LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Routing in telecommunications networks with " smart " ant-like agents

A simple mechanism is presented, based on ant-like agents, for routing and load balancing in telecommunications networks, following the initial works of Appleby and Stewart (1994) and Schoonderwoerd et al. (1997). In the present work, agents are very similar to those proposed by Schoonderwoerd et al. (1997), but are supplemented with a simplified dynamic programming capability, initially experimented by Guérin (1997) with more complex agents, which is shown to significantly improve the network's relaxation and its response to perturbations. Topic area: Intelligent agents and network management
Anisotropy in Magnetism

The enormous research on magnetic properties of ultrathin films and nanostructures produces also new activities in the fundamental understanding of the magnetic anisotropy energy (MAE) and the anisotropy of the orbital magnetic moment/atom. The pseudomorphic growth of Fe, Co, Ni on metallic and non-metallic substrates can change the nearest neighbor distance by ≈ 0.05 Å. This small change in structure and symmetry increases the MAE by several orders of magnitude and lifts the quenching of the orbital moment. Increases of 20 − 30% of the orbital moment μL are observed. This experimental finding is confirmed by full relativistic ab initio calculations. Various experiments deliver the full temperature dependence of all MAE contributions. The temperature dependence remains a challenge for the theory in itinerant magnetism.
A 2-Gb/s 130-nm CMOS RF-Correlation-Based IR-UWB Transceiver Front-End

This paper presents a carrierless RF-correlation-based impulse radio ultra-wideband transceiver (TRX) front-end in a 130-nm CMOS process. Timing synchronization and coherent demodulation are implemented directly in the RF domain, targeting applications such as short-range energy-efficient wireless communication at gigabit/second data rates. The 6-10-GHz band is exploited to achieve higher data rate. Binary phase-shift keying modulated impulse is generated by edge combining the delayed clock signal at a lower frequency of 2 GHz to avoid a more power-hungry phase-locked loop at higher frequency (e.g., 8 GHz). An on-chip pulse shaper inside the pulse generator is designed to provide filtering for an edge-combined signal to comply with the Federal Communications Commission spectrum emission mask. In order to achieve 25-ps delay accuracy and 500-ps delay range for the proposed two-step RF synchronization, a template-based digital delay generation scheme is proposed, which delays the locally generated trigger pulse instead of the wideband pulse itself. Occupying 6.4 mm2 of chip area, the TRX achieves a maximum data rate of 2 Gb/s and a receiver (RX) sensitivity of -64 dBm with a bit error rate of 10-5, while requiring only 51.5 pJ/pulse in the transmitter mode and 72.9 pJ/pulse in the RX mode.
Comparison of balloon-expandable vs self-expandable valves in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement: the CHOICE randomized clinical trial.

IMPORTANCE
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is an effective treatment option for high-risk patients with severe aortic stenosis. Different from surgery, transcatheter deployment of valves requires either a balloon-expandable or self-expandable system. A randomized comparison of these 2 systems has not been performed.


OBJECTIVE
To determine whether the balloon-expandable device is associated with a better success rate than the self-expandable device.


DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS
The CHOICE study was an investigator-initiated trial in high-risk patients with severe aortic stenosis and an anatomy suitable for the transfemoral TAVR procedure. One hundred twenty-one patients were randomly assigned to receive a balloon-expandable valve (Edwards Sapien XT) and 120 were assigned to receive a self-expandable valve (Medtronic CoreValve). Patients were enrolled between March 2012 and December 2013 at 5 centers in Germany.


INTERVENTIONS
Transfemoral TAVR with a balloon-expandable or self-expandable device.


MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
The primary end point was device success, which is a composite end point including successful vascular access and deployment of the device and retrieval of the delivery system, correct position of the device, intended performance of the heart valve without moderate or severe regurgitation, and only 1 valve implanted in the proper anatomical location. Secondary end points included cardiovascular mortality, bleeding and vascular complications, postprocedural pacemaker placement, and a combined safety end point at 30 days, including all-cause mortality, major stroke, and other serious complications.


RESULTS
Device success occurred in 116 of 121 patients (95.9%) in the balloon-expandable valve group and 93 of 120 patients (77.5%) in the self-expandable valve group (relative risk [RR], 1.24, 95% CI, 1.12-1.37, P < .001). This was attributed to a significantly lower frequency of residual more-than-mild aortic regurgitation (4.1% vs 18.3%; RR, 0.23; 95% CI, 0.09-0.58; P < .001) and the less frequent need for implanting more than 1 valve (0.8% vs 5.8%, P = .03) in the balloon-expandable valve group. Cardiovascular mortality at 30 days was 4.1% in the balloon-expandable valve group and 4.3% in the self-expandable valve group (RR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.29-3.25; P = .99). Bleeding and vascular complications were not significantly different, and the combined safety end point occurred in 18.2% of those in the balloon-expandable valve group and 23.1% of the self-expandable valve group (RR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.48-1.30; P = .42). Placement of a new permanent pacemaker was less frequent in the balloon-expandable valve group (17.3% vs 37.6%, P = .001).


CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
Among patients with high-risk aortic stenosis undergoing TAVR, the use of a balloon-expandable valve resulted in a greater rate of device success than use of a self-expandable valve.


TRIAL REGISTRATION
clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01645202.
Reimagining HCI: toward a more human-centered perspective

us to rethink our whole value frame concerning means and ends, and the place of technology within this frame. The ambit of HCI has expanded enormously since the field’s emergence in the early 1980s. Computing has changed significantly; mobile and ubiquitous communication networks span the globe, and technology has been integrated into all aspects of our daily lives. Computing is not simply for calculating, but rather is a medium through which we collaborate and interact with other people. The focus of HCI is not so much on human-computer interaction as it is on human activities mediated by computing [1]. Just as the original meaning of ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) has become dated, perhaps so too has the original meaning of HCI (humancomputer interaction). It is time for us to rethink how we approach issues of people and technology. In this article I explore how we might develop a more humancentered approach to computing. for the 21st century, centered on the exploration of new forms of living with and through technologies that give primacy to human actors, their values, and their activities. The area of concern is much broader than the simple “fit” between people and technology to improve productivity (as in the classic human factors mold); it encompasses a much more challenging territory that includes the goals and activities of people, their values, and the tools and environments that help shape their everyday lives. We have evermore sophisticated and complex technologies available to us in the home, at work, and on the go, yet in many cases, rather than augmenting our choices and capabilities, this plethora of new widgets and systems seems to confuse us—or even worse, disable us. (Surely there is something out of control when a term such as “IT disability” can be taken seriously in national research programs.) Solutions do not reside simply in ergonomic corrections to the interface, but instead require Some years ago, HCI researcher Panu Korhonen of Nokia outlined to me how HCI is changing, as follows: In the early days the Nokia HCI people were told “Please evaluate our user interface, and make it easy to use.” That gave way to “Please help us design this user interface so that it is easy to use.” That, in turn, led to a request: “Please help us find what the users really need so that we know how to design this user interface.” And now, the engineers are pleading with us: “Look at this area of
diarrhoea: meta-analysis Probiotics in prevention of antibiotic associated

Objective To evaluate efficacy of probiotics in prevention and treatment of diarrhoea associated with the use of antibiotics. Design Meta-analysis; outcome data (proportion of patients not getting diarrhoea) were analysed, pooled, and compared to determine odds ratios in treated and control groups. Identification Studies identified by searching Medline between 1966 and 2000 and the Cochrane Library. Studies reviewed Nine randomised, double blind, placebo controlled trials of probiotics. Results Two of the nine studies investigated the effects of probiotics in children. Four trials used a yeast (Saccharomyces boulardii), four used lactobacilli, and one used a strain of enterococcus that produced lactic acid. Three trials used a combination of probiotic strains of bacteria. In all nine trials, the probiotics were given in combination with antibiotics and the control groups received placebo and antibiotics. The odds ratio in favour of active treatment over placebo in preventing diarrhoea associated with antibiotics was 0.39 (95% confidence interval 0.25 to 0.62; P < 0.001) for the yeast and 0.34 (0.19 to 0.61; P < 0.01 for lactobacilli. The combined odds ratio was 0.37 (0.26 to 0.53; P < 0.001) in favour of active treatment over placebo. Conclusions The meta-analysis suggests that probiotics can be used to prevent antibiotic associated diarrhoea and that S boulardii and lactobacilli have the potential to be used in this situation. The efficacy of probiotics in treating antibiotic associated diarrhoea remains to be proved. A further large trial in which probiotics are used as preventive agents should look at the costs of and need for routine use of these agents.
The Reasonable Ineffectiveness of Mathematics

