor cost per employee, quality and availability of the service as well as the type of ownership (public or private). Additionally, in a second stage the geographical differences among countries are considered. Findings. Results indicate that postal operators that experienced organizational changes without being privatized, such as the Spanish and Greek operators, do not have higher unit costs than privatized postal operators like the one of Germany and the Netherlands. Moreover, we find that in all cases the operator of Ireland appear to be the most efficient. In this case restructuring process has been carried out giving an important leadership role to workers. This suggests us that labor culture could be a key variable to study when analyzing reform processes in public enterprises. Originality, value. Our findings show that in a regulated environment like in the postal sector, public and private companies can obtain similar efficiency levels in term of unit costs.
LAe-R : A new learning analytics tool in Moodle for assessing students ’ performance

2 Abstract— A challenging and demanding task for the teachers in e-learning environments is the assessment of students' performance. Several learning management systems (LMS) like Moodle offer several assessment tools such as quizzes, scales, " classic " rubrics, etc. In this paper, we present a new cloud based assessment tool, called Learning Analytics Enriched Rubric (LAe-R) which is seamlessly integrated into Moodle. LAe-R is based on the concept of the " enriched rubrics " , which is becoming a popular assessment technique in education. This technique is a blend of marking criteria and grading levels of a " classic/traditional " rubric and performance indicators stemmed from analysis of learners' interaction and learning behavior in a LMS based e-learning environment. Finally, in this paper we present the findings of a case study scenario showed that LAe-R is a very usable tool and is highly appreciated by teachers and students.
Health behaviors and risk factors associated with chronic kidney disease in Korean patients with diabetes: the Fourth Korean National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey.

PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to identify health behavior and risk factors for chronic kidney disease (CKD) in Korean patients with diabetes.


METHODS
This study was a secondary analysis of the Fourth Korean National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (2007-2009). Of the 24,871 participants, 1,239 aged over 19 years with diagnosis of diabetes were included. Stratified and cluster variables in the analysis-plan file for a weighted, complex sample were analyzed. CKD was confirmed by the estimated glomerular filtration rate level of 15.0-59.9 mL/min/1.732 m(2). Odds ratios between the variables and CKD were calculated using logistic regression analysis with adjustment for gender, age, educational background, income, and duration of diagnosis.


RESULTS
The results showed that 14.7% of participants with diabetes were accompanied with CKD. The risk of developing CKD in those who made efforts to take proper nutrition but failed was 1.76 times higher than those taking nutrition properly. In those who used to smoke compared to their nonsmoking counterparts, the risk was 2.06 times higher; in those who did not do vigorous exercise compared to those who did, the risk was 2.12 times higher; in those with hypertension than those without, the risk was 2.4 times higher; and in those with anemia compared to those without, the risk was 2.32 times higher. Only 19% of the participants received health education for diabetes, which did not affect the incidence of CKD.


CONCLUSION
Since renal functions are affected by lifestyle factors, it is critical for healthcare professionals to provide diabetic patients with health education focused on changing their behavior so that it is conducive to health. It is also necessary to consider that diabetes education should be made more available and provided more effectively to these patients.
Loss to follow-up in an international, multicentre observational study.

OBJECTIVE
The aim of this work was to assess loss to follow-up (LTFU) in EuroSIDA, an international multicentre observational cohort study.


METHODS
LTFU was defined as no follow-up visit, CD4 cell count measurement or viral load measurement after 1 January 2006. Poisson regression was used to describe factors related to LTFU.


RESULTS
The incidence of LTFU in 12 304 patients was 3.72 per 100 person-years of follow-up [95% confidence interval (CI) 3.58-3.86; 2712 LTFU] and varied among countries from 0.67 to 13.35. After adjustment, older patients, those with higher CD4 cell counts, and those who had started combination antiretroviral therapy all had lower incidences of LTFU, while injecting drug users had a higher incidence of LTFU. Compared with patients from Southern Europe and Argentina, patients from Eastern Europe had over a twofold increased incidence of LTFU after adjustment (incidence rate ratio 2.16; 95% CI 1.84-2.53; P<0.0001). A total of 2743 patients had a period of >1 year with no CD4 cell count or viral load measured during the year; 743 (27.1%) subsequently returned to follow-up.


CONCLUSIONS
Some patients thought to be LTFU may have died, and efforts should be made to ascertain vital status wherever possible. A significant proportion of patients who have a year with no follow-up visit, CD4 cell count measurement or viral load measurement subsequently return to follow-up.
Why Is Polygyny More Prevalent in Western Africa? An African Slave Trade Perspective

Polygyny rates are higher in Western Africa than in Eastern Africa. The African slave trades help explain this difference. More male slaves were exported in the trans-Atlantic slave trades from Western Africa, while more female slaves were exported in the Indian Ocean slave trades from Eastern Africa. The slave trades led to prolonged periods of abnormal sex ratios, which impacted the rates of polygyny across Africa. In order to assess these claims, we present evidence from a variety of sources. We find the transAtlantic slave trades have a positive correlation with historical levels of polygyny across African ethnic groups. We also construct an ethnic group level data set linking current rates of polygyny with historical trade flow data from the trans-Atlantic and Indian Ocean slave trades. We find the trans-Atlantic slave trades cause polygyny at the ethnic group level, while the Indian Ocean slave trades do not. We provide cross-country evidence corroborating our findings. JEL Classification: F14, J12, N17, O55
Security Preconditions for Session Description Protocol (SDP) Media Streams

This document defines a new security precondition for the Session
Description Protocol (SDP) precondition framework described in RFCs
3312 and 4032. A security precondition can be used to delay session
establishment or modification until media stream security for a secure
media stream has been negotiated successfully. [STANDARDS-TRACK]
Biosynthesis of silver nanoparticle by endophytic fungi Pencillium sp. isolated from Curcuma longa (turmeric) and its antibacterial activity against pathogenic gram negative bacteria

Background: Nanotechnology gained tremendous impetus in modulating metals into nanosize, shapes and controlled dispersity owing to their potential use for human benefits. An endophytic fungus, Pencillium sp. isolated from healthy leaves of Curcuma longa (turmeric) was subjected for extracellular biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). Methods: Endophytic fungus, Pencillium sp was isolated from healthy leaves of C. longa and subjected for biosynthesis of AgNPs. These AgNPs were characterized by UVeVisible Spectroscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The AgNPs were tested for antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella typhimurium, and Enterobacter aerogenes. Results and discussion: The endophytic fungus, Pencillium sp. from healthy leaves of C. longa (turmeric), was found to be a good producer of AgNPs. UVevisible spectroscopy showed the surface plasmon resonance band at 425 nm. TEM studies revealed the synthesized AgNPs to be spherical, well dispersed with the size of 25 nm. FTIR results showed two bands at 1644 and 1538 cm 1 corresponding to the binding vibrations of proteins, indicating the binding of proteins with nanoparticles plays an important role in stabilization and as reducing agent. Antibacterial activity against Ps. aeruginosa, K. pneumoniae showed maximum zone of inhibition of 21 and 15 mm. Conclusion: The use of endophytic fungi for nanoparticles production remains untouched. It is noteworthy that apart from being rich sources of secondary metabolites, these endophytic fungi also have the ability to reduce metals. The AgNPs produced by endophytic fungi displayed considerable antibacterial activity and hence this study would prove to provide novel antimicrobial agents synthesized in a facile way. Copyright a 2013, JPR Solutions; Published by Reed Elsevier India Pvt. Ltd. All rights
Routing, spectrum and core assignment for space division multiplexing elastic optical networks

Elastic Optical Network (EON) is expected as one of future networks in terms of spectrum flexibility. While Routing and Wavelength Assignment (RWA) problem is one of the key issues in traditional Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) networks, Routing and Spectrum Assignment (RSA) problem has much impact on network performance in EONs. On the other hand, Data-Center (DC) traffic and/or mobile back-haul traffic keep on increasing. To deal with such forthcoming huge capacity of applications, Space Division Multiplexing (SDM) technologies, such as Multi-Core Fiber (MCF) and few-mode fiber, are intensively researched. From network perspective, this paper focuses on Routing, Spectrum and Core Assignment (RSCA) problem for future SDM-EON. Introducing multi-core fibers makes RSA problem more complex because fiber-core dimension is newly expanded. In addition, physical impairment caused by MCF must be taken into account. In this paper, first, the target RSCA problem is divided into the routing and SCA problems, and K-shortest path based pre-computation method is introduced as the routing solution. Next, according to whether MCF has inter-core crosstalk or not, we propose SCA methods with crosstalk awareness and with prioritized area concept, respectively. Finally, the paper evaluates the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms compared with representative ones.
Smooth motion generation for unicycle mobile robots via dynamic path inversion

A new motion-generation approach is proposed for wheeled mobile robots described by the unicycle kinematic model. This approach permits the generation of smooth continuous-acceleration controls using a dynamic path-inversion procedure that exploits the concept of G/sup 3/ -paths, i.e., Cartesian paths with third-order geometric continuity (both the curvature function and its derivative, with respect to the arc length, are continuous). The exposed steering method is well suited to be adopted for the robot's iterative steering within a supervisory control architecture for sensor-based autonomous navigation. A worked example illustrates the approach.
Levosimendan in decompensated heart failure patients: efficacy in a Brazilian cohort. Results of the BELIEF study.