T he nature of the relationship between mathematics and the physical world has been a source of debate since the era of the Pythagoreans. A school of thought, reflecting the ideas of Plato, is that mathematics has its own existence. Flowing from this position is the notion that mathematical forms underpin the physical universe and are out there waiting to be discovered. The opposing viewpoint is that mathematical forms are objects of our human imagination and we make them up as we go along, tailoring them to describe reality. In 1921, this view led Einstein to wonder, "How can it be that mathematics, being after all a product of human thought which is independent of experience, is so admirably appropriate to the objects of reality?" [1 ]. In 1959, Eugene Wigner coined the phrase "the unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics" to describe this "miracle," conceding that it was something he could not fathom [2]. The mathematician Richard W. Hamming, whose work has been profoundly influential in the areas of computer science and electronic engineering, revisited this very question in 1980 [3]. Hamming raised four interesting propositions that he believed fell short of providing a conclusive explanation [3]. Thus, like Wigner before him, Hamming resigned himself to the idea that mathematics is unreasonably effective. These four points are: 1) we see what we look for; 2) we select the kind of mathematics we look for; 3) science in fact answers comparatively few problems; and 4) the evolution of man provided the model. In this article, we will question the presupposition that mathematics is as effective as claimed and thus remove the quandary of Wigner's "miracle," leading to a non-Platonist viewpoint. 1 We will also revisit Hamming's four propositions and show how they may indeed largely explain that there is no miracle, given a reduced level of mathematical effectiveness. The reader will be asked for a moment of indulgence, where we will push these ideas to the extreme, extending them to all physical law and models. Are they all truly reified? We will question their absolute reality and ask the question: Have we, in some sense, generated a partly anthropo-centric physical and mathematical framework of the world around us? Why should we care? Among scientists and engineers, there are those that worry about such questions and there are those that prefer to "shut up and calculate." We will attempt to explain why there …
Effectiveness of weekly cognitive stimulation therapy for people with dementia and the additional impact of enhancing cognitive stimulation therapy with a carer training program

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
Cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) is a widely used, evidence-based intervention for people with dementia (PwD). Although designed as a 14 session, twice weekly intervention, many services in the UK deliver CST once a week for 14 weeks. However, this method of delivery has yet to be evaluated. In addition, CST does not include any formal carer training. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of once weekly CST and determine any additional impact when enhanced with a carer training program.


DESIGN AND METHODS
A single blind, randomized controlled trial was conducted. Sixty eight PwD and their carers were recruited through three community Memory Assessment Services. PwD and their carers were randomized to one of three conditions: CST plus carer training, CST only, or a wait list control. PwD were administered standardized measures of cognition, quality of life, and quality of relationship with carer at baseline and the 15 week follow-up.


RESULTS
There were no baseline differences across the three groups. At follow-up, there were no significant differences between PwD in the three groups on any outcomes.


IMPLICATIONS
Weekly CST with or without carer training may not be an effective form of delivery. Several possible explanations for the outcomes are proposed. Weekly CST may not offer the necessary "dose" required to combat decline, and equally the carer training may have been too brief to have made a difference. Services currently offering weekly CST should collect routine outcome data to support its use and provide practice-based evidence.
Mapping underwater ship hulls using a model-assisted bundle adjustment framework

This paper reports on a model-assisted bundle adjustment (BA) framework in which visually-derived features are fused with an underlying three-dimensional (3D) mesh provided a priori. By using an approach inspired by the expectationmaximization (EM) class of algorithms, we introduce a hidden binary label for each visual feature that indicates if that feature is considered part of the nominal model, or if the feature corresponds to 3D structure that is absent from the model. Therefore, in addition to improved estimates of the feature locations, we can identify visual features that correspond to foreign structure on the ship hull. We show that this framework is a special case of the Gaussian maxmixtures framework, which can be efficiently incorporated into state-of-the-art graph-based simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) solvers. In addition, the precision of our bundle adjustment framework allows the identification of structural deviations between 3D structure inferred from bundle-adjusted camera imagery and the prior model. These structural deviations are clustered into shapes, which allow us to fuse camera-derived structure back into the 3D mesh. This augmented model can be used within a 3D photomosaicing pipeline, providing a visually intuitive 3D reconstruction of the ship hull. We evaluate our pipeline using the Bluefin Robotics hovering au∗Corresponding author Email addresses: paulozog@umich.edu (Paul Ozog), mattjr@umich.edu (Matthew Johnson-Roberson), eustice@umich.edu (Ryan M. Eustice) 1Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department 2Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering Department Preprint submitted to Elsevier January 21, 2017 tonomous underwater vehicle (HAUV) surveying the SS Curtiss, where a 3D mesh derived from computer aided design (CAD) drawings serves as the prior model. In addition to more consistent visual reconstructions, we can update the prior mesh with 3D information corresponding to underwater structure, such as biofouling or manually-placed cylindrical shapes with known dimensions.
Synthesis and microbiological activity of some novel 5- or 6-methyl-2-(2,4-disubstituted phenyl) benzoxazole derivatives.