BACKGROUND
Levosimendan is a new inodilatory agent that enhances cardiac contractility via Ca(2+) sensitization and induces vasodilation through the activation of KATP/BKCa.


OBJECTIVE
To study the efficacy and safety of levosimendan in a decompensated heart failure (DHF) Brazilian cohort, and in b-adrenergic agonist resistant patients.


METHODS
The Brazilian Evaluation of Levosimendan Infusion Efficacy (BELIEF) study was prospective, multicenter, observational and included 182 high-risk DHF patients, all of which received open-label levosimendan. Primary end point was hospital discharge without additional inotropic therapy (responder). Secondary end points were changes in hemodynamics, clinical parameters, and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP).


RESULTS
Mortality rate was 14.8%, and 139 of 182 patients were responders. In non responders it was 62.8%. Systolic blood pressure was a predictor of response. In b-adrenergic agonist resistant group, 55.8% were responders. Overall, 54 patients experienced at least one adverse event; most of them resolved either spontaneously or after levosimendan dose reduction. A significant improvement in quality of life was verified at 2-6 months of follow-up (p<0.0001).


CONCLUSION
Our results suggest levosimendan infusion as an alternative therapy in the short term management of DHF patients. HF severity can influence the response to levosimendan treatment. Prospective studies are warranted in a Brazilian cohort including Chagas heart disease.
Usefulness of the Medical Research Council (MRC) dyspnoea scale as a measure of disability in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

BACKGROUND
Methods of classifying chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) depend largely upon spirometric measurements but disability is only weakly related to measurements of lung function. With the increased use of pulmonary rehabilitation, a need has been identified for a simple and standardised method of categorising disability in COPD. This study examined the validity of the Medical Research Council (MRC) dyspnoea scale for this purpose.


METHODS
One hundred patients with COPD were recruited from an outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation programme. Assessments included the MRC dyspnoea scale, spirometric tests, blood gas tensions, a shuttle walking test, and Borg scores for perceived breathlessness before and after exercise. Health status was assessed using the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) and Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire (CRQ). The Nottingham Extended Activities of Daily Living (EADL) score and Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) score were also measured.


RESULTS
Of the patients studied, 32 were classified as having MRC grade 3 dyspnoea, 34 MRC grade 4 dyspnoea, and 34 MRC grade 5 dyspnoea. Patients with MRC grades 1 and 2 dyspnoea were not included in the study. There was a significant association between MRC grade and shuttle distance, SGRQ and CRQ scores, mood state and EADL. Forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) was not associated with MRC grade. Multiple logistic regression showed that the determinants of disability appeared to vary with the level of disability. Between MRC grades 3 and 4 the significant covariates were exercise performance, SGRQ and depression score, whilst between grades 4 and 5 exercise performance and age were the major determinants.


CONCLUSIONS
The MRC dyspnoea scale is a simple and valid method of categorising patients with COPD in terms of their disability that could be used to complement FEV1 in the classification of COPD severity.
NAADP and the two-pore channel protein 1 participate in the acrosome reaction in mammalian spermatozoa

The functional relationship between the formation of hundreds of fusion pores during the acrosome reaction in spermatozoa and the mobilization of calcium from the acrosome has been determined only partially. Hence, the second messenger NAADP, promoting efflux of calcium from lysosome-like compartments and one of its potential molecular targets, the two-pore channel 1 (TPC1), were analyzed for its involvement in triggering the acrosome reaction using a TPCN1 gene-deficient mouse strain. The present study documents that TPC1 and NAADP-binding sites showed a colocalization at the acrosomal region and that treatment of spermatozoa with NAADP resulted in a loss of the acrosomal vesicle that showed typical properties described for TPCs: Registered responses were not detectable for its chemical analogue NADP and were blocked by the NAADP antagonist trans-Ned-19. In addition, two narrow bell-shaped dose-response curves were identified with maxima in either the nanomolar or low micromolar NAADP concentration range, where TPC1 was found to be responsible for activating the low affinity pathway. Our finding that two convergent NAADP-dependent pathways are operative in driving acrosomal exocytosis supports the concept that both NAADP-gated cascades match local NAADP concentrations with the efflux of acrosomal calcium, thereby ensuring complete fusion of the large acrosomal vesicle.