The synthesis of a new series of 5-or 6-methyl-2-(2,4-disubstituted phenyl) benzoxazoles (4, 5) is described in order to determine their antimicrobial activities and feasible structure-activity relationships. The synthesized compounds were tested in vitro against three Gram-positive bacteria, three Gram-negative bacteria and the yeast Candida albicans, in comparison with several control drugs. Microbiological results exhibited that the synthesized compounds possess a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity against the tested microorganisms. The compounds 4b and 4c indicated some antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus having a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 12.5 micrograms/ml. Moreover, the compound 5a revealed a significant antibacterial activity against the enterobacter Pseudomonas aeruginosa showing a MIC value of 25 micrograms/ml, i.e. more potent than the control drugs tetracycline and streptomycin. For the antimycotic activity against the yeast C. albicans, the derivative 4c was found to be more active than the other synthesized compounds with a MIC value of 12.5 micrograms/ml, but one-fold less potent than the control drugs oxiconazole and haloprogin.
A novel electrothermal IGBT modeling approach for circuit simulation design

This paper describes a novel electrothermal coupling simulation model for analyzing IGBT power devices for large scale applications. The model calculates the conduction and switching losses in a wide range of operation points and returns an accurate temperature prediction. The electrical and thermal model parameters are extracted from the manufacturer catalog datasheet values. The new model device on-voltage characteristics show good agreement with measured results. The thermal model can take into account lateral heat spreading within the module and thermal interference among power devices. The features of the present model are described and compared against the simulation results of a half-bridge circuit and three phase inverter topology.
Pressure recording analytical method for measuring cardiac output in critically ill children: a validation study.

BACKGROUND
Pressure recording analytical method (PRAM) is a novel, arterial pulse contour-based method for measuring cardiac output (CO). Validation studies of PRAM in children are few, and have not assessed both absolute accuracy and ability to track changes in CO across a broad case mix. We aimed to compare CO as measured by PRAM with that using a transpulmonary dilution method in a cohort of critically ill children.


METHODS
Forty-eight, mechanically ventilated children with a median (inter-quartile) weight of 10.7 (5.5-15) kg with arterial and central venous catheters in situ were studied. CO was measured simultaneously using PRAM and the comparator method, transpulmonary ultrasound dilution (UD). Measurements were repeated before and after therapeutic interventions that were intended to augment CO (e.g. fluid bolus).


RESULTS
In total, 210 paired measurements were compared. The mean (sd) CO was 1.9 (1.2) litre min(-1) with UD when compared with 1.92 (0.5) litre min(-1) using PRAM. The mean bias was 0.02 litre min(-1) with wide limits of agreement: ± 2.21 litre min(-1), giving a percentage error of 116%. The concordance between PRAM and UD for measuring changes in CO was also poor, with only 37% of measurements falling within the pre-defined polar plot limits of ±30°.


CONCLUSIONS
There is an unacceptably poor agreement between UD and PRAM. We do not recommend the use of PRAM for measuring CO in critically ill children with the current algorithm.
Effects of mild TBI from repeated blast overpressure on the expression and extinction of conditioned fear in rats

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are pressing medical issues for the Warfighter. Symptoms of mTBI can overlap with those of PTSD, suggesting the possibility of a causal or mediating role of mTBI in PTSD. To address whether mTBI can exacerbate the neurobiological processes associated with traumatic stress, we evaluated the impact of mTBI from a blast overpressure (BOP) on the expression of a conditioned fear. In the rat, conditioned fear models are used to evaluate the emotional conditioning processes that are known to become dysfunctional in PTSD. Rats were first trained on a variable interval (VI), food maintained, operant conditioning task that established a general measure of performance. Inescapable electric shock (IES) was paired with an audio-visual conditioned stimulus (CS) and followed 1day later by three daily exposures to BOP (75kPa). Subsequently, the CS alone was presented once every 7days for 2months, beginning 4days following the last BOP. The CS was presented during the VI sessions allowing a concurrent measure of performance. Treatment groups (n=10, each group) received IES+BOP, IES+sham-BOP, sham-IES+BOP or sham-IES+sham-BOP. As expected, pairing the CS with IES produced a robust conditioned fear that was quantified by a suppression of responding on the VI. BOP significantly decreased the expression of the conditioned fear. No systematic short- or long-term performance deficits were observed on the VI from BOP. These results show that mTBI from BOP can affect the expression of a conditioned fear and suggests that BOP caused a decrease in inhibitory behavioral control. Continued presentation of the CS produced progressively less response suppression in both fear conditioned treatments, consistent with extinction of the conditioned fear. Taken together, these results show that mTBI from BOP can affect the expression of a conditioned fear but not necessarily in a manner that increases the conditioned fear or extends the extinction process.